Forgive my ignorance of all things Harley Davidson. I just joined this forum because both my wife and I are looking to get new bikes. Naturally, we are looking at HD bikes as part of the mix. The kids are grown, out of the house and having their own kids, which means that we have more disposable income. I never dreamed that children would be THAT expensive, but I digress. On to my situation......................................... ..........

If I go the HD route myself, I am really leaning toward the Road Glide Ultra. Although my wife frequently rides her own bike, she is frequently two-up with me on my bike. That bike just seems ideal to me. This has led me to research this model throughout eastern Massachusetts. We get around the entire area together due to the nature of our work, so stopping at various dealers to "tire kick", check stock and discuss pricing is easy. Our travels the past few weeks have only served to confuse me rather than enlighten me however.

The majority of the dealers have invariably had "new" 2017 and 2018 RGU's. One dealer even had a new 2016!! Some of these only had a few miles on them and some had a few hundred miles on them. The bikes with a few hundred miles on them were claimed to be "demo" bikes that the dealer now wants to get rid of. OK, I can understand that. Get rid of the two year old bikes..................................except the discount offered off MSRP seems negligible. For example, I inquired about a 2017 RGU with just over 500 miles on it. I know the MSRP was originally just over $27K. The dealership still wanted $25.5K and only grudgingly came down to $24.5K with first 1000 mile service thrown in. Really?? $2.5 to $3K off a two year old bike?? I think I'd rather pay the extra $3K for the REALLY NEW bike, the 2019!!

What I am looking for guidance on:

Is it worth my effort to try to get more than that off such a bike?? I realize they consider it to still be a new bike and they also tell me that it still comes with a full two-year Harley factory warranty because it has never been titled before. I cannot justify in my own mind getting a small discount on such a bike though, especially when we are only 2 to 3 months away from it being a 3 year old model. Does Harley Davidson have some hidden incentives that they give to the dealers behind the scenes to slash pricing and move these older bikes?? Or are these dealers eating the devaluation with time?

As a further example of my research, the same dealer with the 2017 RGU that currently stands at $24.5K also has a 2017 CVO Limited FLHTKSE being offered at just over $38K. Supposedly, original MSRP was $41K. When I use the internet archive, what some folks call the "Wayback Machine", I can tell that this CVO Limited hit the dealer lot sometime between January 2017 and May 2017. The bike has 2 miles on the odometer, so it really has not been ridden. Is this typical behavior of dealers with bikes of this vintage?? Do they really expect people to pay top price for an older bike??

Thanks,
John

 

I got offfered a brand new 2019 street glide for 23.5 out the door. Don’t pay a lot esp used

 

Dealers are going to get as much as they can, new or "new". I would look up the used value of the bike and offer them that. When you buy a new bike that is 2 or 3 years old, it will be worth what the used book value is for the year as soon as you drive it off the lot.

 

They all do this, the margin between MSRP and invoice is in fact pretty thin. Even if the dealer knocks off a few $Ks on a two year old bike or a demo, he/she may be selling the bike at near or even below their cost, and they hate that. Dealers make 'WAY more $$$ on used bikes because they typically lowball on trade-ins and hence have a much larger margin. Also why they all try to charge for freight and prep. SOMETIMES you might be able to get a better deal because the dealer borrowed the money to buy the bikes, and they'll take a loss to get out from interest they're paying on unsold inventory.

I just went through this at a Yamaha dealer, where they wanted full MSRP on a 2018 MT-07 demo AND $1K freight +prep. I walked and got a MUCH better deal on a 2019 at the next town over. You might want to go to seedealercost.com and see if you can get an invoice price on the bike you're interested in, just one more piece of information for you. Ride safe!

 

In september i bought my first bike, 2018 streetbob. I was hesitant as i was going to just buy a used sportser, glad i didnt im 245lb. However i was just looking at new bikes while waiting for paperwork and the manager approached me and pointed to the bike and said you like? I’ll sell it to you for 11,900 and 2%. Sticker with way it was set up wa $18973 however base msrp was $14,900. Thats what they reduced $3’000. I think it depends on dealer and their motivation to clear year end models, i agree above check the used value, or you may end up paying more than worth.

 

I have already checked seedealercost.com and I was considering offering "invoice" price to move the bike because it is 2 years old and has just over 500 miles on it. Clearly, the dealer got some value out of it as a demo bike. My wife made an interesting suggestion.................offer them slightly less than invoice, then walk away if they balk at the offer. They do have my name and phone number if they want to chew on the offer.

John

 

Just keep in mind that you're the one in control. They can't force you to accept their price so offer what you want to pay. My best guess is that they won't go below invoice but why not start there and see what happens? If you're fine paying invoice, then I think it'd be a good idea to go with the wife's plan and offer below and see if they come up to invoice.

 

There is no formula or sure thing when it comes to getting deals. You either are at the right place at the right time or you're not. The fact that these 2017 models are still on the lot indicates the dealer isn't yet willing to field overly aggressive offers and are in no rush. Why that is the case is not something anyone can really know for sure. But this is prime season for bike sales and they are probably betting they will move it on their terms. All you can do is make your offers. Eventually they will need to move them and come down more if they remains unsold by the time the 2020 comes out.

 

Also keep in mind that 2017 was the first year for the M8 engine. Me personally, I would avoid a 2017 or 2018 just in case those engines had some hidden issues due to newness. With the 2020 models being released in a couple of months, I would feel more comfortable with those.

 

"Paging Mr. Bean to the white courtesy phone, please!"