Your freight charge is legit. The setup charge is something you may be able to negotiate. You know what your other option is - walk away if you are not comfortable with the deal. Good luck on getting your ride.

 

I paid $345 Freight; $880 Setup. I shopped around and this seems to be the norm in SouthernCalifornia. I have yet to find a dealer who would not charge it on a current years model bike that is in demand. If anyone knows of a Southern California dealer who does not I would like to know who it is. We also have to pay California Emissions charge ($200) and high sales taxes (7.5%-8.0%). Adds up quickly.

 

My bike was in a big box.... I asked about taking it home and doing my own assmebly... NO WAY they said as it would not establish the warranty... Seems as certified dealershp has to assemble to assure warrantee is properly established. SET-UP for my area is 500.00 for an ULTRA... SE ULTRA is 750.00... Sportster is 350.00

 

Thanks for the info, gives me some idea of what's standard for HD.

 

I have always had good luck calling around. I made an offer on my current bike to a dealer over a hundred miles away. Salesman said he would ask sales manager. Called me back and made a counter offer. I told him that there are too many dealers around and stock was high (in June on 07's) and I would get the deal I offered from someone. I got my deal, but since the dealer was over 100 miles away I didn't bother to ask for the 1k service. I paid shipping charges, but I did not pay any other dealer fees at all.

 

Well I paid $700 for setup and $295 documentation charges and I think at the time Harley listed the freight at $335. Setup and Documentation charges are just there to hike up the profit margin, and all dealers in the Phoenix metro area who say they sell at MSRP tack on these charges so you are stuck with them unless you travel a long way to by your bike. The bike comes almost completely assembled right out of the crate and I doubt they spend more then an hour to set it up and besides considering the price of the bike this should be included. This is why they are referred to as Stealers.

 

"Norm these days?" Good question.Find a dealer you want to deal with. Find a bike you want and then get the best deal you can...or

If you are willing to travel an unlimited number of miles, survey the country and find the best deal $ wise.

9 years ago (November 98) when guys were waiting 12 months for a bike I called 4 dealers locally looking for an '99 Ultra; one dealer told me he couldn't get me a bike until the following August. one dealer had an answering machine answering the phone. one dealer told me he could get any bike I wanted for a $3,500 premium above MSRP and one dealer happened to have the exact bike I wanted coming in in 3 weeks available at MSRP. Picked up that bike 3 weeks later and no other dealer has touched any of my bikes since. When I got my '07 the negotiations lasted 10 minutes. There are dealers closer but none that I deal with. Yes I know every dealer has to honor the warranty but I still believe people deal with peolple. I consider myself fortunate.

Let us know how you make out. Good luck.

 

The $800 set-up is excess in my opinion. When I bought my RG, I paid the $345 freight and $200 for DMV/DOC fees and that was it above the price of the bike I negotiated. This was at a dealer 70 miles away. The local dealer charges $995 for set-up along with the $345 freight. I walked and told them that was why. They made no effort to negotiate. Obviously every dealer has the ability to set pricing and fees, not all of them will negotiate.

 

If you can work them down more power to you. Other then that, I would not expect them to send you to the "DollarGeneral" store for a better deal!

If this is going to be a real selling point then another dealer would be what I'd check,,,, to see if you can get a haggeling point in writing to wave under their nose.

If all else fails you may have to end up sucking it up.

But, I can garente you, this will not be the most money that you outlay in owning a H-D! (H-D stands for Hundreds of Dollars)And its often been said that buying a Harley is not something that your finshed with when you drive it off the dealers property, its a down payment on an accessory package!

Good luck with your new bike!

 

I shopped around. The first dealer wanted $990 for set up. The second wanted $125. A third was way above MSRP so I dropped them right away.

I went back to the first and told them what the second was asking. After a bit of pushing back the salesman said he would check with the boss. Sure enough they matched the $125 price. The salesman even sheepishly admitted that some of their profit was in that set up price. I guess people just dont question the rest after they hear MSRP.

So I suggest you get a couple of other itemized "out the door" quotes. Do this even if the other dealers are outside your driving range. The salesman will push back against any price reduction you request. (Its their job.) But they cant arguethe fact that youcan buy the same bike cheaper somewhere else.

Oh by the way, when the bike did come in I said I was in a hurry because I was leaving on a trip. One guy had the bike ready in under two hours including a wash and dry. $990? Yea right.

Barton