My experience in buying my bike -- 2005 ABS (with a story or two):
I read about the Feejer when I discovered that someone other than BMW made a sport-touring bike. I had salivated over the old R90RS for many years but never bit the bullet. Then I drooled over the R1150 RT models for months, and even saw a used model for sale in Sacramento from a private owner....but I passed.
Something about it was not quite right (it wasn't a Yamaha !)
I kept hoping and reading. I even kinda looked at a Concourse. Kinda.
Then I saw the Honda on some site somewhere .... was quite surprised that the Japanese had done Beemer, yet it made sense. then I decided to check the Yamaha page, and there she was ! I gobbled up all the reports and reviews I could find, then called the dealer in Concord the next day. (This was in late May).
Concord said "all gone."
Found another Bay area dealer in Hayward --- East Bay Motorsports, open on a Monday of all things. Called and talked to Russ. He said they sold out but were getting four more that week, maybe one that day. He tried to persuade me to come down there and give them $500 for a deposit. Shit, I'm not stupid enought to think that if I gave out $500, I could back out of the purchase. I told him that I was serious about getting the bike.
I went down there, filled out papers, qualified for the best factory finance rate, went home for my boots and jeans, then returned to the dealer on the train to buy the bike.
The worst part was the sales pitch from the finance dude about the extended warranty from Western Fuckemup. I went for five years of ignorance. I read about the YES program on this site and returned to sanity.
(I have since cancelled the Western Fuckemup and will get a major refund. The dealership staff were quite ignorant of the procedure to cancel it and I had to make four phone calls to get it done, despite sending two identical letters to their office stating my desire to cancel it. I was almost ready to go to the dealership in person with my steel toe boots and practice front snap kicks to the groin and shoulder dislocations, but hopefully I won't need to do that.)
Russ told me that the setup fee was about a grand due to the extensive labor to install the fairing and such ... and the shipping from some warehouse near Sacramento was another grand. What can I say, I wanted the bike, and I bought it.
One of the shop guys in Concord told me how bad the Western Fuckemup contract was, that they no longer sold it or honored it. That fact, plus the feedback about the YES program that I read here, motivated me to do the cancellation. Shit, man, that refund would pay for major farkling !
The feeling that I got from the Concord dude made me want to remember them for future business.
The ad in the local paper for a dealership in San Mateo with very reduced OTD prices on 2005 models (granted, this was in September) made me remember them as well.
The Hayward folks, well, they sure get a lot of watercraft and bike business. But probably not mine again.
All in all, a slightly used model at the end of the first season might be the best value. But heck, at the end of the season ?
BTW, I don't ride my 2005 as much as I hoped. The bay bridge traffic is crazy even though the commute is only 25 miles from home. I hate splitting lanes and the time savings is nonexistent versus the BART train. Of course, I miss the various fresh air benefits .......
but when I get to ride it, man what a ride !!!
