As I mentioned earlier, never buy a bike on your first visit! Your heart
will be pumping, your mind will be racing, and you may even be drooling a bit,
but don’t buy it yet! This should be a timely and well-informed purchase, and
that means that you should shop around, compare your notes, and then
carefully choose the bike you wish to purchase.
Once you’ve visited a number of different dealerships, taken note of a
number of different bikes, and gone home to look over your notes and think
carefully about which bikes suits you best, it’s finally time to go out there
and buy yourself a motorcycle. Now, make sure that the bike you saw in the
store was the exact bike you wanted, because you’ll be walking out with that
exact bike. Motorcycle dealers don’t usually special order bikes – you get what
you see in the showroom, as is.
The non-negotiable status of the prices was also mentioned earlier, and is
the case at most every motorcycle dealership you’ll visit. Of course, you’re
welcome to try, but don’t expect much. In lieu of a reduced price on the bike,
you may have better luck asking for some accessories to be thrown into the
deal.
If you don’t plan on paying for the bike right away, then you should be
pre-approved for a loan from your bank or credit union. Compare the rates with
those offered by the dealership’s financing option, then decide how you’ll pay
for your new purchase.
Accessories
Finally, there’s some essential safety gear that you’ll want to buy with
your new bike. As was mentioned earlier in this article, you can expect to spend
at least $500 to $1000 on this gear, but it doesn’t hurt to ask the dealer to
include some freebies with the price of the motorcycle.
As for what kind of gear you’ll need, the most obvious item will be a
helmet. Even if your state doesn’t have a helmet law for motorcycle riders,
it’s always a good idea to wear one – especially if you’re a new rider. The
helmet will also be the most expensive item on your accessory list, so prepare
in advance to spend a large chunk of cash on a quality helmet.
Some other items you’ll want to buy include some riding gloves, leather
pants, and a leather jacket. Not only do these items look sleek, but they’ll
offer you a great deal of protection if you should fall, reducing the amount,
and the severity, of injuries.
Finally, see what the dealership offers in the way of motorcycle locks.
Bikes are easy targets for theft, and a lock will go a long way towards
shutting down a potential thief.