I drove solo from Tampa, FL to Durham, NC to pick up my 2016 F6B Deluxe. I left Tampa on a Friday night at 8:30 pm. Stopped at 1:00 am and slept for until 4:30 am. Arrived at the dealership by 10:30 Saturday morning. Loaded the bike in my trailer and back on the road by 11:30. Arrived back home at 8:00pm Saturday night. 1523 miles in 23 1/2 hours.
Flew from Dallas to Albuquerque to buy a 2008 BMW GS1200, spent the night and rode it home. This was in 2011 when we had 60+ consecutive days in Dallas of triple digit temps. When I was leaving Albuquerque Saturday morning it was 54 degrees. I almost didn't come back. Had nice temps until Muleshoe, Tx and ended up staying in Lubbock. Was just to hot to ride the additional 330 miles.
I wouldn't go more than a couple hours, unless it was an extra ordinary deal.
Gotta figure travel costs, to the bike, and cost returning, plus time, as well as the cost for anyone who travels with you. Time ain't free. And I figure my time is worth way more than $10 per hour. Figure all that in the cost, then see if the trip "may" be worth it. I say "may" because, when you get there, it may not be quite like it looked in the pictures or as a salesman described. A similar bike, in a closer location, even with a higher price, may be cheaper in the long run. And if your not retired, your "giving" up valuable "weekend" riding time, to go get the bike.
I drove from central FL. to NC to buy a new 2016 Indian Chief w/ a custom paint job, it was a great deal, trailered it back. Rode it 600 miles when I got back. Stopped by the Honda dealer to P/U a throttle rocket. Was looking at the "B's" & the salesman ask if I wanted to test ride a "B"...…..Who am I to say no to a test ride? Hell yes! I said. That day I stated looking for a good used B...… and found one. I sold the Indian to a guy in CA, made a couple hundred bucks on it. He was so happy when he won the bid, very excited, he couldn't wait for it to be delivered. I got one email after he took delivery, it read something like: bike was delivered today, a real beauty. Man it sure is heavy! …………………… I thought, "Buddy, you've got that right !!"...…………… My B is the best bike I've ever owned.
March 2017 I found the best deal for a new 2015 f6b 4.5 hrs away. I had been looking all over the eastern USA and found some good prices but the they wanted to add $1000 to the price for prep and doc fees. I made the deal via email and phone and gave my local powerhouse dealer an opportunity but they tried to bs me . I gave a deposit over the phone and picked it up two days later.
My best good buddy and I made a rode trip from San Antonio, Tx to Franklin, Tennessee last year for me to buy my 2016 F6B Deluxe. It was used, with 1,800 miles on it, and from my search, about the best deal I could find anywhere. I drove back through Arkansas, Mississippi, stopped at Medgar Ever's home, and through Lousiana back to San Antonio. It was an amazing trip on an amazing bike. Had I known how beautiful the ride was going to be, I would've allotted more time away from work. I had to squeeze the trip back into 3 days, and would've liked more time.
Went to Wisc. for a 99 Valkyrie Interstate with 18000 miles a few years ago.
Luckily had a member of VRCC go look at it first,man got to love it when you can get eyes on
it first. Cost at time to ship was 500 bucks. Was such a good deal that the cost to get it to
Maryland was worth it.me on interstate.jpg
If you're buying new, vehicles are commodities, and commodities trade on price. I buy on price, taking into consideration the cost to get the vehicle to me. I live in Central Texas, and shop nationally. Recent vehicle purchases:
2007 Yamaha FJR1300 - Purchased on eBay from Heinen's in Osseo, MN, shipped to me by Keyboard Carriers. After the sale, the sales guy at Heinen's said they were going to have to evaluate how they listed bikes on eBay, in terms of reserve.
2011 Toyota Tacoma - Purchased from Performance Toyota in Kansas City, KS. 23.5 hour drive, including about 50 minutes at the dealership to write the check, saved me about $3K over any deal I could get in central Texas. A week after I bought the truck, a sales guy at the Toyota dealership in Waco, who told me that the deal I agreed to with Performance would change when I actually got there, emailed me to ask if I was ready to come in and "get down to business". I emailed back a picture of the temporary plate, with the Performance license plate trim...
2016 Honda F6B - Purchased from Barger's, in Waco, TX, for just under $7K under MSRP, after it had sat on the showroom floor for a year. Barger's was not the cheapest in my nationwide search for a B, but after factoring in that it was only one hour north of my house, it beat out a dealer in Bloomington, IL. That, and the fact I really didn't want a blue B.
Like I said, if it's new, it's a commodity. You can get the warranty work done anywhere, so shop on price.
Several years ago, I purchased a Raider S from National Powersports in New Hampshire... using only the info and GREAT photos on their website. Did "the deal" over the phone and was able to get a 1-year warranty and truck transportation to WA State included in the asking price. This was a "first" for me... and I did have some trepidation... but after all said and done... 10 days after payment cleared... the bike showed up at my driveway... just as advertised (xclnt condition).
I bought my used 15’ F6B deluxe in early 16’. Travelled about 350 miles to pick it up. I got it from a guy who simply wanted to go to Sturgis with his buddies. He put just under 4K on it during his trip. He had added a lot of accessories that I thought I would like, so, that made it a little sweeter for me. I paid him 15k for it which was $7500 under msrp. I thought it was a steal at the time. A few months later I saw new leftover 15’s going for around the same price. No regrets though. I have 25k on it now with many more to go.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote