Checking out new bikes

TonyKZ1 · Thu Sep 07, 2017 10:46 am

I regularly get email from Yamaha, HD, Indian, etc. and their sort of local dealers. A Yamaha dealer had a good deal on some 2017 SCR950's, retail $8,699 on sale for $3,999. Basically a scramblerized Yamaha Bolt. Looks good, a little heavy, too small of a gas tank but whatever. So I contacted them on it. After talking back and forth, they were asking about a trade-in and wanted me to send pictures of my 1997 Seca II.

They called again this morning with an offer of $400 for my bike, if I traded it in on a new SCR950. Well, I guess I wasn't that serious. As my bike is worth more than $400 to me and since it's my main transportation so I declined the offer. Not really that serious about buying a new bike, more just kinda looking. Of course my co-workers all buying new or late model bikes doesn't help any.

cafe_bill · Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:31 am

I certainly wouldn't have considered the trade in - you'll never get an older bike's value trading it in - but seriously, $3,999 for a brand new Bolt?!

I'd have bought the Bolt in a heartbeat... Hell of a bike for a fire sale price.
(Of course, the Bolt is Yamaha's take on a Sportster - and as you might be able to tell, I do like Sportsters...)

TonyKZ1 · Tue Sep 12, 2017 7:34 am

Yeah, I figured they wouldn't offer much for my bike, after all it's 20 yrs old and having over 60k miles now, but I was kinda curious to see what they'd say. I haven't ridden a Bolt yet but a co-worker has and he really liked it. I keep meaning to go and do some demo rides but haven't found the time yet as there isn't any local dealers any more, you've got to go about 2 hours away to to St. Louis.

I kinda like the SCR950 as it's is more of a standard bike with normal seat and ride height vs. the cruiser type bike that the Bolt is. When I talked with the salesman he said they're selling quite a few of them, I told him yeah I imagine so with it being a new bike and offering it at that price, of course there's the setup fees and other charges that they add to the final price, but still sounds like a good deal. This is a huge dealer with two lots, one in MO and one in IL and from what I heard they got a great deal on these from Yamaha and bought a bunch of them.

Oh and the Moto Guzzi dealer up there wants me to come up and check out their V7 II & III model bikes as those interest me also. Decisions, Decisions...

Rix86 · Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:31 am

Kinda funny....I bought a couple new bikes, now I keep buying old ones.

TonyKZ1 · Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:22 pm

Yeah, that's something I've never done.. Bought a new bike, they've all been old and rather used and abused ones. But I've learned quite a bit while working on them. One of the guys here at work, gives me some good-naturedly crap about never buying a new one, always buying old ones. He's always bought new. Ah well, that's how it goes I guess.

Slartibartfast · Wed Sep 20, 2017 4:20 am

I've had new-ish bikes and keep going back to more simple, mechanical older bikes - no ABS, no computers, no fuel injection, can keep it running with a bag of spanners and help on here

Rix86 · Wed Sep 20, 2017 7:38 am

I really like the abs on the vstrom. It is my foul weather bike. It has saved my butt a couple times.

Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:03 am

Slartibartfast wrote: ↑
Wed Sep 20, 2017 4:20 am
I've had new-ish bikes and keep going back to more simple, mechanical older bikes - no ABS, no computers, no fuel injection, can keep it running with a bag of spanners and help on here

I may know how that feels . . .

Siper2 · Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:26 pm

Holy jeebuz, FIVE GRAND off of the price of an SCR950 is amazeballs! Yeah I'd have bought that and I'm not even a huge fan of it.

The XSR900 is right up my alley, but I'm on the fence about the SCR.

I remember when the FZ09 was coming out, my local Yamaha place had huge cuts on the outgoing FZ8. I was very sorely tempted... I think they were willing to sell it for $5K or something, I can't recall but it was a very nice price. In fact I think I posted here about it, heh. Obviously didn't go for it.

Plenty of new bikes are tempting for me. Though I'd realistically lean Japanese for reliability, aesthetically BMW is my style. I'm mad about the R1200R and RnineT, and if I had faster aspirations I'd be all over the S1000R. Even the F800R and its weird configuration are appealing to me.

More realistically, I saw and sat on the new (to the States) Honda CB650F a couple weeks ago. I don't like the "Transformers" headlight design so many bikes have now, but yeah that bike is right up my alley!