Buying a new 2010 or 2011 FJR in Minnesota

[CheesyRider]

I'm wondering if any of my fellow Minnesotans can give me some advice on buying an FJR.  The best deal I've found so far is a 2011 $13,500 out the door including all taxes and fake dealer fees.  Do you think I can do better?  Do they ever have special promotions for Yamaha at the motorcycle show?

[olsonm3915]

Where are you getting that deal, if you don't mind telling?

I bought a leftover 2007 FJR1300A from Heinen's in Osseo in May 2008 for $11k + tax & license, and got Y.E.S. plus a genuine Yamaha factory service manual for another $440. No pricing games, just a flat take-it-or-leave it deal.

But I wouldn't recommend going to Heinen's for service (plus the initial setup of the bike was sloppy- one of the mirrors almost fell off, etc.)

I really like Larson's in Cambridge, I bought my SV650S there in 2001 for a decent price and they don't play pricing games either, the price they quote is the price you pay, in other words, no bullshit add-ons thrown in at the last minute.  They are pretty decent folks to deal with and I will probably buy another bike from them.

Larson's site says they have leftover 2009 FJRs :

"2009 FJR 1300 Yamaha....very unique, a great do-all bike. $11799 until they're gone."


But I am not sure if that is an A or an AE.  Based on a few conversations I have had with them, and a friend of mine who bought a couple of bikes from them, they are not averse to doing a little negotiation, so maybe there's even a little wiggle room in that price ($500?).

http://www.larsonscycle.com/

HTH

[CheesyRider]

I'm doing a little more negotiating with the dealer that has the $13,500 price.  I'll reveal who it is once the deal is done (I'm paranoid that someone reading here will swoop in and get it  ).  Other dealers I've contacted want $500 to $1000 more for the same bike.  Except for a dealer in Florida that was cheaper even including shipping, but I decided that I don't want any deal where I can't pick up the bike in person.

I didn't see the 2009 on Larson's website, but I've kind of got my heart set on silver anyways.  If the deal I'm working on falls through, I'll check out both Larson's and Heinen's to see if they have any silver FJRs that aren't listed on their websites.  Thanks!

[CheesyRider]

Well, it was Moon Motorsports that had the $13,500 price.  After a couple days they haven't bothered to take the time to respond to my counter offer.  So, I decided they can suck it!  You would think that in the middle of winter they would be more responsive.  I'm taking is as a sign that I really need to wait until spring and test ride a Concours 14.

[sleazy rider]

I didn't see the 2009 on Larson's website, but I've kind of got my heart set on silver anyways.  If the deal I'm working on falls through, I'll check out both Larson's and Heinen's to see if they have any silver FJRs that aren't listed on their websites.  Thanks!

Scroll down to the bottom of the main page.  I looked all over their site too.  

[olsonm3915]

I didn't see the 2009 on Larson's website, but I've kind of got my heart set on silver anyways.  If the deal I'm working on falls through, I'll check out both Larson's and Heinen's to see if they have any silver FJRs that aren't listed on their websites.  Thanks!

It's right at the bottom of Larson's home page.  Not sure if it is an A or an AE.

[CheesyRider]

Well, I take back my "Moon Motors can suck it" comment.  The finally got back to be and took me up on my counter offer!  I don't think I'm too worried about not test riding the Concours.  I've wanted an FJR since they first came out and my heart is kind of set on it.

[olsonm3915]

Moon Motors is a good dealership.  If I ever take my FJR anywhere for warranty work again, it will be to Moon.  I had Moon do the ignition switch recall on my '07.  Unlike the time when I took it to Heinen's for the ECU replacement ('Altitude sickness'), there weren't any missing fasteners or broken tabs on electrical connectors when I got it back.

I've test ridden a whole lot of bikes at Moon over the years and ate a lot of their hot dogs... and bought a fair amount of parts from them too. One of these days I may actually buy a bike there.  But they will have to negotiate a little on their price.

Once you complete the deal, please let us know how it turned out- knowledge is power.

[clyde]

Well, it was Moon Motorsports that had the $13,500 price.  After a couple days they haven't bothered to take the time to respond to my counter offer.  So, I decided they can suck it!  You would think that in the middle of winter they would be more responsive.  I'm taking is as a sign that I really need to wait until spring and test ride a Concours 14.

I had a friend buy another brand from Moon. They initially told him they'd knock $1500 off the bike because he was willing to buy it now and pay cash. 'Course when he showed up to do the deal in person, it was funny how the salesman who promised the $1500 off was no where to be found.

[Neub]

I have had nothing but a very positive sales and service experience from Moon.  December 2009 I was looking for a deal on leftover a k1300s and moon responded to my email inquiry with a knockout deal while the dealer 4 miles from my house didn't even get back to me for a couple of weeks and only wanted to discount their demo k1300s.  For service I always scheduled the first morning appointment and they have always taken excellent care of me.  Even though they are over an hour from my house they will always get my business....best experience I have had in over 30 years of buying and having bikes serviced.  ENJOY your new FJR!!!!

[wibornz]

It's right at the bottom of Larson's home page.  Not sure if it is an A or an AE.

Let me get this right, they want 11,799 for a left over 09 fjr???  I only paid 11600 out the door for my 08 C-14 in 08 tax title, plates and the six year warrenty.  So a fjr that is already three years old does not sound like much of a deal.

[ray916mn]

Moon's a good dealer in my experience. They aren't the closest to me by a long stretch, but they pretty much get first crack at anything I want to buy. They have been good enough at winning my business to make it worth the drive.

I was there yesterday picking up some parts and spoke with the sales manager. His comments made me think they are in willing to deal mode. I've got a friend who is the sales manager at another large multi line Twin Cities dealer, and I always give him a crack at my business too. Unfortunately his dealership has not been in as an aggressive willing to deal mode.

[CheesyRider]

Once you complete the deal, please let us know how it turned out- knowledge is power.

Other than taking a long time to get back to me during the negotiating process, Moon Motorsports was great to work with.  I payed for it last Saturday and the bike was delivered earlier today.  Everything went very smoothly.

Here's a quick run down of my recent experience with some other local dealers:

Motoprimo- They win the award for being the crappiest dealer.  It seemed like it was a bother for them to have me in their showroom.  I made an offer on a bike they had on the showroom floor and the salesperson acted like I had insulted him and didn't even bother making a counter offer.  My offer wasn't an extreme lowball my any stretch of the imagination.

St. Boni- They didn't have an FJR in stock, but said they could get one for me.  They kept saying the were sure they could sell me the bike for close to what I was trying to get it for. But, in the end they were $1000 more.

Tousley- They didn't have an FJR and didn't try to find one, but at least they were quick to let me know.

Hitching Post-  They wanted $1500 too much money, but the salesman was very pleasant.