Bike costs in your location ?

[marcusk]

A curiosity i have after reading the forum for a day or 2 is the cost of the GS to buy. Here in Australia new bikes are selling ATM for a new 2009 plate GS500F you will pay about $8500 on the road and about a thousand less for the naked.  second hand you will pay between $3500 for a high KM early model bike and up to $6500 for a later lower K bike.  on a private sale you will save dollars on the higher end of the market but the bottom end is about the same. 




 

[Elijafir]

Well, I don't know how USD compares with AUD but here in Tucson, AZ, US you can get a brand new GS500F for under 4000 USD.  I paid $1400 for my '95 E in fair condition but ~25k miles on it.  Sounds like they are a bit (Almost 4000 AUD (if this currency calculator is accurate)) more expensive over there.  I wonder how much it would cost to have one shipped from the states.....

[offcamber]

I bought a 1997 in good condition only 4300 miles on it for $1,400 just last week....Kelly BlueBook says retail should have been a about that.

[jrains89]

dealers around here are giving them away at $3999 us dollars that is. Jesus isn't $8,500 Australian like $6,900 US dollars?? You guys are getting raped.

[Elijafir]

According to google, at the moment of me posting this:
8500 AUD     =     6972.55 USD
Australian Dollar    ↩    United States Dollar
I wonder if you could get an American one shipped out there for less than 3000 USD?

[marcusk]

Im not sure on the Import regulations they are fairly tight on cars have to be something you cant get here or of a certain age blah blah blah. Not sure of the exact details.  I bought mine on sat I paid $4600 for an 07 with 17000km on the clock and that was a bargain.  I suppose in the US there is a much larger market for bikes than over here just based on population so they probably sell cheaper but turn over huge amounts of bikes.   They also just changed the laws here in QLD where you have restrictions on what you can learn on so that made the price of these bikes a little more solid again because they are learner legal.

[007brendan]

In the San Francisco Bay area, you can get a fairly recent GS500F for around $3000.  I bought my '98 with 10k miles at the end of last summer for $1500.  I see older bikes with more miles on craigslist for about $1800 now!  Though, prices are always a little higher at the beginning of summer.

[adidasguy]

It should be less than $3000 to boat a bike down there. I shipped a Honda Odyssey (minivan, aka big box) from Seattle to Honolulu for $1500 so a bike should be rather cheap.

Bought my new 2009 GS500F last month for $3995 (plus tax, etc.). 2009 Ninja 500's are also going for same but I prefer the GS.

Some ebay dealers are trying to sell older models for $4k or more. Some slightly less, but why do that and ship it when you can get it at your local dealer? I prefer to by local so I can go back to the dealer if I have a problem. 

[marcusk]

The problem I dont think would be the cost but having the bike complied (certified that it meets our design rules). They may not even allow it to be complied at all because its an import of a bike sold domestically.  The Australian government Loooooooves to make it impossible to do anything here. 

[noworries]

Bought an 09 naked GS500 here in Sydney early this year for just on $8000. Might have haggled a hundred or so below that but I was so pleased to buy at much less than the $8900 dealers had been asking in late 2009. Prices have dropped a bit as we move through 2010. Suzuki had a company sponsored $500 off deal for a while.
Yes, we do seem to pay over the odds for motorcycles here in Australia. It might be to do with the low sales volumes. I believe that Suzuki only sold about 300 GS500s in Oz in 2009. In light of spare parts inventory its lucky for the company and for us riders that the specification on the bike changes hardly atall.
I saw a US importers offer last year where for a minimum of 30 the company would sell the GS500 at $US3000 a unit.

Which brings me back to (a) buying a bike and (b) servicing a bike.This was the one and only time I will personally buy a bike from a dealership. I found going around the dealers was like re-entering the car world of 1965. Shonky, dodgy, uncaring individuals.  It was horrible hanging around the showroom hearing the hard, unfair sales deals being put to to young buyers being driven by their hearts. The worst one I saw was a guy who was having a hard time getting finance but really wanted the bike. It was suggested that he put down a $5000 deposit, go and talk with the bank, and if the bank woulkdn't supply credit why the "dealer would have no problem getting finance for you." My brain screamed "mate, don't do it!!! That is, unless you want to pay 22% or so. Next time I buy a bike I'm going to use a purchasing agent. And as for servicing! You should hear what locals say about the place I bought the bike..they just say "Don't!"

[adidasguy]

I think dealers can be very different. When I bought my GS500F, I went to the dealer and said what my budget was and what I had in mind. He took about an hour to show me different bikes and explain everything about them. Differences in bikes were discussed and I sat on a number of different bikes to check the feel while the salesman held the bikes steady and upright so I could check the handle bars, steering and peg position.

I was very pleased with the dealer. Whenever I go back, they are always friendly and helpful. I never felt like I was in a car dealership. maybe its a difference in the attitude towards bikes in Seattle. I can go to another Suzuki dealer and they don't care where I bought my bike. I have a bike - so they're there to help. Again, maybe it is a Seattle thing.

A good dealer is worth it. Unfortunately, there are probably a lot of bad dealers. Sorry you have had such bad luck with dealers.

[mister]

I live in Australia. For all intents and purposes, we'll call my city Brisbane. In this city (or riding distance of it), if you know where to look, you can buy a New GS for $7,800 ride away.

A thousand kilometers further south, add a grand to the price. That's Sydney. And further south again (800 more clicks) in Melbourne, expect to pay Sydney type prices.

When I got my bike I checked with quite a few dealers. One dealer quoted $9,200!!! PLUS, more for the rack and bag I added.

A bike mechanic who serviced my previous bike, asked me to let him find a price. I did. And bought the bike through him for a grand less. I checked a few other places and this was about as good as I could get, with a trade. When the bike arrived, I found his supplier was the dealer who quoted me $9,200?

The $4,700 price for an 07 is a pretty good price - even if it was through a dealer. I've seen 05s and 04s for more - dealer and private.

17,000 on the clock. Yeah, I'm nearly at 22,000 and haven't had her a year yet. 

Michael

[Affschnozel]

I live in Israel and because of the new european-like license categories the GS has been dropped from

sales. Next best thing is SV650S which new costs 16,500 USD, add to that compulsory insurance of 1200 USD

per year and hope no one steals it .If you want to park it outside and get some sleep add 10% of the

cost of the bike to the compulsory ( 1200+1650=2850 USD in the case of SV ) .

That's why I still ride my GS (and love it ) ,cheap to run and maintain. Bought it for 6300$ in 2001,

it is 97 model, now it's worth maybe 2500$ so I won't sell it either.

[marcusk]

Mister what dose a rack and bag go for ?  if i can carry stuff it will give more of a chance to ride

[Jabilli]

Got mine for $2k USD (If Google is accurate, about $2400 AUD)  about 3 weeks ago- 2004 with about 6.2k miles (10k km) in Suburban Utah, USA
It seems the farther you get from the city,  the cheaper cars and motorcycles get...Though traveling that distance could negate a good portion of that cheaper price.

[marcusk]

I thought of buying a bike a fair distance away and having an adventure bringing her home but seing i am a daisy fresh riding virgin apart from the odd lesson from a mate i thought better of it.  cant wait to go on my first distance ride.

[shchuka]

To marcusk: I bought my GS500 about 85 miles away from home.  Had to get my girlfriend to go with me and the drive my car back home.  I can't say I was a bike virgin, but not a pro either - had about 5K miles behind me by then.  No problem though - got her (the bike - the girlfriend drove herself) home in about 1.5 hours.

[noworries]

Just a thought but if folk are interested in the Aussie bike scene - models, reviews, prices - have a look at:

http://www.bikepoint.com.au/

....not a bad little site atall.

[bill14224]

This is all about to change for us Americans.  We will be paying European and Australian prices for bikes soon as much more socialism is coming our way.  Soon we'll all be getting raped.  If he imports a US bike to Australia the Australian government will make sure the taxes he pays to import it will negate any savings.

[mister]

I've found a good site for getting a quick idea of bike prices is http://www.discountnewbikes.com.au/

The Ventura Rack & Bag goes for about $450 (51 litre triangular shapped bag) full retail.

Pro Motorcycles in East Ipswich didn't get my business cause they wanted to Charge me to put the bag on. I'd be buying a brand new bike and they wanted to charge to put on the rack. So I went through Dean at Express Motorcycles - Keogh St. He not only was able to get the bag & rack for, I think, $380... but he also put it on gratis too.

I Could have got the bike, ride away, for even less than I did. BUT, that was only for an out an out cash sale. NO trade. That is, the Cheap price didn't give them any room for discounting further for a trade.

Dean was nearly able to meet the cheaper price with the trade, but not quite. But he did better than anywhere else - including the Union Shopper (first time the Union Shopper has NOT been able to beat any price I've been able to get).

A smaller bag than the 51lt will mean the Package will be cheaper too.

Michael