GS500 owners... cheap asses...

[The Buddha]

OK are we really cheap asses...
As much as I agreed with werase in the other post I have had a few hours to really think it over...
OK fine we want to buy things at the lowest price possible... ok That doesn't make anyone a cheap ass... just smart shopping is what that is. So back to the topic... cheap ass or not....
I sold handle bars ... which is the only point of reference I have with something you can buy on the market... no one complained the price was high and I sold all of them that I made. Most people gave me feed back saying it was good, people put up pics etc etc... OK regular handlebars or drag bars or club man bars all cost under 1/2 of mine including shipping... and no shipping at the local bike store cos its an off the shelf item. OK so that means we look at the item before low balling it or not. Again smart shopping. No one seems to complain about prices of tires, or the gel seat or buying a 02 for a few thousand if that's what you want... same with brake pads, brake lines, pipes, K&N's any mod you consider useful. If we were cheap asses we'd not do any of that. We'd all have crappy aftermarket pieces cos it was a couple of bucks cheaper than the good stuff. Gel seats... forget it, we'd all walk with a limp but have saved $$$ from not buying a gel seat.. Ok I sound like Dave Despain at this point... but anyone else agree/disagree with me... and no someone stiffing you for a part you sent them isn't "cheap assery" its just being a thief.
Cool.
Srinath.

[GRU]

i agree....we are way too smart to be cheep asses  

we just don't see the point of buying something for 100 when we can get it for 80....20 dolars saved is 20 dolars earned

this is me: now i'm looking for a upper fairing and saw same screens selling for 100 new and saw some ducati 748 upper fairings on ebay (used) for around 200...now, i really like that ducati fairing and wouldn't mind paying 200 for it BUT i wouldn't buy a ugly bug screen for 100

[Munnin]

Frugal, cheep, tight wad:

Frugal is when you argue with your friends to try and get them to go to an inexpensive restaurant.

Cheep is when you take your date there.

Tight wad is when you split the bill with her.

[CasiUSA]

Yeah, I don't think we necessarily regard ourselves as cheap asses. But as GS owners, I tend to think we either enjoy good value, or can't afford a better bike (ie Me).
I kind of parallel our following to the import tuner market. A lot of people say, "If you're spending that much money on a Honda to make it go fast, why not just buy a BMW or something?" The fact of the matter is that most import tuners are on economic constraints, or else they would be driving Porsches. I see the GS group as one of these. Any sure, maybe some of us have moved on to purchase SV's or R6's or whatever else you can get, we still appreciate the bike nonetheless. And just like the Honda and Toyota tuners, we got what we could, and slowly built it up to something that was our own personalized creation.
Anyhow, I digress. Basically, I am not cheap, just poor. When I eventually save to buy a newer bike, I'm still going to regard the GS as a great value, and a solid bike.

[Frost]

good point...
i'm poor...not cheap...

and the GS is the best from this category...IMO

[GRU]

basicly, a cheap ass rides in a T-shirt because a leather jacket ia waste of money....we shop around for a good but yet inexpensive (not cheap  ) leather jacket  

[The Buddha]

Or has a 20,000 bike (with payments on it) and a $20 beanie helmet... Or like someone has posted in the past... has a $60,000 west coast choppers bike and lives in a government assisted rat hole apartment.
Cool.
Srinath.

[scratch]

I agree. We are careful buyers.

Some people buy things they can't afford to impress people they don't like.

Why would I buy a Rolex, when a Timex can do the same job...tell the time.

[Von Vester]

I agree that many of us buy 'cost effectively' because we are poor, not cheap, but let us not forget those of us who are kitty cat-whipped. My wife would have my hide if I came home with a bike costing more than a couple of thou.  Thus I ride a '93' GS.

However, the GS turned out to be a major rush at any price.

[jake42]

I am a millionaire, I own a mansion and a yacht.


I ride a GS cuz i like the company.

Jake

[JohNLA]

Smart shopper or not don't take my title away.

[JamesG]

no you are just cheap basti'ds.

Maybe its something the GS "emits".

My wife totally balked at buying a Guzzi Breva 750 today because they wanted $500 more than the MSRP price she was expecting.

[The Buddha]

That's cos of the trade in. They will take your bike at wholesale, and they want retail+500 for their bike. That will actually be more expensive than if you didn't have a trade in at all. Cos they'd sell it under retail... many 1000's under retail if you didn't trade in. I wanted to trade 3 bikes for an SV and I found out they wanted 4000 after I traded in the 3 bikes. It was under 4500 with out trade in. Cos I said trade in and the price went up to 5800 cos that's the retail on it.
Cool.
Srinath.

[pantablo]

I find the GS riders *generally* fall into one of two types.

1) new to riding. often means young which in turn means poor.

2) sensible mature rider. means you wont spend more than you have to for something.


I think gs riders are a frugal bunch. We Buddha Loves You and moan about paying $350 for a full exhaust system. Buy any other bike and that wont even get you a slip on can. My friend's ducati takes a $2000 termi full system. My other friend paid $800 for a full Yosh system on his sv650. people that are drawn to the gs are not the type of people to spend that kind of money on stuff...generally.

I, of course willingly blow wads of cash on my stuff. That Aprilia Falco is looking better all the time. Honestly, the gs is a crap bike for anything except commuting or learning.

game on.

[mwdbruno]

Yeah, I don't think we necessarily regard ourselves as cheap asses. But as GS owners, I tend to think we either enjoy good value, or can't afford a better bike (ie Me).

So like me you're conservatively extravagant...

I have T-Bone taste on a hot dog budget...

Therefore I prefer to own the fun little GS!

I truly like the lower cost of parts and the such and as I have decided to learn all I can about fixing bikes I do most of the labor myself...cheap and educational.  

[bbanjo]

Cheap ass? Yep, that's me.

[JLKasper]

My wife totally balked at buying a Guzzi Breva 750 today because they wanted $500 more than the MSRP price she was expecting.

I don't blame her; that half a G would stick in my craw for as long as I owned it.  I've noticed something of a Euro-snob attitude that some BMW, Ducati, and other European dealers seem to take; rather than sell quantity for less of a margin, they're willing to sell at retail plus to the "elite", since those folks wouldn't balk at the exorbitant prices they charge for tune-ups and regular maintenance down the road.

[Laura]

I don't blame her; that half a G would stick in my craw for as long as I owned it.

I agree. I would never even pay close to MSRP for a car. $500 over MSRP for a bike seems like a complete rip off. I overpaid for my GS, and after a year, it still bothers me.

Laura

[Piper5177]

Pablo wrote-

I, of course willingly blow wads of cash on my stuff. That Aprilia Falco is looking better all the time. Honestly, the gs is a crap bike for anything except commuting or learning.

game on.

Do you still have your GS?  Is it fun to ride?  I rode an RSV Mille and it is damn fast, but you can't flick it like a modded GS.

[tkm433]

I don't blame her; that half a G would stick in my craw for as long as I owned it.

I agree. I would never even pay close to MSRP for a car. $500 over MSRP for a bike seems like a complete rip off. I overpaid for my GS, and after a year, it still bothers me.

Laura

MSRP

Stands for: Manufacturer's suggested retail price. Prices can fluctuate according to region and demand.

When you buy a car, motorcycle, bicycle, or more or less anything on the market today the MSRP does not include the cost of shipping, and in some cases the cost of assembly if so required but for some stupid reason consumers think that they are being raped by the dealer if the price they pay is one penny more than MSRP.

Now lets look at sets or post the MSRP prices that you see for item on the web or in magazines and if you a little bit brite then you will realize that it is the manufacturer of the product who just happens to pull a majic number out of the air that will allow for their product to sell against other brands.  The manufacture has already figured out what profit they needed to make to sell the item and that is what they sell it to the dealer for but when checking the market place to see what they will MSRP the item for they really do not that the dealer into play and the Manufacturer just pulls a number out of their ass and lists it as an MSRP.  

When you look at the MSRP for motorcycles do you notice a trend of price points?  You will notice a MSRP of $4495 or $4995 or maybe $4775 but why not $4512 or $5001 or just more random price points?  The reason is that the manufacturer wants to sell an item at a price point to a consumer who is looking to spend a certain price point.

So my point in all of this is if you checked with any retail type dealer of motorcycles, bicycles, food, or more or less anything and mainly larger ticket items you will find out that profit margins  change between manufacture price sheets and MSRP can be up to 15% different from company to company.  Also there is the issue of volume and volume deals when it comes to larger items.  There are price breaks on the number of item that one dealer can buy in that the more units they buy the lower the price but this becomes an issue for the smaller guys since they are not going to bring in twenty or more motorcycles in per shipment which might give them free or discounted freight and also a discount per unit of a small percentage that is why the small shops might have a bit higher price than the super store.

Also if you check the small print usually listed with the term "MSRP" you will notice it does not include freight charges, assembly, or other cost depending on the item that you buy.

It is a free market out there and if you do not like the price walk away it is your choice and it is the dealers choice to try and keep his doors open for business and if that requires a price over MSRP then so be it.