this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024
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If you think that's bad, that amount of dealer markup is considerably less than it was a year or two ago. $900 in freight/setup/bullshit charges is like a third to a quarter of what dealers were tacking on not too long ago. It's actually not too bad.
If you want to pay less, I would consider maybe getting a drop shipped Chinese bike. And before the inevitable bitching starts - the XR150L is also a Chinese bike. It's made by Sundiro with input from Honda, and is a low-end bike that's already been sold in South America and other developing areas for quite some time. The only thing "new" about it is that it's available in North America for the first time. The ones sold in the US are assembled in Mexico. Owners have been reporting since day one the fit and finish is noticeably lower quality than Honda's other more expensive bikes.
At the moment the Lifan KPX250 appears to be the bike to beat. You can have one dropped in your driveway for $3k and enjoy: Noticeably more horsepower, fuel injection (the 150L still has a carb), a 6 speed transmission, and a better dual sport tire selection with the larger front and rear rim sizes it comes with. The only knock against it for some new riders I can think of is that it's taller.
You can spend the $1200 change on a helmet and gear, tools, and fuel.
I appreciate the input. Youre not the first one to suggest such bikes. Ill revist the idea.
The truth of it is that the Chinese bikes have come a very long way from where they were just a few short decades ago, and some of the new contenders are pretty much exactly at the level were the Japanese bikes were those same few decades ago. Meanwhile, the relentless march of globalization means that most of the "Japanese" bikes are not, in fact, actually made in Japan anymore. Manufacturing has been outsourced to areas with cheaper labor, and that includes both production of the OEM parts as well as final assembly. My KLR650, for instance, was assembled in Thailand.
The other truth of the matter is that buying a bike from a dealership saddles you with all the bullshit the dealership model brings, which is definitely higher cost and upsells. But it's also a guaranteed place to take the bike back to if you have problems or need service done. Now, whether or not the dealership will try to weasel out of any and all warranty work or nickel and dime you for everything at the service counter is another question, one which I can't answer for your particular dealership. But for most drop shipped bikes, you don't even have that luxury -- any work you'll need done on it you'll have to do yourself, and few mechanics or shops will touch Chinese bikes due to a combination of inexperience, ignorance, and prejudice. The only exceptions I know of are Lifan, to a limited extent -- they do have a service network in the US although it is very small -- CFMoto, and CSC. The warranty support you get from your importer or manufacturer is going to be parts only at best.