Free first service when buying a new bike, standard or no?

[JudaBaker]

Bought myself a brand spanking new bike not long ago, not the most expensive piece of machinery out there but still over 8 grand thrown down..

Would I be a cheap cunt to expect a first free service or is it expected? Quite a few people have told me it should have been free but I have no idea if it is common for people buying new bikes to get a free service.

There's a few other things I'm unhappy about (like an empty gas tank and scratched paint job) which means I doubt I will ever go back there for anything at all , but would still like to know in case I ever buy another bike new from anywhere else. So how many people here got their bike serviced for free when buying new?

[BMWST?]

i wouldnt expect it to be free.But would be very pleased if it was

[paulmac]

Should have addressed the gas and the scratches asap with the dealer. Not usual to get a free service. Sometimes we offer a discounted service or discounted helmet.

[AllanB]

Honda have (or did when I got mine new) a free labour on the first service - you only pay for the oil & filter.

Darn fine idea too if you ask me and it should be adopted by all dealers.

Best bet is to phone, I don't think Kawasaki do, but the dealer may offer it.

And if it is not ask them specifically what it will cost - really one hours labour maximum - it is only a oil/filter, quick check over job.

[Mom]

Back in the olden days it was usual to provide a labour free first service, customers paid for materials. It was a good thing for the apprentice to do :yes:

[Bassmatt]

Not from kawasaki in my experience. In fact they had the balls to try and charge an hours labour to "check all the nuts were still tight" on a first service. :shit:

[Genie]

These guys were awesome...got me some nice wee discount on my gear, bit of discount for cash, couple of coffee cups (don't drink coffee though), key ring thingy and first service was free. Plus, those guys ring me when they have something I may be interested in....they also do group rides and offer loads of encouragement, support and advice.

[hellokitty]

I bought a new bike Suzuki from Colemans and was told around $300 for the first service.
I bought a new bike Honda from Cyclespot and the first service is free, just pay for oil and filter.
No idea what other places charge, but I thought that paying for a brand new bike, it would be nice to get the first service free :yes:

[Genie]

I bought a new bike Suzuki from Colemans and was told around $300 for the first service.
I bought a new bike Honda from Cyclespot and the first service is free, just pay for oil and filter.
No idea what other places charge, but I thought that paying for a brand new bike, it would be nice to get the first service free :yes:

Geez...now I'm starting to feel very special. Another reason I love Nelson. Filco's is here!

[AxN]

Having bought my bike new recently, I specificly asked for the first service to be included but the dealer told me NO upfront but he did give me a estimate for the likely cost.

Having dealt with Norjo before (assuming that's where you got your Ninja from) I doubt they will do anything for free :p Saying that, you probably should have your scratched paint on the tank rectified.

[ukusa]

Not free with Triumph dealer either, but a full tank of gas when new was good. Bikes also used to be washed with the service a few years ago (was a nice touch), but not any more.

[Genie]

Not free with Triumph dealer either, but a full tank of gas when new was good. Bikes also used to be washed with the service a few years ago (was a nice touch), but not any more.

and again I feel so special...the boys at Filco wash my bike just about every time I go down. Went and got the chain checked out for slackness the other day...nice young fella gave it a quick wash as well...at no charge. You guys all live in the wrong town!

[danchop]

margins in new bikes are not much,back in the day(80s)first services were free but they were subsidised by the importer not the dealer,honda or blue wing may still do this for thier dealers but the likes of suzuki just offer cut throat pricing for your your new bike,so dont expect a free service from them
as an example bill russell honda sold over 2000 xr200s in one year back in the day of real bike sales so things could be given

[AllanB]

Yep - I understand Blue Wing fix it up - the Honda dealer sends them the info and gets reimbursed.

And I don't want any shop washing my bike thanks, I shudder at the thought of the grubby old sponge and the grit lined bucket :shit:

[T.W.R]

Unless things have changed in the last 12mths 1st service was free on kawasakis :yes: And Kawasaki service bulletins quoted that Kawasaki genuine parts (mainly oil filter & specified oil) to be used otherwise warrenty issues could arise.

[AllanB]

margins in new bikes are not much,but the likes of suzuki just offer cut throat pricing for your your new bike,so dont expect a free service from them

That pricing is not the dealer - it is Suzuki NZ, which I was told is effectively Suzuki Japan as they don't run a big middle man like Blue Wing in NZ. Just like Honda (Blue Wing) have just started some super good deals on a few current models :shit:

Plus in the current crap-arse (TM) sales enviroment an offer of free labour on a service may be enough to secure a sale and avoid the client walking off to another dealer. Break it down this way - the shop would spend something like one hours actual paid wages (maybe $25).

[mikeey01]

Ducati, yes first services were always free for the ones I've owned from new.

[danchop]

That pricing is not the dealer - it is Suzuki NZ, which I was told is effectively Suzuki Japan as they don't run a big middle man like Blue Wing in NZ. Just like Honda (Blue Wing) have just started some super good deals on a few current models :shit:

Plus in the current crap-arse (TM) sales enviroment an offer of free labour on a service may be enough to secure a sale and avoid the client walking off to another dealer. Break it down this way - the shop would spend something like one hours actual paid wages (maybe $25).
i realise this,as ive worked in both honda and suzuki but servicing is secondary in the mind of someone buying a bike really,its an added bonus to be told youll get a free service but a free helmet or or something else straight away is much more attractive.with the likes of suzuki a $10000 new bike has maybe $1000 gross margin in it for the dealer,the dealer still has to pay a finance charge to keep that bike in stock,pay a mechanic to assemble it and pdf it,overheads of the shop,the hassle of tradeins and being able to turn them over quickly,so the $1000 is eaten up pretty bloody quickly..
and the only dealers ive seen that are well off have investments in other areas nothing to do with loss making bike sales

[T.W.R]

That pricing is not the dealer - it is Suzuki NZ, which I was told is effectively Suzuki Japan as they don't run a big middle man like Blue Wing in NZ. Just like Honda (Blue Wing) have just started some super good deals on a few current models :shit:


Plus also the like of Suzuki, Honda, & Yamaha the dealerships are only representatives of the companys with bike sales...the money from the sale goes back to the company then the dealership gets commision on the sale, Kawsaki on the otherhand sale the bikes to the dealerships at cost price with the RRP figure,the difference is the margin the dealership has to make it's profit. Makes it bloody hard for a dealership to purchase stock at X price then in the time waiting for delivery of said stock to arrive Kawasaki send bulletins of price reductions for Y model (which has also been advertised publically) and dealership has their profit margin crippled before the bikes arrive :shutup: happened a few times that I saw 1st hand

[danchop]

Plus also the like of Suzuki, Honda, & Yamaha the dealerships are only representatives of the companys with bike sales...the money from the sale goes back to the company then the dealership gets commision on the sale, Kawsaki on the otherhand sale the bikes to the dealerships at cost price with the RRP figure,the difference is the margin the dealership has to make it's profit. Makes it bloody hard for a dealership to purchase stock at X price then in the time waiting for delivery of said stock to arrive Kawasaki send bulletins of price reductions for Y model (which has also been advertised publically) and dealership has their profit margin crippled before the bikes arrive :shutup: happened a few times that I saw 1st hand
thats absolute crap

[T.W.R]

thats absolute crap

Worked in a Kawasaki dealership have you??

[danchop]

Worked in a Kawasaki dealership have you??
no but what youve said about the others is

[T.W.R]

no but what youve said about the others is

enlighten me then :yes:

you'll be saying even Honda's redcarpt dealership concept is a hoax aswell :blink: move X amount of roadbikes per year or else the redcarpet gets taken away

[danchop]

enlighten me then :yes:

you'll be saying even Honda's redcarpt dealership concept is a hoax aswell :blink: move X amount of roadbikes per year or else the redcarpet gets taken away
they all have to buy the bikes ex the importer,depending on dealership sales some are loaned on appro,suzuki because they are one in themselves do help dealers through rebates if the dealer has purchsed a bike and suzuki nz decide to drop the price,but not always..
ive been out of the industry for 5 odd years but i cant see any dramatic difference happening now,motorcycling retailing never changed much in the 20 years i worked in it,so i cant see it happening now

[AllanB]

nahhhh - surely there must be more than a grand clear in a 15 -20 k bike - the shops would never stay open otherwise, rent wages, stock etc etc, income from the workshop is self sustaining but pretty much seasonal, parts have a nice mark-up but you need to stock a fair bit and again it is not a guaranteed income. I bet the importers make more at their end!

Mind you a fair few have gone under in the past two years ..........

I'll have to give my local dealers a hug next time I'm in bitching about the price of something!

[Berries]

And I don't want any shop washing my bike thanks, I shudder at the thought of the grubby old sponge and the grit lined bucket :shit:
I take my bike in to get serviced purely for the wash. I never can get it that clean myself.


and again I feel so special...the boys at Filco wash my bike just about every time I go down. Went and got the chain checked out for slackness the other day...nice young fella gave it a quick wash as well...at no charge. You guys all live in the wrong town!
Nah, you just must be a babe of the highest magnitude. They charge me $3.50 !!!

Back on topic, the last new bike I got was a Suzuki. Can't remember whether the first service was free, or even whether the tank was full. Nice touches if you get them, and the shop would probably get some loyalty/kudos for doing so, but I wouldn't let it sway my mind on a purchase of that value.

[danchop]

nahhhh - surely there must be more than a grand clear in a 15 -20 k bike - the shops would never stay open otherwise, rent wages, stock etc etc, income from the workshop is self sustaining but pretty much seasonal, parts have a nice mark-up but you need to stock a fair bit and again it is not a guaranteed income. I bet the importers make more at their end!

Mind you a fair few have gone under in the past two years ..........

I'll have to give my local dealers a hug next time I'm in bitching about the price of something!
yeah its not a money making paradise owning a bike shop,parts/accessories sales should make the most in a dealership if run ultimately,but in saying that try having an arai helmet in stock for
$1000 cost price for a year or so to make maybe $150 profit

[danchop]

scenario...
gsxr brought from suzuki nz at say $15000 cost,retail $16999,off a fiinance plan its costs the dealer nothing if its sold within 3 months,if its still there in 3 months the dealer then pays interest on that $15000 cost price per month which eats up the profit margin when and if its sold.
when i was working we had an sv1000 unsold for about 18 months with an interest cost over $2000

[Gremlin]

As said, there really isn't a margin in bikes. Realistically, if the shop doesn't have a good workshop, they will probably not survive (especially with the current state of the market).

Re free service, didn't get one with the KTM. First service actually cost about $950, with all the custom stuff I needed doing, forks were pulled apart and rebuilt, because I didn't like the factory set up, etc etc :shit:

Free? Thats like... the other end of the spectrum :mellow:

[T.W.R]

scenario...
gsxr brought from suzuki nz at say $15000 cost,retail $16999,off a fiinance plan its costs the dealer nothing if its sold within 3 months,if its still there in 3 months the dealer then pays interest on that $15000 cost price per month which eats up the profit margin when and if its sold.
when i was working we had an sv1000 unsold for about 18 months with an interest cost over $2000

That slightly contradicts what you said & confirms what I was getting at before :yes:
The Suzuki dealership isn't fronting up directly with the money for bikes by financing them :yes:
Doesn't happen that way with Kawasaki you either front front up directly with the money at time of purchase or you have a fixed time to get the money together.....no drip feed :yes:

The GSX-R margin of $1999 is tighter than a comparably priced Kawasaki....somewhere around $2500 would be the margin to work with.

As for the 1st service on the EX250 it should be free by the dealership that sold the bike, if it was Norjo's...Chip can be as fickle as a bear with a sore ear and as tight as fish's arse sometimes.

[JudaBaker]

Hmm ok thanks guys.. I may have had my head in the sand a little over this as I thought the markup value on a bike was ALOT more than what it seems. :blink:

Never really thought about whether they had already payed for the bikes or were paying interest on them until they sold etc, some of the bike shops I've been into have bikes there that have been sitting around for 2-3 years.. Considering just how many bikes are in a store esp something like sportzone suzuki that's alot of money already spent just sitting around.

Being used to dealing with arsehole car salesmen seems it's a lot easier to rip people off with bullshit prices at a car yard than a bike shop, although I guess that's where selling motorcycle parts comes into it. :laugh:

[onearmedbandit]

t just sitting around.

Being used to dealing with arsehole car salesmen seems it's a lot easier to rip people off with bullshit prices at a car yard than a bike shop, although I guess that's where selling motorcycle parts comes into it. :laugh:

I was an arsehole car salesman for 10yrs, and I never ever ripped anyone off. How? I never had a gun on me, so I couldn't force the punters to pay what I'd like, instead they paid 'market value'. Wise up. Bullshit prices? Whatever sunshine, look around, you'll see most cars are priced within $1000 of each other, the market is that competitive. We didn't dictate the price, the customer did by agreeing to sign the contract.

Although our profit margins were a lot better than motorcycles.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Plus also the like of Suzuki, Honda, & Yamaha the dealerships are only representatives of the companys with bike sales...the money from the sale goes back to the company then the dealership gets commision on the sale, Kawsaki on the otherhand sale the bikes to the dealerships at cost price with the RRP figure,the difference is the margin the dealership has to make it's profit. Makes it bloody hard for a dealership to purchase stock at X price then in the time waiting for delivery of said stock to arrive Kawasaki send bulletins of price reductions for Y model (which has also been advertised publically) and dealership has their profit margin crippled before the bikes arrive :shutup: happened a few times that I saw 1st hand

What the fuck have you been smoking?



Worked in a Kawasaki dealership have you??

Two. One here in Wellington, and one in Brisbane. Done every brand of motorcycle you could mention. You're way off the mark.

[JudaBaker]

I was an arsehole car salesman for 10yrs, and I never ever ripped anyone off. How? I never had a gun on me, so I couldn't force the punters to pay what I'd like, instead they paid 'market value'. Wise up. Bullshit prices? Whatever sunshine, look around, you'll see most cars are priced within $1000 of each other, the market is that competitive. We didn't dictate the price, the customer did by agreeing to sign the contract.

Although our profit margins were a lot better than motorcycles.

If you buy a used car at a dealership versus privately, most will generally ask for more than it is actually worth (as far as I know), this is why people tell you not to pay sticker price. A bit out of place in a thread about new bikes but yeah..

The few dealers I've met before were IMO arseholes who ripped people off so that means all car salesmen everywhere else on the entire planet are as well. Duh..

[nallac]

and again I feel so special...the boys at Filco wash my bike just about every time I go down. Went and got the chain checked out for slackness the other day...nice young fella gave it a quick wash as well...at no charge. You guys all live in the wrong town!


Thats why they are soooo helpful.......


A mate bought a new Night Rod for $28K,and had to pay for the first service...
If i was paying that much for a bike i'd want it to be free labour at the very least.

[onearmedbandit]

If you buy a used car at a dealership versus privately, most will generally ask for more than it is actually worth (as far as I know), this is why people tell you not to pay sticker price. A bit out of place in a thread about new bikes but yeah..

There is a reason for that. In a private sale you have little 'comeback', and then only if the car was advertised incorrectly. Being a dealer however makes you responsible for virtually every fault on the vehicle for a period of time, depending on the fault and other factors. When you buy from a dealer you get security, when buying from the public you don't. Hence the difference in price. And the reason why we would hang $16k on a $15k car? Because everyone expects something off the sticker.

[JudaBaker]

And the reason why we would hang $16k on a $15k car? Because everyone expects something off the sticker.

And when someone naive walks into the yard by themself, eyes something up and asks "Is this a good deal?" the most common answer would of course be "No, actually. That's just the sticker price. I would happily sell that car for $1000 less as that's all it's really worth."

[onearmedbandit]

And when someone naive walks into the yard by themself, eyes something up and asks "Is this a good deal?" the most common answer would of course be "No, actually. That's just the sticker price. I would happily sell that car for $1000 less as that's all it's really worth."

Off topic completely, but something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. If someone offers to pay sticker, should I refuse it? Would you?

[JudaBaker]

Yes, I would sell it to them half price and throw in a free box of tui.

[Robert Taylor]

nahhhh - surely there must be more than a grand clear in a 15 -20 k bike - the shops would never stay open otherwise, rent wages, stock etc etc, income from the workshop is self sustaining but pretty much seasonal, parts have a nice mark-up but you need to stock a fair bit and again it is not a guaranteed income. I bet the importers make more at their end!

Mind you a fair few have gone under in the past two years ..........

I'll have to give my local dealers a hug next time I'm in bitching about the price of something!

There are likely a few more that will close yet, thats not neccessarily a bad thing as there are too many dealers anyway. I worked in dealerships and at wholesale level for over 30 years. Back 10, 20, 30 years ago there used to be decent margins and the overheads in just opening your doors were not as obscene as they are now.
If a dealer gets into 2 digit margin figures nowadays he is doing very well but the reality of most sales is certainly not that. When you factor in that in a small economy with too many dealers stock turn is very poor compared to dealers in first world economies with large population base. That gets further exacerbated by interest payments ticking over on GE financed floor stock.
FOC first services are generally no longer the norm as there just isnt the margin to carry it. And if youre paying the mechanic $25 per hour the true cost on top of that is substanially more when you factor in all the levies, insurances, power , plant etc.

[Robert Taylor]

Thats why they are soooo helpful.......


A mate bought a new Night Rod for $28K,and had to pay for the first service...
If i was paying that much for a bike i'd want it to be free labour at the very least.

A bigger number for the end price should have absolutely nothing to do with justifying if you think you are entitled to a free service or not. Its not free to the dealer and if the dealer made say only 8% nett margin on it then Id understand a refusal to make it free.

[Genie]

Yes, I would sell it to them half price and throw in a free box of tui.

YEAH RIGHT:innocent: