Dealerships Near Central or SE MA for Dummies

[hqp921]

Okay, so as some of you know, I've been looking to get into this whole sportbike thing.

I finally got the ball rolling: Got my permit a couple weeks ago, and the other day (finally) signed up for the MSF Course. Better late than never, right? Plus, I figure once I'm good and ready (After the course and all that), the season will be near it's end and I'll be able to pick something up for a great price.

I've been poking around the FS threads here as well as Craigslist (Worcester, Boston and Providence), and even the local newspapers. However, I have no idea about the local dealerships... I've found (so far) MOM South, Foxboro, MA, Performance Cycles, Shrewsbury, MA, and Razee, Kingston, RI. I think there's a place in Woonsocket, RI called MTR.

Can you give me other suggestions in the Central MA or SE MA area? I work in Whitinsville, MA and live in Blackstone, MA. Websites, your experiences at any of the places I mentioned or other places you know, etc. would be of great help.

Thanks in advance!

- HP

[LuvDog]

Motorsports International in Auburn
http://www.motorsportsint.com/

Wagner in Worcester if you're into Ducati, Aprilia, BMW
http://www.wagnermotorsport.com/

[Billy]

http://www.bettencourts.com

Suzuki and Honda dealership in South Bridgewater.

[BLaZNKrON]

I would stick with craigslist. I wouldn't buy a used bike from a dealer. Your better off buying new if you go to a dealer. I remember when I was looking for my first bike in 2001. I went to MOMs with a friend and they had a 93 Honda CBR F2 for $5000 with 38K miles. I couldn't believe it.

[slaps76]

MOMs is pretty expensive.

Another dealer I think you missed is Brockton cycles.

[The Snowman]

Originally posted by slaps76
MOMs is pretty expensive.

The same is true of Windmill Cycles in North Dartmouth. I'd stick with Craigslist. I got my CBR900RR from a CR posting and paid less than NADA value.

For a 9 year old bike, it was in pristine condition when I bought it in June. Ask Degsy.

[hqp921]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the private sales -- but I figure if I venture out to a stealership, I can sit on a few different bikes at once and get a 'feel for what I want' then I'll know what I'm looking for in a used bike.

Looking for a bike is just weird to me because of the unfamiliarity of the whole thing (and process: insurance, registration, etc.). Plus, I'm the only one in my group of friends who's even interested in it. Guess it's time to make new friends!

[slaps76]

I overpaid buying from a private seller, and if I bought from a dealer I would have over-over paid.

Well keep asking questions...about the bikes, registartions, ect. Probably is a good idea to go sit on different bikes.

[hqp921]

Originally posted by slaps76
I overpaid buying from a private seller, and if I bought from a dealer I would have over-over paid.

Well keep asking questions...about the bikes, registartions, ect. Probably is a good idea to go sit on different bikes.

Thanks. I'm glad this place is a good resource and that there are several level-headed folks (or at least you guys really play it off that way, haha ) I just hope I don't ask questions that annoy people. *shrug* Guess I don't want to come off like RockStartyme.

Anyway, as things get closer to actual purchase time, I think I'll have more questions. BigRed has already offered to look at bikes for me, so that's great.

I take it that most of it is somewhat similar to a car. Purchase, register, insure, inspect, enjoy.

About sitting on a lot of bikes... I've 'narrowed' down what I think I can afford/manage and it's looking like a Ninja 250/500 or the GS500 (E/F). There was a possibility of SV650... but I don't think I could handle that. I know it's a wide range of bikes, but I'm about learning to ride properly - not how cool I'll look. If that was the aim, I'd finance a Duc and never ride it. I guess I'll know better after I see how well (or bad) I do at the MSF.

It's kinda a weird knowing I've never even been on a bike and feel like I'm starting really late (I'm 23). But it's also an advantage because I'd like to think I can approach it maturely.

I even ventured to www.tonystrackdays.com -- man that looks like fun. Hopefully I'll be able to wing that sometime next year!

*Sorry about the long reply... Friday afternoon and at work!*

[BLaZNKrON]

Sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders since your not looking for a busa or gixxer 1K. Good luck in your adventures and if you have any questions regarding the purchase pm me and I will try and help you out. I kinda have a lil problem with buying motorcycles and all the stuff that goes with em. An addiction of sorts. And 23 isn't too late. Its never too late.

[Billy]

Buying used, go with private. Best deals are in the Fall/Winter.

[hqp921]

Originally posted by BadBoyBilly
Buying used, go with private. Best deals are in the Fall/Winter.

Yeah, I 'lucked out' by not being able to sign up for the MSF until recently - stupid things like speeding tickets and graduate school get in the way - It wasn't like I couldn't get into the classes. My class is 10/11 of September - last I checked, there were only two spots taken, one of which is mine... should be interesting if it stays that way, haha.

But once that's done, I'll at least be more familiar with bikes, so by the time I get a bike, I'll be learning how to prep it for storage. Actually, probably wouldn't even be that bad, because don't you just do a lot of the basic maintenence things on your bike before it goes into storage? I'd get to learn alot there! I hope to at least get to ride it a few times before I put it away for the winter.

[LuvDog]

Definitely go to several dealerships and sit on as many bikes as you can that you like.

Try different dealerships too because the used inventory in each one will be different.

Like you've already seen, I wouldn't recommend buying a used bike from a dealership, because of the added cost.

Check out craigslist, cycletrader, forums and ebay for local bikes that fit your criteria.

If one is close to me... hit me up with a PM and I'll go check it out.

[breakdirt916]

how about redstreak motors in hudson, ma?

they sell a pretty cool starter bike: the hyosung gtr250 which is a v-twin 250 that looks a hell of a lot better than a ninja 250.

http://www.hyosungmotors.co.kr/produ...t/m_gt250r.asp

if you haven't heard of hyosung, look at the gt650r

http://www.hyosungmotors.co.kr/produ...ort/gt650r.asp

look familiar? it's the same engine/frame as a suzuki sv650

[tonyd]

hqp921, check your PMs

[GonePhishing]

Here are my 2 cents (been lurking here for a long time, finally registered).

I'm a pretty new rider and bought a used bike this year (SV650). I was in a similar situation as you, looked around and watched cycletrader and craigslist for a while. Eventually, I decided to buy a used bike from a dealer (MTR in Woonsocket). MTR was great to deal with, helpful and the purchase was painless. They might not be the cheapest but they are local for me and that was important.

Why did I pay a premium at a dealer? Well, being a newbie, I was affraid I'd get taken advantage of by a private seller from CL or cycletrader. There was a comfort level in spending a little more from a dealer that's been around for a while and the bike came with an extended factory warranty. That was worth the few hundred dollar premium I paid.

There are tons of bikes on craigslist - I am sure plenty are great, but I don't have the knowledge or skills to be able to distinguish between a good bike and one that's been beaten, or put together from salavge parts fro m4 seperate bikes.

By buying from the dealer, I got a bike that had been purchased there originally, all service was up to date and documented, and they would stand behind it if anything happened (I forgot, but I think there was some type of 30 day warranty if there were any problems - check to be sure though).

If you do look at used bikes from private sellers, look out for signs a bikes been dropped or laid down - new grips, brake and clutch levers, new or almost new muffler, new foot pegs, new mirrors, shiny new frame sliders, a recent repaint, dents in the front of the tank, and plastics that don't line up just right. Signs of a crash would be new rims / tired on an almost new bike, or replacement forks - of course, people do these mods to upgrade also, so it doesn't mean they have definately dropped or crashed, they are just red flags to me.

The other issue with buying used from a private seller is that sometimes the seller doesn't have the title and has a note on the bike that needs to be paid off. They expect you to give them cash (or make out a check to their bank), they pay their bank, and send you the title. That seems just a little sketchy to me, whereas a dealer will have the title in hand in most instances. This delays you registering the bike also as you have to wait for the title. A dealer may be able to give you a temp plate.

Finally - be sure to check out insurance rates on different bikes before buying. Some are much more to insure than others. The SV is relatively inexpensive because it isn't classified as a sportbike by the insurer.

[hqp921]

Originally posted by Bhavesh
how about redstreak motors in hudson, ma?

they sell a pretty cool starter bike: the hyosung gtr250 which is a v-twin 250 that looks a hell of a lot better than a ninja 250.

http://www.hyosungmotors.co.kr/produ...t/m_gt250r.asp

if you haven't heard of hyosung, look at the gt650r

http://www.hyosungmotors.co.kr/produ...ort/gt650r.asp

look familiar? it's the same engine/frame as a suzuki sv650

I was wondering about the Hyosung -- wondered if it was Korean for "Cheaply built motorcycle..." But I read something about them and they are relatively new to the US, although they've been building bikes for a while.

Anyone have any opinions on them?

[slaps76]

That hyosung 250 is a pretty cool looking bike!

Don't know much about reliability...there's gotta be some dedicated forums for that brand.

[hqp921]

Hmm... So I was thinking about this (as I write a check for graduate classes...).

Obviously, it'd be easy to finance a bike with a dealer.

But what if I went with a private sale? I would finance through a bank, obviously, but what are your experiences regarding bank loans?

I guess the other option is to save up my cash and pay it out right, or put down a sizeable deposit.

I figure if I finance a used bike, I can get a little more bike for the money. I'm still looking at the beginner bikes, of course, but instead of $2500-$3000 bikes, I can look at $3000-$3500 bikes.

Whaddya think?

[The Snowman]

I just did a bank loan for my used CBR. They're normally lower in interest rate than dealer rates, sicne dealers have to buy financing from financial institutions. (usually)

But shop around. I got a rate of 9% on my used bike loan, which is pretty good, since I saw some in the 9%-10% range.

A new bike will obviously get you a better rate.