Is there a best/worst place in the UK to buy bikes?

[map]

Just thinking of the congestion charge and bikes been exempt.
Does this mean that suddenly new and perhaps more so, secondhand bikes, can be sold at a marked up rate?

If this is the case then are there parts of the UK were prices are lower due to local circumstances? For example, in the past with the miners dispute I was told money was so tight in these areas that dealers couldn't shift cars/bikes. You could go and make a silly offer. Don't know how much of that is urban myth but it sounds plausible.

So is there a best or worst place for new bikes? Do the dealers work a cartel?
Where are the secondhand bargains to be had? How much extra do those in the cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester, etc. pay as opposed to those living in the sticks?
Is it worth a shopping trip from London to Yorkshire/Scotland/etc. to bag a bargain or is it visa versa?

Comments welcome?
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[m99dws]

Westgate in Newcastle has loads of dealers, but I think M & S and Kents (?) are supposed to be the better ones there. I'm sure the rest are as legit, I just haven't heard anything about them

[map]

m99dws - I wasn't after a list of dealers or which are better/worse than the others (as useful as such infomation is). I was interested in if a particular area/region has lower or higher prices than others and if so, why?

Hope that clarifies
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[jay12329]

Rider power is out in a few weeks, will list best and worst dealers.
J

[Lee_367]

I don't know much about other bikes but i do believe that Aprilia rs125's tend to sell for more 2nd hand up north than they do down south.

Probably to do with them being rarer up there or something.
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?It?s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness I lack?not rationality.?

[m99dws]

[yambabe]

Map, I think that travel in general is so easy now, and with the advent of the internet & similar technologies communication so much better, that people will go much further in search of the "right" bike for them.

If you look somewhere like autotrader or loot, there is very little regional variation in the prices of stuff advertised.

No stats at all to back this up, just my opinion really.
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Sod falling in love, I wanna fall in chocolate.

[dainesefreak]

I think a lot of the time the smaller dealers are nearer to the manufacturers RRP no matter where you live.

Whereas some of the chains/larger dealers like White's, Carnell as was, have more flexibility on price. It also depends on sales and special offers.

As Babbyyam said the internet can be a useful tool. I found my bike on MCN and travelled from Brum to Oxford to pick it up, not a massive journey, but further than I would have looked without nice pictures on the web.

[map]

[1stGarry]

You can invarariably find a bike cheaper than where you live.
But cheapest ain't always best.

If you're buying from a local bike shop, you'll get better treatment when it comes to booking in for service or repairwork.

Buying from the other end of the country to save a coupla hundred quid may be cheaper in the short term, but if you want servicing done locally you'll find yourself at the back of the queue when booking in, and maybe charged to the max when it comes to paying.

I buy locally and build up a rapport with the dealer.
And I always insist that if my bike is in for service or repair, I get a courtesy bike for the duration.

My local Japanese dealer has a service lead time of about a week for regulars, and 2 weeks plus for anyone else.
Suits me.
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1stGarry

[Craggles]

Don't forget the hidden cost of getting the bike back too.

Personally I wouldn't like to ride a bike I've never ridden before 150 miles or so without giving it a good service, and getting to know how it behaves in different situations.

This is especially relivant with smaller engines that you wouldn't want to ride any major distance even WITH knowing the bike. (unless you had rubber buttocks)

Craig
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If this signature is blue, you're riding too fast

[dainesefreak]

Map - I was specifically looking for an 02 Blade to replace the bike that was written off. My local dealer always does me a good deal but they couldn't get their hands on one new or used. He actually told me he'd got a couple of lads wanting the same thing.

I started trawling the ads, I knew what top book price was from the insurance company and dealer. I saw the bike I have now at a Harley dealer in Oxford who had it up at a grand less than book, with only 1300 miles on the clock. He said he'd taken it in as a p/x and had decided to try and sell some other brands as he'd now got the space.

It was originally from Abingdon Honda which was literally down the road and had just been serviced by them. It was a minter, original tyres still with the knobbly bits on and chicken strips wider than yer arm! So needless to say I bit his arm off.

My local dealer still has a lad waiting for one in the same condition as mine. I know that if I was to put it up for sale next spring, that I should still at least make £500 over what I paid for it.

So all in all it was price and availability. I could have had a couple of 02 R1's for similar cash locally, but I was determined to get another Blade.

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

Cant really go wrong with a good private bargain sale .

[leg-end]

I reckon prices are higher in the south east In Sept 2003 I was helping my son look for a used T509 Speed Triple, of the bikes we found advertised in Autotrader and Bike Trader the cost of one from a dealer in the SE was about £350 - £400 higher than a comparable bike from the North East or North West.

[leg-end]

[Shaun]

I wouldn't personally reccomend D&K motorcycles, highly unreliable and almost certain to try and rip you off one way or another!