[saikishor]

Alright, so I searched the forum regarding this but all I could find was negotiations related to cars, and not bikes. This might be pretty much the same for both but I am still curious if I might receive any other advice.

Back in 2010, we got a hefty discount on our Beat(mind you, it was newly launched back then)via my uncle who was a GM employee. We got our car for around 4.5 onroad and I think without employee discount the car was selling for 5.3-5.4 ish onroad.

Come 2022, I started pestering my dad for a bike to which he agreed on a set of conditions. I plan to buy my first motorcycle in May, and have stalked almost every motorcycle in the 150-400cc segment. This is a story for another day, so will stop it here.

I had two bikes in mind, the Duke 390 and the CB300R.
The quotation I got several months ago( I think it still is the same now as well) was 3.35 lacs onroad.
Below is the price breakup from zigwheels:

Ex showroom: 2,87,742
RTO+others:25,896
Insurance:18,221
Onroad:3,31,859

I am an absolute noob at negotiations, and this discount scenario. I remember the KTM salesguy telling me about some free extended warranty when I asked him about discounts.

My questions:
1. Can the above price be brought down by any means? If so, how?
2. I see insurance as a mandatory thing in the price breakup. Can one buy the motorcycle excluding insurance charges and then take insurance outside the showroom?
3. How can one negotiate on old stocks(say, 2021 manufactured bikes)?
4. Will those company recommendations still work in 2022(like my uncle's reference in 2010)?



Advices and suggestions regarding the above will be highly appreciated.


Regards,
Saikishor

[amvj]

I am not sure about Duke 390 but you can’t get any discount for Honda CB300R as it is only launched this month. The bikes are not even available for the customers yet. You can get insurance outside and that way the price will reduce a bit. Regarding Duke, you may get more discount for the old 390 once the new 390 is available.

P.s no idea about the influence / reference part.

[JoeTheWanderer]

I am probably the worst person to give advice on discounts - I couldn't bargain even if my life depended on it. I've added some thoughts anyway - hope they help.

Originally Posted by saikishor

1. Can the above price be brought down by any means? If so, how?

Maybe just ask for discounts point blank. Take someone who you know is good at bargaining and ask them to haggle if you're not the bargaining type (and I'm speaking from personal experience here).

Of course, if the product is selling well then you will not get any discounts.

There may be other ways as well. Try to approach the dealer towards the end of a month or quarter (if sales reps have targets to meet, they might consider offering some discounts). If you know someone who works for Bajaj auto or KTM, ask them if they can get you employee discounts (assuming they offer employee discounts at all).

Originally Posted by saikishor

2. I see insurance as a mandatory thing in the price breakup. Can one buy the motorcycle excluding insurance charges and then take insurance outside the showroom?

Yes, you can absolutely buy insurance from outside (and save a decent amount in the process).

First, take a quote from the dealer to check which insurance company they're using. Next, go to policy bazaar, coverfox or a similar site and get quotes from the same insurer (be sure to apply all the add-ons i.e. return to invoice, engine protect, 0-dep, etc and apply the max possible IDV).

Now, you can either take this insurance policy (you'll need the VIN number of the bike), or just use it to have the dealer reduce their quote.

Originally Posted by saikishor

3. How can one negotiate on old stocks(say, 2021 manufactured bikes)?

Just ask the dealer if they have any December 2021 stock (and haggle like anything). I personally wouldn't consider buying a bike that has been sitting with the dealer for a really long time. Too many things can go wrong which may not be apparent immediately.

Originally Posted by saikishor

4. Will those company recommendations still work in 2022(like my uncle's reference in 2010)?

If you know someone who works with Bajaj or KTM, it can't hurt to ask them for potential employee discounts. Some companies such as Maruti also offer corporate discounts. I got a Rs 5000 discount (on top of a Rs. 25,000 discount by Maruti) on my Alto in 2012 due to my father (armed forces discount).


A few other points:
1. Be on the look out for bogus charges such as documentation and handling charges. These are illegal - refuse them outright.

2. Most dealers include a fee for "helping" you register the bike, skip this. Based on my experience in registering a car and a bike in Hyderabad, you can do the registration yourself - it isn't difficult. The most difficult part of the whole process is taking a pencil mark of the VIN number on the registration form. Even if you pay this fee, you'll anyway need to go to the RTO for registering your biometrics. PM me if you have any questions about this.

3. Sometimes you're forced to buy an accessory pack by the dealer. Only go for accessories you absolutely want (for example a radiator guard or sliders may make sense). You can add good 3rd party quality accessories & guards later on as you get a feel for the bike.

[IshaanIan]

Margins on a two wheeler are really really small there is no way you will get any discount unless you can find old stock. Given you are looking at the 390 and CB300, you simply will not find any old stock of these bikes.

[saikishor]

Originally Posted by amvj

Regarding Duke, you may get more discount for the old 390 once the new 390 is available.

Thanks for your inputs amvj

Originally Posted by JoeTheWanderer

I am probably the worst person to give advice on discounts - I couldn't bargain even if my life depended on it. I've added some thoughts anyway - hope they help.

Most of the KTM showrooms I visited gave me a quotation with a mandatory insurance condition. I specifically stressed them about taking insurance outside and they disagreed straight away. How should I proceed in such cases?

Thanks for your inputs as well JoeTheWanderer.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Margins on a two wheeler are really really small there is no way you will get any discount unless you can find old stock.

I've seen a white Duke 390 and an Orange Adventure 390 for display since quite some time now at the RC Puram KTM showroom. Been seeing these bikes since 2-3 months now. How much can I bargain for this particular bike? I assume it is a September manufactured bike.
And how do I approach him for further negotiations? Last time when I asked him, he gave me a resounding no for discounts.

[adisan]

On a related note, do keep the negotiation within reasonable bounds. Sometimes a defective piece could be palmed off to someone who negotiates very hard, by offering what seems like a great deal. I remember reading somewhere: "if a deal sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true".

[neil.jericho]

Saikishor, unfortunately I do not think that you will be able to get much by way of discounts for motorcycle sales. When I went to the local KTM dealer and asked for the breakup, they had added in some polish and other costs into the final price. But that isnt there in your breakup. Check for the road tax and others charges. There will usually be some delta there for "handling charges". Insurance you can take from outside. Im sure you have multiple dealers in Hyderabad and if none of them budge, drop a note to Bajaj / Honda and mention that the dealers are not allowing you to take your own insurance. They will relent. The old stock trick may not work because these dealership will eventually sell any leftover 2021 stock to some unsuspecting bakra who doesnt know about it.

My suggestion is dont break your head too much on discounts for either of these bikes. The Duke 390 is fairly popular and the CB300R is a brand new bike. But whichever one you like and enjoy riding it to the fullest.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by saikishor

I've seen a white Duke 390 and an Orange Adventure 390 for display since quite some time now at the RC Puram KTM showroom. Been seeing these bikes since 2-3 months now. How much can I bargain for this particular bike? I assume it is a September manufactured bike.
And how do I approach him for further negotiations? Last time when I asked him, he gave me a resounding no for discounts.

As I mentioned in my first post, margins on two wheelers are extremely low especially bikes that retail for less than 5 lacs. Simply because your family may have gotten a discount on a Chevy beat many years back, that does not mean that there are similarly chunky margins for dealers to play around with on 2 wheelers. Think about the scale of production a 4 wheeler hatchback's engine would be at. A 5 lac hatchback sells more in India since it is more practical than a 4 or even 3 lac rupee bike. As a result due to the lower volume of sales every component costs more heck even a set of tyres for either bike that you are looking at, will cost more than all 4 tyres would have for the Beat.

These bikes are in good demand and if the dealer ever feels like replacing their display bike, they will simply give it to the first customer who comes in, if not the second one considering how popular they are.

Do not break your head on negotiations. Perhaps your first lesson on two wheelers can be that they are sold at small margins but I can guarantee that your next lesson will be that they require a lot of attention and more frequent service than a car. Thus I would instead focus on building a good relationship with the dealer and service center that you will be utilizing the services of

[saikishor]

Originally Posted by adisan

On a related note, do keep the negotiation within reasonable bounds.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Do not break your head on negotiations.

So I guess I shouldn't try too hard to get a good price. I will, definitely try to shave some bucks off the original price but will keep it in reasonable bounds.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Im sure you have multiple dealers in Hyderabad and if none of them budge, drop a note to Bajaj / Honda and mention that the dealers are not allowing you to take your own insurance. They will relent.

Thanks for your inputs sir.
I had booked a Dominar 400 back in November but then backed out of it. And I fondly remember the salesguy wasn't budging a bit in negotiations, even in the insurance part. I wanted to take insurance outside but he refused.

So this time when I'm booking my bike I'll write to the head office of the dealership about this insurance part and maybe try to get it outside.

[OPMaurya]

Originally Posted by saikishor

So this time when I'm booking my bike I'll write to the head office of the dealership about this insurance part and maybe try to get it outside.

Might depend on the dealership...When I was getting my Duke 200, I asked whether I can take the insurance outside and the dealer was OK with it. However, when I checked online (digit) there wasn't much I was saving with going outside. If you know someone who is in vehicle insurance, you might get better quotes.
Timing does matter - if the dealership has some target to meet. Check with a few dealerships. And don't miss reading (google) reviews on the dealership. You might get to know the good or bad ones from the reviews.

[akhil_007]

Instead of asking for discounts, ask for freebies. Maybe a full tank of petrol OR a good helmet (Honda showrooms stock Studds/Vega/Steelbird helmets). A family member bought Activa 6G recently and I did all the communication/dealing with Honda showroom. I got few accessories free (worth 2k) and 3 litres of Petrol

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by saikishor

So I guess I shouldn't try too hard to get a good price. I will, definitely try to shave some bucks off the original price but will keep it in reasonable bounds.

So this time when I'm booking my bike I'll write to the head office of the dealership about this insurance part and maybe try to get it outside.

Define what you imagine would be reasonable? Do you know the dealer margins on these bikes will not be more than 5k? Even asking for a 1k discount is like asking the dealer to take 20 percent less profit. Even when it comes to insurance? How much do you expect to be saving by getting it outside? Unless you go for insurance from a large private company like ICICI, the claim process would be much easier if you just go for whichever insurance policy the dealer is selling you. For example if your vehicle is involved in an accident, you might not be able to enjoy a cashless claim and if it is from some 3rd rate company, the claim process will also be unnecessarily long drawn out. Rather than breaking your head over realistically negotiating for at the max a 1500 rupee discount, do as others have suggested and request that you be given a free helmet or some extra fuel. This will go a long way in maintaining relations with these folks because at the end of the day they make the bulk of their money through service and not through sales.

Mind you I am giving you this advice as someone who negotiated for a Kizashi bought my Dad brand new for 14lacs on road back in 2012 (6 lacs less than it would otherwise have been).

[Mr.Ogre]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Define what you imagine would be reasonable? .

Exactly my point. All these hassles wont save much rather than sour the transaction for everyone involved. Every penny is hard earned, but you have to ask yourself if all this haggling is really worth it. Bikes like Duke 390, new CB300 - you will hardly get any discount. It is best to get the insurance from them as when it comes to settlement it is very easy. If you really want a deal, maybe you can try to get a bike that was made last year.

[AshwinRS]

Originally Posted by saikishor

I had two bikes in mind, the Duke 390 and the CB300R.
The quotation I got several months ago( I think it still is the same now as well) was 3.35 lacs onroad.
Below is the price breakup from zigwheels:

Ex showroom: 2,87,742
RTO+others:25,896
Insurance:18,221
Onroad:3,31,859

Hi Saikishor,

If your quote is similar to what was given on Zigwheels, then ask for the break up of "RTO+Others". Most likely, the "Others" compenent can be negotiated on. I don't have experience in buying a bike, but in case of cars, I got the "Handling charges" removed from the overall cost.

Like others have suggested, go ahead and get the quotes from the various insurance websites and show the dealer the insurance quote(s) given to you by them from the same insurer (or any other), they might end up matching that if you push them a bit.

All the best!

[shancz]

Apart from the "what are the offers and discounts" and " any offers on accesories" I haven't probed further in any purchase whether bike or car and usually I haven't got anything except some accesories in the car.

Sub 400cc two wheelers have lower margins but you can get some offers on models which don't sell that well.

The 390 doesn't have an option which they know so don't expect any discounts. The 300 is a niche bike so Honda won't be interested much too.

The insurance from outside should be doable on your terms but probably they're using their leverage of high selling/niche segment. You can raise it with their respective companies but only do it if the difference is significant else too much of a hassle.

All this aside, the prices have changed a lot if you were looking at the market 10 years ago but that's a reality and let that not deter you from enjoying the motorcycle, both of them are fabulous in their own right.

Have fun