EFI Management (Part 2) (COUNTDOWN: 2 days!)

Spoke to the dealer this morning to ask about whether the SEST would be covered under warranty.  They’re checking on it.  I’m concerned that the stock stage II ECM download is inadequate and that I’ll be damaging the bike while I wait on a SEST or PCV or Mastertune or whatever.  It seems, based mostly on ng’s, that the SEST is the way to go.  The PCV might work better for some, but the SEST has no reports of failure or incompatibilities and I can tune the bike myself without the hassle and expense of dealing with another party.

So I might just get the SEST anyway, even if I have to tell the dealer to give me the horrible ecm d/l and pretend I’m not getting a SEST.  $150 down the drain, but a necessary evil since my planning wasn’t perfect (I should have had the SEST in my hand, rode off from the dealer, gone down the street, plugged in the SEST, and started tuning it immediately).

Meanwhile, I’m allowing myself to get excited.  I never, ever thought I would own a brand-new motorcycle.  Used is just so smart, you know? But this is all the bells and whistles – no 2010’s exist on the used market yet and all the 2009’s seem to be lacking ABS.  Those I found on ebay motors with ABS, in black, were all just a touch less than a new 2010.  Perhaps I should have bargained, but I’m also getting away with the purchase on financing.

I was going to put $6,000 down, but I might just put down $4000 if that’s acceptable.  I can suffer higher payments until I get my bonus / house rebate / etc and pay down the principal in a few months – having the extra cash on hand will help.  We’ll see.

Last night I was thinking about how the lack of perfect information, as economists call it, really allows for prices to go all over the place.

According to my internets, $1000 off MSRP is what you should shoot for – that’s average – especially if you’re paying at least that much in extras.  God, I think the last few posts I’ve made ALONE are evidence of that much, let alone the other posts that by now are quadruple that.  Oy.

But what about those really good deals?  Anyone getting more of a discount?  If you spend $5k in extras, do you think you can talk them down $2k off MSRP?  And how much is the service plan? Universal?  Is freight $500 everywhere?

If information becomes perfect, and everyone starts getting their bike for, say, $1k off MSRP, then the dealers will all suffer.  I’m not sure where the line is between going low to please customer_01, and not going low so that you aren’t cutting off your own balls when selling to customer_02.  It would have to be somewhere if we had perfect information.

I’m tempted to not report my deal so that no one goes into the dealership and demands the same deal – but on the other hand, I want to know (even if for no reason beyond my own second-guessing) whether others have done better.

I’ll probably list my out-the-door price somewhere in an entry…

Meanwhile. .. can I get some good weather? It’s supposed to rain this weekend. A-goddam-gain.

In other news, I got a quote from Progressive insurance for the 2010 FLHRC @ 1690cc.  With $500 comp/coll deductibles, it’s $503/yr for my home-owning NJ ass.  Not bad considering my 2001 Volusia (just 805cc) with my Union Square apartment address was the same price for a NY’er.  Plus the garage can’t hurt.

I discovered hand deflectors that look just right – already ordered them.  Will do a full review after I’ve gotten a taste of what improvement they offer.  Hoping they become my perfect cold-riding gear.

Incidentally, I got my brother a present for his Sportster (for his birthday next week).  Won’t say what it is, but I’ll probably play with it a little bit before I give it to him and I’ll post back with my thoughts if I remember. Mike, if you’ve found this blog, all I can say is I hope you liked it (no way you’ll discover this before I give you the gift, but just in case…still not saying what it is).