You forgot to mention the two 44 hp Kawasaki 400 models that go for between $4,700 and $5,500, depending upon the model and the dealership. Last year I saw a brand new all-white Kawasaki 400 Ninja (without ABS) at the local dealer who was asking only $4,200 for the bike. Also the KTM 390 Duke has an MSRP of $5,500 - at least until you start adding shipping and setup fees to the price.
Actually, if you meant the Kawa Z-400, it is on my list. If you meant the Ninja, I left it off, and any other "sport" types, feeling that these were less likely to be considered by anyone considering purchasing a new Meteor. The Ninja has substantially the same specs and price as the Z-400.
All the prices I listed are MSRP, wherever those could be found. Of course one can usually purchase at a better price than MSRP, based on many factors, including the time of the month and who in the dealership one talks to. One Utube video I watched suggested talking to the owner's wife, but this seems counter-intuitive to me.
Those rules of thumb about actual vs MSR pricing seem to not apply to Royal Enfield dealers in the USA. Even before the pandemic reduced supply side to nil, the expectation of good deals from RE dealers seemed unfulfilled. I don't have a lot of experience with operating or purchasing from dealers, but it seems to me that there are a couple of factors that might be at play here.
- Supply of stock from India tends to be very slow. Dealerships might be hesitant to sell a machine knowing they may not get a replacement until riding season is halfway over.
- Dealers are carry multiple brands. Our local dealer carries Piaggio, Triumph, BMW and Zero, in addition to RE. It's a safe bet that any one of those other machines carries a higher profit than the RE. The urge to upsell to a Triumph is great, and the desire to cut price on a RE is small. If the RE's just sit there, they can just order fewer, and keep the ones they have for that buyer who insists on an RE but will pay full price. There are even stories of salesman denigrating the REs, in order to upsell. Scandalous!
- The cost of offering a 3 year warranty is considerably more in the USA than in India. Mechanic Labor rates and overhead are probably at least an order of magnitude greater. I suspect that a good proportion of the cost of warranty service is going to fall on the dealership, making them less willing to cut the price of an already low margin product.
The KTM should be on the list of competitives.
KTM Duke 390 (373 cc) ~43hp $5500
The one drawback I see to the KTM, as a beginner's bike is that the 32.5" seat height might make some new riders uncomfortable. It also can wheelie. How is the US dealer network, compared to RE?
Topic: Meteor in the USA in Spring? (Read 12073 times)