After months of indecision and poring through
countless auto magazines, you have finally decided on your dream ride. You have
fought for the attention of sales advisors more interested in selling gearless
scooters by the dozens, tried making up your mind over barely a km long test
ride and changed your mind half a dozen times before deciding on one, only to
change it again! You are in the home stretch now and I have a few tips for you
which should have you hurtling down the highway on your new ride in no time!
Understand the price break up
As you can see, there are more than one component
adding up to the final price you pay. Ex showroom price depends on where in
India you are buying a particular model (Enfield bikes for e.g. could be
cheaper in Chennai than several other cities as its manufactured there and
could escape levies and duties) and road tax, well, you are out of luck there
if you are in the highest taxed states like Karnataka, Andhra etc! You can try
and get insurance from outside (check with the bank you have an account or a
good rapport with) and save a few hundreds there. Tip – Get a zero depreciation insurance, it may add a
few hundred to your premium but you will thank yourself in the unfortunate
event that you crash the bike – a zero dep add on will ensure you get full
settlement for any insurance claim made for repairs (the insurer will typically deduct a percentage of the claim on a standard insurance cover, especially for glass and plastics).
Registration expenses include a cut for the dealer – the entire money isn’t spent
at the local RTO but most dealers will not agree to part with this, especially
for models which are in high demand and usually have a waiting period (All RE
models have em) If the dealer is a friend or relative he may waive it for you!
You will be asked to pay a token amount (no cash, always a
Demand draft/online transfer) towards booking the motorcycle, and if its one of
those models which is available off the shelf and you have enough dough in the
bank, it takes a couple of days for your ride to be registered by the dealer
and tax paid and you get to take her home. If you need to borrow from the bank
then you apply for a loan after you have paid a booking amount and the dealer
has assigned you a docket number. If the dealer has the bikes in his stockyard
already request to be taken there so that you can pick your ride. If there is a
waiting period then ask the service advisor to notify you as soon as fresh dispatches
have been made from the factory to your dealer and share the VIN (Vehicle Identification) number with you. Trust
me it helps especially for models which command a waiting period; you don’t want
to have someone else who’s behind you in the queue to be assigned the bike
first. For models which aren’t as hot, decoding the VIN will help you figure
out if you are being saddled with stock which has been sitting around with the
dealer for ages (while cars and bikes aren’t perishable foodstuff with an
expiry date, anything which has been lying around for more than 6 months should
pique your curiosity – in addition, engine oil, even unused, tends to degrade
over time, so do most other fluids. The rubber in the tyre also hardens over
time)
Shop around for the best deal if you have to take a loan, banks
may run offers for certain models from time to time. Its always a good idea to
pay as much as you can upfront and keep the amount borrowed to a minimum – you save
on the interest cost.
The pre-delivery inspection (PDI) and taking your ride home :)
This is usually the most neglected part of the purchase
process. We are often too excited at the prospect of getting our hands on our
ride and that coupled with the rush that any typical dealership sees on any
given day (save Yamaha dealerships :P) means that an occasion, which should be
special for the buyer, is reduced to little more than a bunch of papers and a
set of keys changing hands. While the ceremony may not dazzle you, stand your
ground and get at least a basic PDI done. While most motorcycles (especially
the Japanese) have come a long way since the days of dripping oil and snapping
cables, its not unheard of for bikes rolling off dealerships to be low on
coolant, chains not adjusted correctly, electrical issues. Having been through
the experience of buying a new car as well as a motorcycle, I understand that
most are not able to get all the boxes in the PDI list checked, it simply isn’t
problem. Hence am listing the absolutely essential ones that you need to check.
If anything is amiss, insist that they fix it right away (could be as drastic
as replacing the bike altogether) or in case it’s a cosmetic issue, have it documented
that they will fix it in the first service. Its your hard earned money after
all!
- · A close visual inspection of the bike, any nicks or scratches, any signs of rusting, anything dangling, looking out of place, paint imperfections etc
- · Check and ensure all electricals like headlamps, pass light switch, horns, indicators, brake light etc are functional
- · Check the chain slack (ask the sales advisor if not sure) and ensure its neither too tight nor too loose – you don’t want the chain of your new ride slapping along as you ride her for the first time
- · Check all fluids i.e. Engine oil level (critical), coolant level, front and rear brake oil level (check the oil window on the handlebar and below the tank
- · Start the bike and notice how the engine idles, while you don’t have to verify the idling speed from the manual just yet, listen to how the engine sounds, you would be able to tell if something is amiss
- · Sit on the bike, depress the clutch level and slot the engine into first (the shifts are expected to be a tad hard on a new bike) and pop the clutch. Try both the front and the rear brakes. Look out for any odd noise
- · Ensure that you have two keysets and one of them has the unique serial number embossed onto a small metal tag (you will need this if you lose the keys), vehicle invoice with details of payments made, original tax token (Registration smart card arrives a month later directly from RTO), insurance cover note, owner’s manual including the service booklet and the vehicle toolkit. Ensure that your name and address appear accurately in all documents.
- Tip – Find out the details of the service centre and if possible, the contact number of the service advisor. You will need it and soon since most bikes have their first service by the end of the first month. Understand the warranty policy in detail (most come with a 2 year/20-30k kms period) and what could make you lose it.
- · Dealers will leave just enough fuel in the bike for you to make it to the nearest fuel pump, check the gauge and get it refueled right away, especially if it’s a fuel injected model. Also check the tire pressure at the same time
Carry a box of sweets with you for the staff at the
dealership on D-Day and be patient and polite. You may be jumping in excitement
but for them, its another day, another customer in a job which pays little.
Build a rapport with them, it will come in handy should you have any warranty
claims later down the line. Don’t forget to carry at least a helmet (two if you
have a friend accompanying you – more on basic riding gear in the next article)
and a valid driver’s license. Oh, and don’t forget a good camera, I was so
excited that I just had my crappy phone camera to fall back on. That FB profile
pic with you on the saddle should be good enough for a hundred likes!
Next up – Running in and caring for your ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment