[ChrisHead]

Given that it only took about 3 seconds for it to become clear that I'd be sleeping on the couch for even suggesting that I get a new bike last week it's astounding on a level I couldn't have imagined that my wife gave me the green light last night. My head is still spinning but that didn't stop me from taking full advantage and spending the day shopping.

So...drum roll please...I'm the proud owner of a new Z900RS...brown & orange.

You won't be getting rid of me that easily though as my beloved Vulcan S will be passed along to my son so will still be in my garage and as the lead motorcycle guy of the house I'll be helping him look after it so will still be in here on a regular basis.

Now to prepare for a Saturday pickup and the long ride home as I was able to strike a good deal by driving out to what passes for the middle of nowhere here and buying from a dealer starved for sales. An old but effective tactic.

 

[IndyTom]

Funny thing you should bring up the Z900RS :grin2: I went to the Chicago Motorcycle Expo on Saturday and took a look at all sorts of bikes and the Z900RS just fit me to a T. I actually can Flat Foot that bike and the seating position is so much better than the Vulcan S. I even spoke to the Kawasaki District Sales Manager and he says they are amazing bikes. Especially for us mature over 40 Crowd :grin2: Well, I got $500 Dollar KAWA KASH which I can apply towards the purchase of a new (not used) 2018 or 2019 Z900RS plus they will give you a FREE Akrapovic Slip on exhaust and 3.95% interest for 60 months. Well, how can I say no. Only dilemma I have is 2018 vs 2019. One Dealer in my area has a New 2018 for Sale at $8900 and another dealer just down the street from me has a 2019 Black and Red or Rootbeer whatever they call it for 11,199 and I got him down to 10,900 minus my Kawa Kash etc. The 2018 model is their Metallic Spark Black which doesn't look bad but I really love the Black and Red color. They don't make the Black for 2019 and it is actually more of a rare color in the scheme of things. So should I go with the 2018 and save $2000 bucks or go with the color I really like and pay $2000 bucks more. I have researched the 2018 and 2019 models and there isn't any difference between them mechanically. Crap, I will probably go with the Black one and Save the 2 Grand which everyone says can be put towards a Brocks Performance tune which will gain you a smoother bike and about 30 Horses. With money left over for some other goodies.

Hey, congrats on your bike. Make sure you go online and get your KAWA KASH and bargain with them. Even on a brand new bike they will go down a few hundred bucks. Never pay MSRP. But even if you do at least get the $500 Dollar off from Kawasaki and the free Exhaust. I haven't told my wife yet but our couch downstairs is pretty comfortable :grin2:

 

[IndyTom]

Here is the Info about the Free Akrapovic Exhaust: The offer is good on any new 2018 and 2019 Z900RS. Delivery must be made prior to 3/31/2019 Value is $759.95. Even if you don't like the Exhaust, you can always sell it online. https://www.flatoutmotorcycles.com/factory-promotions/16555

The $500 Dollar Kawi Kash is a special promotion for people that attended the Progressive Motorcycle Expo. However, I have an extra certificate Code which I will PM you. It's worth $500 Dollars off the lowest negotiated price.

PM sent :wink2:

 

[ChrisHead]

I too prefer the root beer & orange over the black...by a wiiiiiide margin. Look on CycleTrader to see if anyone else has the 18 in the color you want and try to deal. If you can't find it and you're seriously thinking about paying $2k more for the 19 just to get the color you want I recommend getting the black 18 and having it custom painted as you'll save a good portion of the $2k delta and have a unique ride unlike any other out there.

On my end, the deal is struck and when I show up to pay them $500 of it will be Kwai Kash...lol. I don't expect any fight from them as it's the same as cash to them.

Good luck with your shopping!

 

[IndyTom]

They should give you the $500 off since it is a Kawasaki Promotion and the dealer will get the money from Kawasaki. I did sent the PM. They may have to rewrite the Purchase Order since everything has to be nice and legal but you are the customer and $500 dollars is $500 Dollars :wink2:

I think you are right. I love the two tone color but I can't justify paying 2k more for the color so I will go with the Black and customize it from there. My Vulcan S will go up for Sale since My wife will not let me have 2 bikes. I wish she would ride with me but those days have past. My Vulcan S will make someone a very Great Bike. The 3 things I will transfer over from the S are the Denali Soundbomb Compact Air Horn, the Brake light modulator and the auxiliary Brake light. Everything else will remain with the S.

 

[IndyTom]

There are only 3 Kawasaki dealers in my area and only 2 of them have an RS in stock. The 3rd does have a 2019 CAFE RS but I hate that color and wouldn't consider it. The closest dealership that has
a 2018 2 tone is in Nashville, Illinois which is 250 miles from me. They are selling theirs for $9699 and I am sure I can get them down a few bucks. The problem I don't have a trailer so I would have to ride her home which usually wouldn't be an issue but there is still snow on the ground and I am sure it's worse in Illinois so I would have to have it shipped which would cause more issues and expenses. I will visit the 2 dealerships near me tomorrow and negotiate a bit and see what I can come up with.

 

[ChrisHead]

Here is the Info about the Free Akrapovic Exhaust: The offer is good on any new 2018 and 2019 Z900RS. Delivery must be made prior to 3/31/2019 Value is $759.95. Even if you don't like the Exhaust, you can always sell it online. https://www.flatoutmotorcycles.com/factory-promotions/16555

The $500 Dollar Kawi Kash is a special promotion for people that attended the Progressive Motorcycle Expo. However, I have an extra certificate Code which I will PM you. It's worth $500 Dollars off the lowest negotiated price.

PM sent :wink2:

Thanks...I will register for the exhaust this week and my plan is to sell it. This bike already sounds great and will have plenty of power...I don't need to change the sound or add a few more HP, would much prefer to get the $.

 

[ChrisHead]

There are only 3 Kawasaki dealers in my area and only 2 of them have an RS in stock. The 3rd does have a 2019 CAFE RS but I hate that color and wouldn't consider it. The closest dealership that has
a 2018 2 tone is in Nashville, Illinois which is 250 miles from me. They are selling theirs for $9699 and I am sure I can get them down a few bucks. The problem I don't have a trailer so I would have to ride her home which usually wouldn't be an issue but there is still snow on the ground and I am sure it's worse in Illinois so I would have to have it shipped which would cause more issues and expenses. I will visit the 2 dealerships near me tomorrow and negotiate a bit and see what I can come up with.

Ouch...250 miles.

The dealer I bought from was just 75 miles away (highway miles...it'll be a longer ride home when I pickup the bike as I'll be staying off the highway) and I had 5 dealers in reasonable range that had the 2018 root beer colored bike...another 2 or 3 that had only the 2018 black and a bunch that had neither. I guess it's one of the advantages of living in the NYC metro area...choice and competition are everywhere.

In fact I used the advertised price from another dealer to drive this guy down. His response was "Toms River is the largest Kawasaki dealer in the state (NJ)...I hate those fuc^ing guys...they kill me!!" And the deal making went from there..."You want how much $? OK, I'm going to Toms River. How much $ now? OK, I'm going to Toms River." Rinse and repeat.

At one point the sales manager came out of his office saying that they looked on the Toms River web site and the price was $100 higher than I was saying to which I responded, "Look at their post on Craigslist." SILENCE

The usual b.s. about how they were losing $ on the deal followed but in the end I was happy with the final deal and it was clear the sales guy isn't exactly starving to death...lol After all, there was absolutely no reason why they needed to sell that bike...they made $, just not as much as they'd like.

 

[IndyTom]

Hey, I might look up Tom's River and see what they have. I doubt that my dealer will care what they sell their bikes for but you never know. The one dealer close to my home is a hard ass. They hardly want to deal at all. They know what they have and they know the competition isn't that great in this area. There are more Harley dealers than Kawasaki dealers around these parts. Well, let me do some more digging before I settle for that Black Rs. If I can swing it why not get what I really want color wise. Just looked at Tom's River's Site. They are selling the 2019 RS for the same as my dealer here $11,199 and they also have a Black 2018 RS for 9799 which is actually 800 more than my dealer here is selling theirs for. I guess I will take a look at the Black one in person. Maybe it will grow on me.

 

[texasnurse]

Hey, I might look up Tom's River and see what they have. I doubt that my dealer will care what they sell their bikes for but you never know. The one dealer close to my home is a hard ass. They hardly want to deal at all. They know what they have and they know the competition isn't that great in this area. There are more Harley dealers than Kawasaki dealers around these parts. Well, let me do some more digging before I settle for that Black Rs. If I can swing it why not get what I really want color wise. Just looked at Tom's River's Site. They are selling the 2019 RS for the same as my dealer here $11,199 and they also have a Black 2018 RS for 9799 which is actually 800 more than my dealer here is selling theirs for. I guess I will take a look at the Black one in person. Maybe it will grow on me.

Get the color you want, or there will always be that what if factor. After all it’s only $2,000 over 5 years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IndyTom]

Get the color you want, or there will always be that what if factor. After all it’s only $2,000 over 5 years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LOL, Good point. :grin2: Actually, if I buy the 2018 Two Tone in Illinois it's only 700 Dollars more over 5 years :smile2: But riding it home 250 miles or actually 295 miles if I avoid highways in 20 degree temperatures doesn't sound like a lot of fun. I guess I could have it shipped or get a hitch for my Car and rent a trailer from U-Haul. We shall see.

 

[ChrisHead]

I like that as well. Either drop the $ on the color you really want or get the black and go the custom paint route but I too would caution against getting a color you don't like just to save the $. I have a friend who would say the opposite, "A motorcycle is a machine...get it based on how it performs relative to how you want to ride...who cares what it looks like?!?!" But I think you're in the same boat with me, I care about performance but I want the bike to stir my soul not only when I ride it but when it's parked in the sun on a clear summer day. That root beer bike will be AWESOME on that bright sunny day!! As would the right custom paint job.

These guys have a Scenic Pictures thread in the main chat room and there's a thread that should still be on the first page about a Custom Paint job...also a cool custom paint job of a Shoei GT Air to match the root beer paint scheme of the bike. https://www.z900rs.co.uk/

Good luck...looking forward to hearing your final decision and your successful shopping trip.

 

[ChrisHead]

LOL, Good point. :grin2: Actually, if I buy the 2018 Two Tone in Illinois it's only 700 Dollars more over 5 years :smile2: But riding it home 250 miles or actually 295 miles if I avoid highways in 20 degree temperatures doesn't sound like a lot of fun. I guess I could have it shipped or get a hitch for my Car and rent a trailer from U-Haul. We shall see.

Not sure what the hope of a reasonable weather day is for you in the coming weeks but in my deal I negotiated a few extras, one of which was free storage until the weather and road conditions would be good enough to ride it home. Right now it looks like this Saturday will be ok but the deal was struck before any of us had looked at the forecast and beyond Saturday the weather looks bad so if not this Saturday then who knows when it will happen.

I also negotiated the install of my wiring harness for my heated jacket & gloves so I don't freeze getting home as well as routing a power cable from the under seat 12v power port to the handle bars so I can mount my cell phone and have power. Both to be done by the dealer at time of pickup. I've purchased cables from BatteryTender for the cigarette lighter power supply, a 6ft extension cable and a their USB port, all with standard SAE connectors. Gives me a more sturdy cable than trying to run a long phone charging cable...should be more durable and deliver more usable power to the phone than a long USB cable would.

 

[Foobar]

Beautiful bike. I'd get one of these as well but I can't flat foot it and yeah I know it's not a big deal but I just don't enjoy riding bikes I can't confidently walk around with both feet comfortable on the ground...

That's actually what stopped me from getting an XSR (and this Z900RS beats the XSR in my book.)

And what's that, IndyTom actually getting serious about buying another bike! Enjoy the couch, brother!

 

[IndyTom]

Hey Foobar, they do make a Lower Seat for the Z900RS. Not sure if that would be enough but it does lower the seat height by 35mm or roughly 1.4 inches.

 

[ChrisHead]

I've read that the reduced reach seat is as hard as a rock though so might be better getting the standard seat and having them take some stuffing out. Food for thought.

I can't quite flat foot but I get pretty close. I'll see how I feel about it and decide if a mod is in order.

Either that or surgery to lengthen my legs...difficult decision.

 

[Foobar]

Hey Foobar, they do make a Lower Seat for the Z900RS. Not sure if that would be enough but it does lower the seat height by 35mm or roughly 1.4 inches.

I've heard the same complaint that ChrisHead referenced - the low seat option makes it an uncomfortable ride. I looked it up on Kawi's site, and if this is the reduced reach seat, it's $400 and only reduces by 25mm. I wonder if there are two optional seats and the 25mm might be more comfortable... Gah what am I saying, I already have too many bikes I'm caring for lol.

 

[IndyTom]

There is also the CAFE RS seat which is 20mm higher than the standard RS seat. That's why the CAFE version has a 20mm higher seat height. And yes the seats can be switched without issue. I actually like the Cafe style Seat better. I also like the fairing on the CAFE. I just hate that dull Green paint Scheme. If they just had the Grey or the Blue like the rest of the world gets. But I guess we aren't that lucky here in the US.

Did some more searching and found a 2018 Black in Florida for $7988 and a Two Tone RS in Ohio for 9600 and change. Also the Dealerships here reduced the price of the 2019 two tone as well as the 2019 CAFE to 10,499. I can take my pick. (RS MSRP is 11,199 and the Cafe MSRP 11,699) Plus I have my 500 Dollar Kawi Kash. So it would make the price before taxes and fees 9,999 That is already a tempting proposition. I am planning to put 3k down and finance the rest for their advertised 3.95%. That should make the payment less than 150 bucks.

 

[kevinb003]

Congrats, guys! Keep us posted.

 

[ChrisHead]

Snowed yesterday so pickup is in jeopardy...noooooooo.

May be just as well though as Amazon has screwed up the shipment of the power cable for my phone and I'd really rather have the dealer install it than have to do it myself so maybe a blessing in disguise. Hopefully it gets here in time and the snow is melting fast as it's almost 50 degrees today.

Only time will tell but I'm like a kid at Christmas and am not handling the waiting game well at all...lol