When to Buy a Motorcycle? Best Times to Buy

If you are considering picking up riding as a hobby, you have probably wondered: when is the best time to buy a motorcycle? Prices vary during the year. The key is to buy your motorcycle when demand is low so you can maximize opportunities to get discounts and better prices.

Winter Is Usually the Best Season to Buy

All other things being equal, the winter months are the best time of year to buy a motorcycle. Due to the cold weather and the shorter days, demand for motorcycles is much lower in the winter, and many people put their bikes into storage. Private owners may no longer have a need for their bikes and will be trying to sell them, whether in person or online.

Moreover, dealers who are looking to offload the rest of their inventory before next year’s inventory arrives may offer special discounts and sales during November, December, January, and February. Motorcycle manufacturers typically drop new models at the beginning of the year, and dealerships will want to clear previous models to make way for new ones. This incentive to offload leftover products tends to encourage dealerships to enter into negotiations. If you buy during a holiday season sale, you might be able to snag additional perks, such as extended warranties or lower financing rates.

Summer Is Usually the Worst Time

If winter and holidays are the best times to buy a motorcycle, when is the worst time?

Buying a motorcycle is more expensive during peak demand season, which tends to be during the summer. Motorcycle ridership makes a noticeable jump as the weather gets nicer, and many new riders will be in the market for a new ride. Months like June, July, and August have the highest demand, so buying during these times might be more difficult. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t still find good deals on bikes during the summer. You may just have to look a little deeper and consider sales from dealerships and private collectors.

What About Spring and Fall?

So winter is in, and summer is out — what about spring and fall?

Spring is generally a less ideal time to buy as you will be seeing increasing momentum as you go into the summer season. Prices might be higher in anticipation of an influx of summer sales. However, buying in spring does have one nice advantage — you get first pick at new models. Manufacturers tend to drop new bikes in the first few months of the year, so buying in the early spring might be a good idea if you want the latest in performance and power.

With regard to the fall, autumn can be a good time to buy. You start to see ridership drop off as it gets colder in September and October, and some dealerships might have specials on their calendars at this time. The lower-demand atmosphere in the fall might make buying less pressure for some.

Best Day to Buy a Motorcycle

There isn’t a single best day to buy a motorcycle, but holidays are usually a good bet. Dealerships often do sales and promotions during most large holidays, like Christmas, New Year’s, Fourth of July, Black Friday, and more. Dealerships use these holiday promotions as marketing buzz, so you should hear about them well in advance if you look.

Ultimately, though, you can find good deals on motorcycles at any time during the year if you know where to look. Make sure you consider multiple options for buying and compare them to find the best deal on new and used motorcycles.

Looking to Buy a Motorcycle?

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