6th Gen. loosing its appeal?

I just traded in my '04 for the '07 RWB at the local Honda dealership, I'm getting it because they had it marked down to cost and they are giving me a heck of a deal on the trade plus they are swapping all of the mods from the '04 to the RWB. The salesman said that this bike has been on their showroom floor for over 7 months and tons of people look at it, sit on it and talk about how good it looks, but then they never purchase. They really gave me quite a deal to take it off their hands so I was happy to do so. The sales manager/owner said they are'nt even ordering any '08 models since they just are'nt selling and that if someone wants one he will find one or order one for them, but is not going to keep one in stock until a new one is released. The dealer is also a Yamaha dealership and same goes for the V-Max. A good friend of mine that lives in a different area of the state picked his RWB for cost as well several months ago because of the same situation, dealer wanted it gone and his deal was sweetned by getting 35% off all accessories for the bike as well. I quess any model of any machine will loose its luster after a while, so I suppose Honda will have to come out with something new soon seeing as how dealers are having trouble moving them.

Anyone else seeing this in their part of the country?

Another topic that came up with the salesman was that many people commented on the Honda insignia on the tank, that they did not like the fact it was yellow on the RWB and white or black. Myself, I think it makes it stand out and it looks good. Oh well, to each their own.

 

Actually, this is nothing new. The Interceptor is a niche bike. Most people are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. They're looking for a true sport bike, cruiser or tourer. The Interceptor is a compromise bike. As far back as I can remember, dealers I have dealt with will not order an Interceptor for their floor plan. Everyone that I have purchased over the years had to be ordered.

 

I'm not trying to say your assessment is wrong, but bike sales in general are stagnant due to the current state of the economy, BTW, can you quantify "at cost"? I'm interested to know what you paid, if you're willing to share. Thanks

 

I just bought an '06 leftover. The dealer showed me his cost, $9110. List on '06 I believe was 10,400. I paid a bit less than this so I was happy.

 

I paid less than that for my 07

actually financed (my bank at 6%) was less what he claims was dealer cost

 

Mine had to be ordered. Dealer had none in stock.

 

Great job!! on that 6th gen insignia!! do the lowly recruits get one or is just for the generals:spy:

I sure hope they don't drop the vfr but maybe its time for a new look to generate some more interest 7 yrs is a long run. 2yrs back was the same story when i was looking very few dealers had them on the floor but they were all quick to say i can get you one

 

A Honda dealer in southern Oregon told me last summer the VFR sales were lousy.

 

hmph, the 6th gen has never appealed to me

 

What Generals? That graphic art is available to anyone who wants it, just drop me a note and I'll get you hooked up ASAP, Chomper! 6th Gen, HOLLA!

 

OKCVFR,
Scott Dunlavey, sales manager at Berkeley Honda, told me how much sales changed when the 6th gen debuted. He said he used to sell, on average, 25 5th Gen VFRs a year. He would order 25 and sell all of them. When the current 6th model debuted in '02, he said that figure dropped to 5 per year, an 80% reduction in sales. He also mentioned that when the flat black model was out in '03, that he had a very hard time selling that color. He finally got rid of it at a $300 dollar loss, and was happy to only have lost "that little". Currently Berkeley Honda has no VFRs on the sales floor. Only CBRs and Yamahas. If anyone is interested in corroborating this, I suggest they talk to Scott directly at 510-525-5525.

This data seems to corroborate OKCVFR's dealer's observation.

DISCLAIMER:
Just reporting, per OKCVFR's request, what I assume to be facts as relayed to me by Scott. Please do not read or infer from anything from this post that I have anything against 6th VFRs (I don't).

 

To each his own, I understand they're not for everyone, however the majority of the folks on this site seem to share a distinct difference of opinion with you, but that's cool. We all have a common bond, whether we choose to admit it or not.

 

Well said! :smile:

 

Plain and simple facts which contribute to the VFR not being a good seller (in no particular order) :


1) It's too long in the tooth so to speak, same damn bike basically since 2002........ other than "Bold New Graphics"

2) Price............... it's alot of money to ask for a new bike that is the same as one that is 6 yrs old.

3) It's not one of the popular bikes, ie. GSXR's, R6 & R1's, CBR's, ZX6R's ,ect. these are the bikes that sell for dealers.


Don't get me wrong, I love my 1997 VFR and VFR's in general, but seriously, I don't know how Honda has gotten away with not making any improvements / upgrades to the model line in over half a decade.

 

I'm not sure why Honda is still bothering with the same model in '08, but I said that about the hugely outdated Vmax years ago. I have an aquaintance who is a long time Honda salesman who works at probably the biggest dealership in the Denver area. He said he never bothers to sell the VFR because for about the same $ you can get a liter bike or 'Busa - plain and simple, that's why they don't sell.
I'm too cheap to buy new, but if I wasnt there are several bikes I'd pick for the same $ over a 6th gen VFR. 1000cc gear driven cams w/ a little less weight, I may be convinced to buy a new bike.

 

The only theory I can come up with is that Honda is trying to recover development and manufacturing costs. If if is true that sales have not been as strong as the prevous generation(s), it would take longer to recover those costs. What's interesting to me is that I came across a 2006 MCN article that said that the 2006 VFR was the best selling single model in Britain that year. It's clear that VFRs sell well in the UK and Europe. When I went to Italy in '96, I wrote my buddy Brian, who is a real Ducatisti, that the most popular bike in Italy, hands down, was the VFR. I saw a LOT of VFRs in two weeks, and only one Ducati. Next most popular was the CBR900RR.

 

well that just might keep the viffer going for us in North America

 

Okay send me link LT dont wana be left out of the movment :spy:

 

I think your right on we like our power in North America. do ya really think you can fully use all the power of a busa or zx14 on the street. well at least theres a few that know better

 

Almost 3/4 of a decade. I'll be honest, I don't know the Repli-racers are the only thing selling. I'm only 5'9" and I can barely fit on my 07 600RR, and I am still going to have to put Heli bars on it to make it rideable for a day's romp out in the canyons. And even then, it may not be useable. Today's sport bikes are so small and so committed that they are barely useable on the street-seriously! I thought I was going to sell my F4i, but I am going to keep it until I determine unequivocally that the 600RR is actually useable for street riding.

I don't know how the magazine editors can continue to say that these are bikes that riders really need. I would bet that Mitch Boehm or Brian Catterson can barely fit on a 600RR. The only way it seems to work these days is whatever bike turns the fastest lap times at Willow is the best one, hence the mfrs have been moving more and more towards full-on race bikes with lights, mirrors, and a license plate bracket. Fire up my 600RR and whack the throttle a bit at idle, and the bike's throttle reponse and exhaust note sounds exactly like a full-on race bike. Cool for track days and racing, but is this best overall 600 for everyone's needs? I don't think so. I think back to what a really, really good and versatile bike my F2 was. I literally rode to a track day one year with saddlebags since I did not have access to a truck to get it there. Pulled out my lunch and water, pulled off the bags, and went faster with less effort on my F2 than I did on my FZR400 race bike. Put the saddlebags back on at the end of the day, and rode home like a tourist. If I wanted to buy a 600 cc bike like that now, I am SOL.

It's gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, IMHO.