Some bikes need a lot of assembly others don't. I believe the Busa arrives pretty much fully assembled in the crate.
Anyone who thinks they're a clever slick talker that got out of paying prep fee's is fooling themself.
You're going to pay prep, freight and doc fee's no matter what. They are just all rolled into your final price.
IMO those fee's are GREAT as long as they are listed on your receipt.
I paid $9725 out the door for my new '04. The selling price of the bike was $9154 and the rest was BS freight, prep and doc fees.
I PAID TAXES ON THE $9154. Had the dealer inflated my ego by telling me I paid $9725 for the bike with no prep and freight add on fee's I'd have had to pay taxes on the full $9725.
Get an OTD price and when buying the bike make sure they break down the selling price on the receipt.
Like Turbo-torch says, some require more setup (prep) than others. The 'Busa wasn't around when I worked for Suzuki in sales (92-95), but here is what usually happens in relation to shipping/prep/doc charges the buyer sees (and sometimes doesn't). Keep in mind even if the dealer says they pay all of these fees, in the end you pay them. Like it has been mentioned before, it's all rolled into the price of the bike. If you get a bike "at cost", these fees are calculated as part of the "cost":
1 - Shipping. Suzuki pays to get the bike across the pond and to the nearest port. The dealer pays for it to be shipped from the port to the dealership. This cost was about $175 in 1995 (from San Fran to Colorado Springs, CO). Most dealers charge about $295 for that part. Call it additional dealer profit. It gives them a place to negotiate down from. This of course is a lower costing charge the closer to the coast you are.
2 - Prep. Basically, they uncrate the bike, and assemble the major components that were taken off at the factory to get the bike to fit in the crate. Usually this means wheels are put on, fluids are put into the bike (gas/oil etc), chains are adjusted, batteries are installed and charged and a pre-delivery inspection is performed which the customer is ALWAYS supposed to sign off on at the time of delivery. If you didn't sign a checklist when you bought your bike showing that the major components of the bike were all in good order and not scratched/dinged when you took possession, the dealership FORGED your name and are either lazy of hiding some flaw or damage in shipping. BTW: A good dealer will put the fluids and charge the battery AFTER the bike has been purchased. If your bike started up in the showroom, you should ask the dealer how long ago had its fluids put in. You could be looking at gummy carbs/throttle bodies, stale (you know what I mean) oil and/or bad gas.
3 - Fees. The dealer does indeed have to pay your local DMV to convert the MSO (Manufacturers Statement of Origin) into a title. They have to pay the DMV filing fees and various (each state varies) administrative fees. When you go in and get a plate, you are paying the DMV only for the plate and the paperwork associated with that process. They already knew your bike existed. That's because of the dealerships work to get the bike titled. When it comes to the USA off the boat, it technically doesn't exist in the eyes of the DMV.
Some items cost more to setup. Jet skis & 2-stroke dirt bikes without electric start cost the least. They are nearly ready to go out of the crate. Street bikes cost the most. None take more than an hour to prep.
Hope that helps!
