You might not expect to find many brand-new motorcycle deals in the middle of summer. But something weird is going on, and it is early July when I am writing this.
The month is significant in the UK thanks to how the UK Government arranges the numbers and letters on the number plate. ~ More on this in a minute or two.
This leads to sales incentives leading up to March 1st and September 1st each year. In February ’24, for example, Honda offered £1,200 off an NT1100 if it was registered before the end of that month.
Yet here we are in early July, two whole months from September, and there are lots of deals available, all offering significant savings. Twenty minutes surfing the internet over my morning coffee revealed …
V-Strom 800RE
We found this deal earlier and mentioned it in the V-Strom 800RE article, but it is worth repeating. The standard Suzuki V-Strom 800RE costs £9,699, with the Tour version costing £11,199, as it comes with 3-piece luggage.
At least two dealers are offering a pre-registered standard V-Strom 800RE for £7,995 or £1,704 under the list price.
Pre-registered means the motorcycle is still new, but the dealer has already registered it. Therefore, you may be the second registered owner.
Other than that, you’ll be riding a brand-new motorcycle and have £1,700 left in your pocket, with which to go touring. Sweet.
Kawasaki Z900
I’ve always appreciated Kawasaki’s design ethic. They do what makes them happy and are rarely swayed by fashion. Perhaps the one exception was the first generation Versys 1000, which received a rapid facelift. Same bike, different frock.
According to the Kawasaki website, the Z900 – rather than the more retro-styled Z900RS – retails for £9,699, but you can get a brand “Harry Spankers” new one for £8,249 and save £1,450 by doing so. The advert does say “June Only”, so assuming they won’t do that deal in July, your next best offer is £8,499, where you save a mere £1,250 over the list price.
Shop carefully though, as there are more than a couple of Z900 models to choose from. The Z900 Performance is the model listed at £9,699, while the Z900SE, with an Öhlins shock in the rear and Brembo callipers to highlight just two differences, starts at £11,229.
Then there are 2022 and 2023 models still in dealerships – new, old stock. All of them have the same 123BHP motor, so no matter which one you get, fun is all but guaranteed.
Aprilia 1100 V4 Tuono
If the 123BHP of the Z900 isn’t enough for you, then for £12,500 you could put yourself on the “standard” 175BHP version of the Aprilia Tuono 1100 V4 and save a whopping £3,000 while doing so.
And if you want to go “Factory” with Öhlins front and rear semi-active suspension, you can save even more – £3,800. All you need to do is call GlobalMoto in Colchester and arrange to give them £14,299, according to the advert.
Royal Enfield Meteor
But it isn’t all about the fire-breathing demons of motorcycling desire. How about £2,999 for a brand-new Royal Enfield Meteor? The figures in the various deals need a little finessing, as some dealers have included On The Road charges while others —like Carnaby Scooters—look to add these to the advertised price.
Regardless, the Meteor is listed at £4,059 from Royal Enfield, but you can buy one in several places with around 25% off that price.
Moto Guzzi Mandello (Standard and S)
In August 2023, we road-tested the Moto Guzzi Mandello S – the version with the very (very!) fancy Öhlins Smart EC2.0 suspension. If expressing some individuality, as well as owning a cool motorcycle, floats your boat, then you can do it for £1,701 under the list price.
The standard Mandello comes in two flavours: the V100 Mandello (RRP £12,500) and the V100 Mandello Aviazione Navale (with fancy paintwork), which has an RRP of £13,750.
The S version offers similar savings. Its list price is £14,750, but that price changes to £13,995 when you walk into the dealer, saving you £755. That would have been £1,755, but Moto Guzzi recently reduced the RRP by £1,000.
Moto Guzzi Stelvio
There is a strong rumour that the Editor has arranged for us to have a Moto Guzzi Stelvio on test in August. The bribery to get the job of road testing the Stelvio has already begun. (no chance ~ Ed.)
Currently, the Stelvio is only available with standard suspension, but there are rumours that an S model with fancy Öhlins suspension will be arriving next year.
Until then, you have two versions of the Stelvio to choose from, one with the PFF Rider Assistance Solution and the one where it is fitted but not enabled.
PFF is a radar system that monitors and warns you when someone is in your blind spots or when your stopping distance to the vehicle in front is “sub-optimal”. Active cruise control is a factory-enabled option on the PFF model.
The internet will sell you a standard Stelvio for £12,999, compared to a Moto Guzzi list price of £14,700. The version with PFF (radar) is £15,400 from Moto Guzzi or £13,995 on the internet.
UK Number Plates
It is a quirk of UK number plates that they show where and when the vehicle was first registered. My registration number starts CJ23 showing it was registered in Cardiff between 1 March 2023 and 31 August 2023.
A lifetime ago, this happened once a year (1st August, I think), and for the whole year, you got to ride around, showing the world you had a new bike.
Then, in a bid to even out vehicle sales—mainly because governments were having to bail out UK car manufacturers—the system changed to twice a year. The idea almost worked. Now we have two peak sales periods rather than one.
Roger bought his Africa Twin seven years ago thanks to a February Motorcycle Deal. He’d gone to buy a VFR800, but the Africa Twin deal was too good to ignore. Three days later – 1st March- the same bike would have cost him £800 more.
Motorcycle Deals
We found all of these motorcycle deals by searching Autotrader.co.uk/bikes. We are not affiliated with Autotrader or any of the dealers. All of the deals were available when we wrote the article.
One motorcycle dealer suddenly went bankrupt this week, reportedly with several bikes sold but not collected and now locked in the showroom. The bikes are now in the hands of the receiver, leaving the owners with the task of proving they own them.
It is a stark reminder that no matter how good the motorcycle deal is, riding the bike home on the day you part with the cash is always a good idea.
