Bad Experience with GP Bikes

[omeys_berlina]

So I was looking through the trader when I see a 1098 for $15500. I call to see if they still had the bike, and get the details. I ask if they would take my bike in on trade, and they said "Yes". He asked if it went down I said yeah. So he said that he would have to see the bike but they would give me $XXXX, and that I would have to come down and show them the bike. I can understand that he wants to see the bike, but its Saturday, barely 3 degrees, and I'm in Barrie, he's in Ajax. So I say whats the worst that could happen? I fly down there, freeze my nads off to physically see that the bikes been down on the left side. So I ask the what the deal is since its been dropped, the owner said that he would give me $1000 dollars in service for free. No thanks. So we go outside to get a price on my bike, and the owner says its not something he would consider. I was so ******. I came all the way down from Barrie on my bike, in the cold, and they were dicks! I can keep going but I won't.......Thought you should know my experience with GP Bikes....

[Ninjaboy22]

So I was looking through the trader when I see a 1098 for $15500. I call to see if they still had the bike, and get the details. I ask if they would take my bike in on trade, and they said "Yes". He asked if it went down I said yeah. So he said that he would have to see the bike but they would give me $XXXX, and that I would have to come down and show them the bike. I can understand that he wants to see the bike, but its Saturday, barely 3 degrees, and I'm in Barrie, he's in Ajax. So I say whats the worst that could happen? I fly down there, freeze my nads off to physically see that the bikes been down on the left side. So I ask the what the deal is since its been dropped, the owner said that he would give me $1000 dollars in service for free. No thanks. So we go outside to get a price on my bike, and the owner says its not something he would consider. I was so ******. I came all the way down from Barrie on my bike, in the cold, and they were dicks! I can keep going but I won't.......Thought you should know my experience with GP Bikes....

i think u need to step back and look at the situation again.....you wanted to trade your bike in on another and it was down....i think the owners name is jerry if i am not mistaken...very nice guy...he obviously wanted to see the bike...he was'nt gonna give you money for a bike he has'nt seen....u took the bike there and it was'nt what he was expecting....you should have just sent him some pics to get more of a realistic answer....gp bikes is one of the only good shops left i go too...

[wmcphee89]

+1 for GP bikes,
I buy alot of my parts from there, I have no problems dealing with them, but you have to be forward with what you want and if you want a specific answer have a specific question,

as for buying the bike, should have asked before you left from barrie if it has any damage if you want one that doesn't have any. Usually they don't have bikes with damage there on the showroom, they're bikes are always clean so Ask, and you should have sent pics to save the trouble, and if they were interested then bring it down for further negotiations, its only common sense.

good luck on finding your 1098, its a good bike.
shop around and negotiate later, 1098's are not easy to sell so when you find one it won't likely sell over night so ask questions and look around, my 2 cents.

[Brian P]

He told you on the phone "he would have to see the bike"? So he saw it, and the response was "no thanks". What's the problem here.

What's been stated above is only one side of the story. For a Ducati 1098 at the price listed, the "too good to be true" principle applies. If the price has already been adjusted down to reflect that it has been crashed, you can't adjust it down *again* to reflect the cost of fixing it. If you want to buy a vehicle in new condition ... you pay full price for a new one.

[Lightcycle]

I agree about the store wanting to see the trade-in before assigning a value (or in this case not taking the trade-in), but really, if you're a shop listing a bike in the Autotrader, you should disclose the shape it's in so as not to waste anyone's time. I expect that from a private seller, even more so from a motorcycle store.

As for the price being "too good to be true", a $4K discount off MSRP could mean many things: the bike is a demo, has 7000kms on it and is last year's model... All true if you view the ad online.

[Dober]

Why wouldn't he consider your bike, because it was down or because of the model? I haven't had any luck with their sales department yet but I find them good for parts. They had a nice 600RR for sale a couple months ago that I was thinking of buying but the salesman would not budge on the price. I walked and about a month later I checked the trader and they had the same bike listed for almost 1200 dollars cheaper because it was
the season was pretty much over.

[Gh0sT]

i think u need to step back and look at the situation again.....you wanted to trade your bike in on another and it was down....i think the owners name is jerry if i am not mistaken...very nice guy...he obviously wanted to see the bike...he was'nt gonna give you money for a bike he has'nt seen....u took the bike there and it was'nt what he was expecting....you should have just sent him some pics to get more of a realistic answer....gp bikes is one of the only good shops left i go too...

In addition to seeing it, they'd probably want to ride it as well. We always did. I've never known a dealer to purchase a bike "sight unseen".

[topendz]

I'm confused by this post. Had the 1098 they were selling been dropped or was your bike dropped? You were interested in the 1098 demo they had for sale but only if you could trade in yours?

[SiNNeR]

I'm confused by this post. Had the 1098 they were selling been dropped or was your bike dropped? You were interested in the 1098 demo they had for sale but only if you could trade in yours?

yeah i asked about that demo 1098 last week, was told it was sold....
somethings strange here.

so what that guy didnt want your trade, you get crap on trades NEways,
sell it man
CASH is KING.

GP have always been more than fair with every puchase i have made there.

[Bogdon]

Everyone at GP Bikes is great to deal with. With the exception of Jerry, he is a dishonest, cheating, liar. There is nothing good to say about him. Just my .02.

Now, I do agree, he definatly had to see the bike before a final decision was made, perhaps you should have emailed him a series of pictures to get the process started. However from my experience with him he would have tried to screw you anyway. He does not stand behind the words that come out of his mouth.

[Wadadli]

I have never had a bad experience with GP bikes. The staff is friendly and have always help me with whatever I needed.

I think the first poster was ****** that he rode down in the cold and wanted some great deal because of his sacrifice. I don't understand why he is upset if he and Jerry did work out a deal to his liking or why his choice to drive there in the cold needs to be considered.

Bogdon's comment also baffles me. He say GP staff is great but the owner is dishonest? what? Who does he think the staff take their instruction from.

If Jerry needs to make tough choices to keep his business thriving - Good for him.

I for one am glad his shop is doing well, staffed and run by friendly folks.

[Bogdon]

Bogdon's comment also baffles me. He say GP staff is great but the owner is dishonest? what? Who does he think the staff take their instruction from.

If Jerry needs to make tough choices to keep his business thriving - Good for him.

I guess I just don't like the fact I caught him in 3 different lies during one 5 minute conversation. Also during the conversation he gave me completely different information that he did during a conversation only 4 days before this. Wadadli, being a good business man does not require you to be dishonest. Jerry is just that.

I find his staff (the ones I have dealt with) to be very friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. Do you really think they learned that from Jerry, or do you think they may have learned this from their past experiences, parental guidance, and possibly even past employment? I have talked to a couple of staff members away from work, ask them what they think of Jerry.

Everyone has their opinion based on their own experiences, this is mine. Jerry has helped make my decision to purchase my new Triumph this coming spring at Sturgess in Hamilton. I also know one GP staff member is doing the same.

PS, for those who don't know GP bikes is now a Triumph Dealer!

[sonnythebull]

I guess I just don't like the fact I caught him in 3 different lies during one 5 minute conversation. Also during the conversation he gave me completely different information that he did during a conversation only 4 days before this. Wadadli, being a good business man does not require you to be dishonest. Jerry is just that.

I find his staff (the ones I have dealt with) to be very friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. Do you really think they learned that from Jerry, or do you think they may have learned this from their past experiences, parental guidance, and possibly even past employment? I have talked to a couple of staff members away from work, ask them what they think of Jerry.

Everyone has their opinion based on their own experiences, this is mine. Jerry has helped make my decision to purchase my new Triumph this coming spring at Sturgess in Hamilton. I also know one GP staff member is doing the same.

PS, for those who don't know GP bikes is now a Triumph Dealer!

the promise he broke wasnt in regards to a condom i hope

[Bogdon]

the promise he broke wasnt in regards to a condom i hope

Ah, no

[Wadadli]

By "tough choices" I was referring to the decision not to purchase a bike for trade-in hoping to make a deal on moving existing inventory.

I like you don't have anytime for dishonest people whether it’s in business or with personal dealings.

My experience has been that Jerry has been straight however you have clearly had a different dealing with him.

It’s too bad you live in Ajax and are going to go to Hamilton to purchase your new Triumph. My experience has always been the place that sells you something always appreciates your return business. Where are you plan on servicing your new bike?

[D]

Just a tip for anyone else in this situation.
1. ASK them for price range on YOUR bike. ASK them if they are interested in such a bike BEFORE you step 1 foot out of your house.

They SHOULD tell you a yes or no on the bike and should be bale to give you a price range from the blue book they use.

[Bogdon]

I too agree it is too bad I am traveling to Hamilton to purchase a new bike when there is a dealer in Ajax that is within 2 minutes of my house. Coming from a Manufacturing background located in a very small town, trust me I understand the importance of dealing locally. Jerry tried to screw me, he lied, he was dishonest. I am glad you have had good experiences with him I wish I did too. I still shop there for some small accessories, I just refuse to deal directly with Jerry. I guess that makes me a convenience, not a loyal customer. I would rather have a loyal customer that would spread word of good things about my business.

As for Service it will likely work like this.

All Warranty work will likely be done in Hamilton.
All non warranty will be done by WASP Performance, William is awesome.

Just a side note, not that it is important to make my point, my bad experiences with Jerry were not cause by myself trying to trade a bike in.

[Wadadli]

I've read some good stuff on this site about WASP Performance. I think I'll drop by and check them out.

Thanks

[Dilligaf0220]

Stay away from Sturgess for service.

Their sales guys are half decent and I've always gotten OEM parts from them quick (but had to pay $ for it), but their service is in the crapper.

[lawnboy1956]

Stay away from Sturgess for service.

Their sales guys are half decent and I've always gotten OEM parts from them quick (but had to pay $ for it), but their service is in the crapper.

I agree with you about their service but not their sales people. In October I was in the market for a new bike and went to Sturgess first as it is the closest dealer to me. I tried to have a discussion about my needs with the only sales person I saw there but he was more interested in shooting the bull with a couple of his friends standing around. All I could get out of him was “yeah ok have a look around.” My wife and I looked at each other and decided that he was not interested in selling me a bike so we left. The next Saturday I went to Inglis in London and spend an hour going over different bikes with a few of the staff and came away with a new bike. This kind of indifference from them is by no means unique. I had the same kind of indifference from two other dealers. As for service it does not mater where you take it. Inglis is too far for me to go there for service so I take my service work to Racers Choice in Brantford.