My first dealing was with sales.
at the time i had a CBR600 and as i was camping lots i needed a bike more suited to this.
after lots of reading i decided the GS was the bike i wanted.
my CBR was 8 years old at this point and i didnt have much money to add to the sale (£7,700 to be exact)
after visiting RiteBike in Bradford twice and being treated like total crap....thats another story, i visited Williams BMW in Manchester.
My first impression while walking round was that i cant afford any of them, they didnt have many used bike in at the time, and the ones they did was only a year old or so, which was out of my budget.
A salesman came over (Dave.. sorry dont know his last name) and i was very honest with him.
I told him i really like the GS its perfect for what i need, but i cant afford what you have here. i even told him how much money i had and showed him my current bike.
He said there was a bike that had been part exed yesterday, but isnt on display.
A 2 year old TE GS, The bike had a couple of extras, engine bars and spots, and was a great looking bike...i wanted it!! but after checking it was £12,500.
I give him sad eyes and said shame.
I gave him my name and number, and said that if an older bike i can afford comes in let me know, then left.
For the next day or so, i was kicking myself i didnt have the extra cash for that bike, id fallen for it and was left dreaming of what could of been.
2 days later i get a phone call from him saying he explained my situation to his boss and i can have the bike???
I was stunned, i was like... how am i going to pay, i dont have that kind of money?
he offered me 3k for my bike (i only paid 5k 5 years earlier)
this meant i got the bike for £10,700
i came off the phone feeling like a lotto winner, and i went a few days later and rode off on my shiny new bike with a silly grin on my face.
Each year i have it serviced and MOTd by Williams.
Last year i had a very slight oil leak coming from the front plate.
They replaced the gasket and sorted it free under the warrant with no fuss, and the bikes been perfect since.
Maybe making me wait was just a sales tactic before knocking it down, i dont know.
All i know is, i got a lot of bike for my money and i feel happy about it.
i had looked all over and i never saw another GS at that age at that price anywhere, so i feel very lucky.
i like to think the salesman saw how gutted i was, and helped me out.
I treat my bike with respect and clean it regular, and blow dry.
When its time to change i will let Williams have the first offer on a bike they have full history of from new.
This GS will obviously be worth more on trade in than my last bike, and with another 7k i will be in a better position for another good bike.
The bike is booked back in for a service and MOT in 3 days time, so for a day i will have a 400cc scooter courtesy bike while mines sorted.
Ive never been on a scooter, so im looking forward to it
Anyway... its another +1 for Williams from me