There have been lots of questions about the ordering process and it sure does not help that some dealers don't read their very own Yamaha bulletins. Here in the US the bike has to be pre-ordered through a Yamaha dealer with a $1000 deposit that is non-refundable and non-transferable.

There are only 2500 bikes to go around in the US for 2009. It is a limited production run and will stay limited going forward. With your deposit you secure yourself a place in line when delivery starts late October early Novmeber. Bikes will get delivered to dealers in the order the deposits come in. Delivery of the entire 2500 bikes could take as long as January 2009 when you are all the way at the end of he line. For some that's great for others not. You pick.

We did a qucik servey of dealers in the area and most had 2-3 orders within the initial 24h, with one dealer reporting 4+. If that holds true accross the country it would be expected that anywhere from 500-1000 bikes are already spoken for, maybe even more. As the initial rush passes by, it will take a little longer for the rest to get ordered but it could take as little as 2-4 weeks until all 2500 bikes are spoken for.  

So how to go about this? 

When you get to your dealer and make the deposit, make sure you get a copy of your Priority Delivery Claim form. Make sure you check all the details on it as the order is not transferable.

Here is a copy of one of the first orders that went in yesterday noon:

2009 VMax Priority Delivery Claim Form

As far as pricing some folks have raised questions whether they will get charged a premium once the bike actually shows up. Make sure you discuss this with your local dealer, it doesn't hurt to write up a little contract if you are in doubt. Yamaha/Star Motorcycles does encourages dealers to stick with list pricing but cannot control them as they are individually owned shops. If you have a great relationship with your exising dealer you might even be able to negotiate a little discount, but I would expect that to be the exception rather than the norm. Don't expect a dealer you visit for the very first time to negotiate.  

All dealers in the USA should except orders and your deposits. If you have issues with a particualr dealer we welcome you to share your experience on our forum.

Ride safe!

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