So I listed my buell xb12 after finding a nice 2012 dealer holdover Kawasaki z1000. I have to admit I'm very excited about this z! It has been a bike I've always wanted and this would be my first brand new motorcycle. I was just browsing the other day and the dealer stated $9600 is what he could sell it for. I didn't say much and walked out. They know I have the buell  and do not need another motorcycle. Anyone have experience with buying two year old holdovers? How much lower could the dealer realistically go? I would like to talk them down to $8500 out the door price. Moment I buy the bike the value drops to $7600 according to kbb.

Have you looked at used? There are tons of fantastic very slightly used bikes out there for sale. If you can find one with a few thousand miles you could save money and maybe even score a couple of aftermarket goodies like exhaust etct. No break in period to deal with is nice too. Even is the owner took it out and rode the shit out of it there isn't much you can do short of sheer negligence that will hurt modern Japanese motorcycles.

Yeah I definitely browse the used market often. The z1000 is a bike that I've always wanted and in my area they are next to impossible to find used with the new body style. Wondering how much haggle room I have. Thinking $9000 is my top limit out the door, but should I set my sights lower?

Kawasaki brand new holdovers from '12 and '13 here are usually cheaper than used motorcycles up here.  People finance stuff like bikes, then decide to sell a year later, while their loan is owed more than the bike is worth... I'd never buy a used bike if a new-old-stock bike of the same model/year is available.  

As for the OP - I'm in the exact same bucket.  The lowest I see the '12/'13 Z1000 go for off the dealer lot is about $8000, plus TTL.  The Ninja 1000 is usually more in the $9000 + TTL range.  I'm keeping my eyes open for one or the other, once I can offload my ZX-6R.  Used, they're tough to find, and invariably overpriced, especially this time of year.

I agree with all that Repeater said.

When I bought my '09 Roadliner in late '11 the price tag was about 2/3 of the MSRP  One boring day at work I did the math and found that if I'd bought it new 2 years before and made the minimum payments, I would have owed almost $1k more than what I had paid.

How quick you  think you can sell the Buell ?
What  are you asking ?

I've had a lot of initial interest in the buell. Asking kbb high book but everyone in New England is asking about kbb high book for buells with higher miles. Fairly firm on the price. I have a blast riding the buell, so if it sells then good and if not I'll still have a fun bike.

The invoice price should be about 84 percent of whatever full retail was.  I'd look at paying them very close to that if not less.

looks like 10800 X .84 = 9070.00.

Depends on how bad you want it and whether there are factory to dealer incentives you don't know about.

I bought a 2009 leftover bike in 2011.  I paid $1,700 less than MSRP (or 18.5% off from MSRP), which was about $200 to $400 below invoice price.  I also got the dealer to include about $100 worth of accessories.  My dealer had purchased the bike still in the crate from another dealer that was going out of business, so I doubt my dealer lost money on my sale due to how they acquired it.  My dealer had the bike for a year before I bought it.  Amazingly enough, no customers had even taken my bike for a test ride during that time.

Some motorcycle dealers are willing to go down in price while others are stubborn.  I already knew that my dealer was advertising the bike for an incredible price, and it was the cheapest price for a new leftover that I found within a 750 mile radius, so it came as no shock to me that they wouldn't lower the price.  I was still able to still negotiate for the accessories.  If you're serious about buying the bike, make an offer and see if they bite.  Leave your info and walk away if they don't accept your offer.  It isn't worth it to pay close to MSRP on a bike that has depreciated from sitting on a showroom for two years.

Unless you are looking for a brand new model or need the very latest edition, leftover bikes are awesome.  Just be sure to take it for a test ride to make sure the battery is good and the gas didn't go bad.

ETA: Any bike immediately drops in blue book as soon as you sign the papers, even current models, so you can't go completely by blue book values.

Shit, blue book doesn't mean a damn thing on the west coast. You wouldn't believe some of the prices you see on this side.