Shopping for a dealer.

[knothead]

I'm in the process of dealer shopping. Finding a local dealer has proven useless, so I'm left with finding one online. Part of that proccess involves reading boards like this one to find out what what others have been through (i.e., how the various dealers are w/ warranty issues etc...), part of it is sending e-mails to the dealer's sales departments with questions that should be easy to answer. My list pretty simple, I ask if the bike I'm interested in is DOT certified (with the certification sticker bearing the bikes VIN stuck somewhere on the bike) , if the HS-7 form is avalible and what info is on the MSO (all these are needed to get an imported bike registered and tagged in Tennessee).
Am I asking enough/too much? How long should I wait on a reply before discounting that dealer and moving to the next one? Basically I'm trying to avoid getting a bike I can't title or getting a busted bike that the seller won't send me the parts to fix. I figure if they can't answer a couple of questions they probably won't be able to handle the paperwork I would need on a new bike.
What would be on YOUR checklist for an online dealer?

[culcune]

I would first call or email American Lifan. Their LF200GY-5 is DOT/EPA certified for 49 states. American Lifan has allowed some dealers to mail order, I am guessing if there is no local American Lifan dealer nearby. Try member MotoXtreme or his site if you do not have a physical dealer by you as he mail orders bikes with American Lifan's blessings.

Jetmoto is EPA/DOT certified as well. There are a few key dealers who mail order their bikes for decent prices, and if you contact them directly, they might/should cut you a similar deal.

Lately, there seem to have been problems with online/Ebay dealers who were once pretty reputable. I think that these bikes have caught on big time, and these dealers have not caught up to the demand from a customer service point of view. You might want to figure out how to get to a dealer, even if it means going the extra 200 miles.

I would start with American Lifan, however, as they seem to be establishing a good dealer network, and should have a physical dealer somewhere nearby you.

[jkomp316]

Im still going through hell with an internet order. I ended up buying from an American Lifan dealer that was 3hrs away. Its worth the drive, you can look eveything over, hear it run. Try to get a Lifan but dont pay over $1600.

[knothead]

Im still going through hell with an internet order. I ended up buying from an American Lifan dealer that was 3hrs away. Its worth the drive, you can look eveything over, hear it run. Try to get a Lifan but dont pay over $1600.

It looks like I'm going to do the same thing. I finally called Brian at MotoXtreme... all I need to do now is get the rest of the cash together and load up for the 2.5 hr ride into Virginia. The payoff for me will be getting a dealer prepped bike, warranty coverage and a bike that's actually an American Lifan . Best part is, his price is right in line with other online dealers.
I'm not trying to sound like an ad for MotoXtreme, but I have really looked hard to find a decent dealer and after talking to Brian over the phone I know I'll be buying my bike from him.