How do I know the model year?
 

I went to a LBS and found a Dahon Mu SL for $1199. I asked the salesperson what model year it was and she claimed 2010. However, she didn't sound confident and had to look it up in her system. The tags/paperwork on the bike looked old and was "copyright 2008". The price for a 2010 model most places is $1499 so it seems like a good deal if its indeed a 2010. I can't find a model year anywhere on the bike.

I have no idea, but I can say this... ThorUSA.com offers a 2008 Mu SL for $850... so if it is an older model, you can find a better deal there. If it's a new model, that's a great price.

Well, I went to another bike shop--one that actually specializes in folding bikes. On the wall was another Dahon Mu SL which *seemed* to be the same as the one at the first bike shop I mentioned. The price on that one was $1049. I asked if that one was a 2009 and he replied that he actually didn't know the model year. He turned to the mechanic and asked her, and she said once they are out of the box they lose track. lol He said there was no difference between the 2009 and 2010 except maybe a slightly different paint job.

Take it out for a test ride. Find a secluded place and turn it over. Look at the BB. It'll have a serial # like D08SL1234567. I think the 2 #'s after D are the model year. then model, then the actual serial.

Go to the Dahon forums and do a search. They'll explain it much better there.

http://www.thorusa.com/dahon/current/musl.htm thats the current one for 1350 dlr
http://www.thorusa.com/dahon/2008/musl.htm thats the 08 one for 829 dlr

I do have the 08 in stock which were the same as the 09 ... both have the radius 3 headpost here are a few better pics http://www.thorusa.com/dahon/technic...bardetails.htm

the Current 010 version has the RAdius 5 handlepost look here
http://www.thorusa.com/dahon/recall.pdf

all 08/09 should have been fixed .. you can see that when you open up the handlbar there should be an R stamped in.

The main difference is indeed the price. Dahon wants to help their dealers to sell through the older ones with the fixed headstem. helping t get rid of inventory and than ship new ones ... ( for a higher price )
would I wait for the deals to dissapear ?
Heck no ... its a lot of money difference ....

just make sure you get a fixed one and not some bike you have to mail stuff back and forth later on ...

Thor

Thanks, this is very helpful! If there's no difference between 2008,2009,2010 models I'll just go with the cheapest if I decide to buy. I assumed the higher price meant some huge leap in performance components.

I believe the first number after the letter is the model year. So if it's D7XXXXXX it's a 2007. I've always bought my Dahons on price rather than model year, usually a discounted old stock 1 or 2 year old model. When I've sold them a couple of years later - as long as they've been looked after they've always fetched almost what I paid for them. Keep the docs and the touch-up paint.

The serial number is under the bottom bracket. You may have to turn the bike over to find it. My current bike is a 2008, bought in December 2009. I saved about 25% on price.

My understanding is that, for the past several years, the Dahon serial number has the year and month of production rather than the "model year". That is, D711XXXXXX was built in November 2007, but it might be a 2008 model bike.

Don't hide it, just flip the bike over in the shop and look. No reason to be secretive about it.

yes, my bad. Year of manufacture.

Dahon say: In our serial number, the first letter is always D, denoting Dahon. The second number is the year of manufacture. The next two numbers are the month of manufacture.
For example, a serial number D302....... would mean a bike produced in 2003, month of February (02). This is the current numbering system. that we use, however we have made a few changes over the years so older models may be slightly different.