Total Motorcycle Community Forums

ZooTech wrote:

BudmanTom wrote:One of my frustration with my V-max is the lack of accessories it looks like this bike might be the same...

Give 'em a few months. The C50t and C90t didn't come out until a few months after the C50 and C90, and I imagine Suzuki has a touring version of the M109R in the works.

Yeah a few moths won't hurt and I bet the price will come down a bit after they saturate the market.

I just checked Kelly blue book for the trade in value of my bike (2005 V-max) and it's under $6200 (ouch) not that I would trade it in, when the bike was new it cost $11,099 + $844tax+$140tags+ $500frt & prep + $600warranty=$13800+ that's depreciation at it's finest.

How does a bike lose 50% of it's value in 1 year?

Mine lost... 15% when I resold it.

Sevulturus wrote:How does a bike lose 50% of it's value in 1 year?

Mine lost... 15% when I resold it.

That's trade-in-value... I would sell it myself and I'm sure I would do better.

sapaul wrote:12/13K dollars, and you said my BMW went for 15k plus. There is no justice in the world. That bike looks like it should have a big price tag on it.

Yeah, but you're still enjoying a higher level of refinement and some pretty trick suspension, so don't sweat it!

Sevulturus wrote:How does a bike lose 50% of it's value in 1 year?

Trade-in is low in order to leave room for dealer markup, plus the bike has been around for ~20 years so it's relatively available.

Yeah, looking over my bike there was little surprise. Purchase price for me with 900 miles on the bike and one year late, was around $6900. My suggested retail now is around $5400, and the trade-in is around $3900. So the dealer would want me to except $3900 as a trade-in, but if I sell it myself I should expect more than $5000ish. I don't think owning a bike is a money making investment. Buy what you love, and don't expect everyone to love it like you.

scanevalexec wrote:Yeah, looking over my bike there was little surprise. Purchase price for me with 900 miles on the bike and one year late, was around $6900. My suggested retail now is around $5400, and the trade-in is around $3900. So the dealer would want me to except $3900 as a trade-in, but if I sell it myself I should expect more than $5000ish. I don't think owning a bike is a money making investment. Buy what you love, and don't expect everyone to love it like you.

That's a fact but it's still hard to swollow.

I'm in the same boat as you, mine had 1050 miles on it and I bought it the same model year so it won't be too bad.

You also have to factor in the recent popularity motorcycles have enjoyed. It's no secret that motorcycle sales have soared in recent years, and two manufacturers have even re-branded as a result (i.e. Boulevard and Star). With so many new models flooding the market, many of which are priced very competitively, it's no surprise at all that used bike values have fallen. The same thing happened when General Motors ran that "Employee Pricing" program last summer. New cars and trucks were available so cheap (my Colorado stickered for $23,500 and I bought it for $17,100) that trade-in values plummeted. Some of the guys over at ColoradoFans ran the numbers on their '04's and were shocked to see their relatively new trucks were practically worthless.

Moral of the story...buying for financial appreciation (or value retention) should be reserved for home purchases. Buy a car/truck/bike because it moves you or suits your needs.

"Moral of the story...buying for financial appreciation (or value retention) should be reserved for home purchases. Buy a car/truck/bike because it moves you or suits your needs."

Well said-buy a bike for the bike not for the amount it costs and then drive it like you can only have it for a year-you will get your moneys worth out of it.
Where else can you get that much fun/per hour for the $10-12 for the gas it cost to fill up with...haha

none of these rules of depreciation of course apply to Harley Davidson.

Its routine around here to see year or two old harleys selling for more than the current year MSRP.

jmillheiser wrote:none of these rules of depreciation of course apply to Harley Davidson.

Its routine around here to see year or two old harleys selling for more than the current year MSRP.

It's not going to be easy for me not to make any offensive Harley remarks.