Total Motorcycle Community Forums

So I see a lot of bikes on Craigslist that are way above the MSRP.

The reasoning is generally that the person wants to get some of their money back for all the upgrades they put on it.


Now, as a buyer, do you think you should have to pay more for that persons Yoshimura exhaust that you might not have even wanted in the first place?

Or if they covered it in chrome and want to charge more because of it, do you think it's justified?


I see the same bikes listed again and again on CL and Cycletrader and they don't sell very quickly. I e-mail the person and offer them below the MSRP and ask why they are charging so much and it's always "Dude it's loaded with all these sweet upgrades!"


Just a moral dilemna I've been trying to work out in my head. Thought maybe a second opinion might help.

Those upgrades are only worth extra money if they are the upgrades that you would have put on the bike. Generally speaking, a lot of bike sellers think they should be getting full market value for the various pieces of crap that they bolted on to the bike. They'll only sell if they can find a buyer that actually believes the same thing. Not likely, but it could happen .

I wouldn't consider a used bike priced above the MSRP of a new one.

I agree that you should not be expected to pay for all the extras that someone decided to add to their bike but these bikes do sell above MSRP.
Put yourself in your shoes and you will understand.

So what kinda responses do you get when you send them these offers and ask them to expain why you should pay above MSRP.

The value of anything is what two people agree it should be. If the aftermarket equipment is something you wanted anyway, expect to pay for it. If not, offer the seller the price without the equipment, and explain why. If he/she's a highly motivated seller, they might see things your way. If not...... no deal. There is no "right" price for any used motorcycle.

I would never pay above MSRP for a used bike.

The exception to this, is if the bike is fully customized, like alot of choppers, or if the took a brand new stock bike and customized it.

You will not get any extra trade in value with any accessories you installed on your bike, I learned that lesson many times after trading in and owning 3 new bikes the past 5 years. You could sell it yourself and maybe fool some stupid person to give you extra money for it, but stupid people with money are hard to find. There are plenty of stupid people with no money, but a stupid one with money is rare. I know a guy thats selling a 96 Harley 883 with a custom naked lady airbrush tank paint job, and straight pipes and he's selling it for $17,000 SEVENTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!! I did ask him if he found someone stupid enough to buy it, he said not yet, he tells me he loves that bike and thats how much money it would take for him to part with it, yeaa righht

I wouldnt pay above a new price even with aftermarket parts on it unless it was the only one left.

I personally don't buy used, but if I were selling my bike today with all sorts of aftermarket gadgets I most certainly will attempt to sell the bike higher than if it did not have anything put on. For instance, I'm throwing a tach on my bike that is of good quality and I will certainly factor that in to a sale price (unless I yank it off and save it for my next bike).

If my sale price fails to sell I'll slowly come down, and that's really what it comes down to: What is the personality of the seller (hard headed or reasonable) and how willing is he or she to bring down the price after the bike is still sitting around with no pending sale. You can opt to let the seller sweat it out with no sale after your first try to negotiate and then come back and try again assuming you have patience for that.

The point is really what you value. If you don't value those aftermarket pipes, you shouldn't pay extra for them and you probably won't either. But someone else might value it and consequently find it reasonable to pay a little more because of it.

Only may more for a bike if a quality part has been installed and been installed professionally. First see if they have reciptes for the items in question, then see if they have reciptes for the instilation. Honestly. If it wasn't done professionally I don't want it. (By most standards)

if you modify any vehicle, you should do it fo you, not for resale.

i hae a stereo in my truck (before part of it was stolen) would have cost $1600 to replace, but would only sell (if i were to try to sell it) fo abotu $4-500 for all of it. because i paid 1600 becasue it was worth that to ME not because ithink when i get rid of the truck it will jack the value up. same with bikes. if you put an exaust on, or a tach, or anything. there are exceptions, some nice hard bags or soemthing that really is a feature, not just an personalized upgrade, but still only worth about 25% of purchase price. but things like exaust, frame sliders, chrome, or paint are not worth more money (and paint usually means the thing was wrecked hense is worth less from that as well)

just my oppinion