State of the Market: stock, modified and radical

[Norm]

Once I get my TV show, I'll be too good to hang around here anymore!!
I met a guy in Maryland who has 2 OCC bikes, one was $80,000 and the other $130,000. They were both nice bikes, but nothing really special except the paint (and motor on the 130K one). He doesn' ride them, he tows them to m/c rallys & then enters them in shows so he can "win" trophys for bikes he didn't design or make. If I ever make a bike that is designed to be "show only" please shoot me!! !!

[OddBall]

Will do. Here, wear this old Rodney Dangerfield sweatshirt with a bullseye on the back. Everyone needs some target practice.

[MotoCreations]

Appears there is no bottom value on what some of the TOB/ex-Monster of the Month feature bikes are worth:

Frame, bodywork and other parts for $1000/obo

[Fritzkrieg]

The 750 Dark in its hayday w/ 34k miles on the clock...

Is that a 2 into 1 exhaust? If so, that is exactly the same exhaust that I have, which I've been trying to track down. . . the can is the same, though mine doesn't have the Arrow sticker, and the header I can see is the same as well. . .

[RavnMonster]

Great points, I am actually impressed with myself for being a noob and knowing what most of that stuff was.

Coming from the modified car scene you will never get your money back from modifications you do to anything. I have been into classic Mopar muscle cars for some time now. An original 70 cuda will bring a ton more money than a modified one. Same can be said for slightly newer cars. Take for example an 87 Buick Grand National, for those who dont know, its a car that has a real big fan following and intrest group. You can sell one that is all original way better than one that is modified and running 11 sec 1/4mile times. I think it is because people see an original bike as un-abused. The S4R I bought a few weeks ago is almost bone stock. I know that no one has been messing with it. A little piece of mine.   Just my 2 cents.

[Cider]

I was thinking the same thing about cars myself--I've seen countless ads that say something like "pristine custom hot rod, $40k invested, sacrifice for $20k."  I also read an article recently about a guy who bought a perfect ZR1 as an investment.  Eleven or so years later and he ended up losing money on the deal.  Vehicles are just a bad investment.

BTW, not long ago I saw a 999r with BST rims, engine work, etc. from Leslie at BCM for $18k. 

[DoubleEagle]

I'm of the opinon that people want their bike to be THEIR bike. Start from stock and mod as you get to know your bike and how you want it to be. Some mods for the performance aspect are best appreciated when you experience the stock form , then add some power mod and you notice that difference and it grows w/ you as you grow w/ your bike . Then you may add some more power mod and bam ...it really knocks your socks off and now it's like your bike is growing into a more athletic beast. The pretty bits are added to give your bike a more attractive appearance and that makes you feel better about you and your bike .

Sure you think that your bike should be worth all the love and adoration you have lavished upon it and it's an insult to think that the $ value hasn't kept pace w/ everything else.

I have a brand new S4Rs that I bought 2 weeks after the 1st one that I bought because I loved mine so much I wanted to make sure if anything happened to #1 I'd have a brand new one to take it's place. I've modded #1 and run it like I stole it and for all it's been through it still looks almost new.

I may have had it in the back of my mind that if push came to shove that I could sell #2 and get a good $ for it but that remains to be seen ...I hope it never comes to that.

I learned along time ago w/ sports cars that ordering the fancy wheels and sport packages and luxury groups, etc. never retuned but maybe 20% of the original cost when I sold the car versus a fairly standard equipped model. Even the Chromed out Harleys I used to ride w/ the $thousands  of extras  when I sold them they wouldn't bring much more than the stock ones.

So in summation , mod for yourself and enjoy it for the time it is yours ....but don't be bummed when others are not thrilled and pony up the BIG $$$ for your friend.