New Bikes: Worth It?

[zooom]

keep in mind, with value lost from driving a brand new vehicle off the lot, it is only a matter for if you don't intend to keep the machine long term...if you keep the machine for 3 years or more, then it balances out IMHO...because the smiles and ride time are priceless value that you get back from these machines...

[akmnstr]

I never purchase a new bike.  Cars, a couple of new ones.  For the cars, I'd say it was worth it to buy new.  I get the max miles out of cars and trucks and feel it is worth it to know how the thing is maintained and if all the recalls are responded to.  With bikes, I've always been able to get low mileage cupcakes.  There have been a few had maintenance or neglect issues that I had to fix myself.  I feel those issues just help me to become more familiar with the bike.  With used bikes I feel I can get away with no collision insurance.  If I wreck a bike my plan is to, take it home and fix it. 

[pitbull]

never new for me...........I'm cheap and can't stomach the immediate value loss once you take possession. But then I drive a 1989 ford f150, so I maybe be at the far end of the cheap bastard spectrum.

I do see the ABS arguement though and if I had the disposable income I'd probably a new MTS1200 with abs.

[mitt]

One part of the new VS used equation a lot of people forget to include is how long do you keep a bike or car, and what makes you trade it in (age, miles, boredom).  If it is age or miles, a new car may_be_cheaper than used, since you will keep it longer.


mitt

[Veloce-Fino]

If you have the money, what's an extra 2-3k to buy new and get the guaranteed dealer support and all the warm IZ_ awesomeness of owning something that is yours and only yours.

Well I didn't have the money so used it was. Ended up getting a <1yr old garage queen for ~$4,000 under the OTD price.

Which means I can spend ~$4,000 in mods and still break even right?!?!?!?! 

Regardless the smile/satisfaction/heart raping/badass value outweighs all depreciation and future loss on sale.

[zooom]

One part of the new VS used equation a lot of people forget to include is how long do you keep a bike or car, and what makes you trade it in (age, miles, boredom).  If it is age or miles, a new car may_be_cheaper than used, since you will keep it longer.


mitt

that is what I said above somewhat...which leads into the question of...

"how long do you keep a bike?"...I have had my track pregnant dog for 4 years now and the Gran Canyon for 3+ I think....I had my 01 Monster before that for 3 years before I had to give it up to the ex...the Kawasaki I had before that I had for 3 or so years....before that it was offroad bikes which are a totally different matter entirely IMHO...

[ducatiz]

My problem with buying used is that you have NO idea how it was treated or maintained unless you know the owner and his riding & maintenance habits.

I bought an Elefant years ago (for cheap) and when I got it home and changed the oil, the oil filter was a Ducati factory model that hadn't been sold in 10 years!!  You could tell from the logo on it, it was the old Bevel style logo that was still being used when the Pantahs were sold.

Likewise, you can't tell from looking how old the belts are, you have no idea how often they changed the oil or what brand they used, and so on.  Did they wheelie the bike every day, did they burn the clutch down to 20%..

Used bikes are a huge crapshoot.  If you know how to look for things, then you are better off, but if you don't, then buy a new bike with a warranty.  The extra cost you pay will be a warranty and less than all the maintenance and repairs you MIGHT be in for if you buy a used one.

A guy I know bought an M900 and it looked BEAUTIFUL, it looked like the owner loved the bike, new tires, clean brakes, clean frame, clean head nuts.. wait.. head nuts?  but it also seemed to run a bit anemically too..

I took a look at the heads, ran a leakdown test.. vertical head had no compression.. i stuck a fibre optic into the spark plug hole and looked at the piston.  i saw what i thought was a valve strike on the face. 

sure enough, he had broken a belt but the subsequent strike was very minor (luckily).  One valve head was bent ever so slightly. I don't know how that worked out.  Fortunately, he only needed to have the valves on the Vertical head redone, but it was a good bit of money of pocket.

[zooom]

My problem with buying used is that you have NO idea how it was treated or maintained unless you know the owner and his riding & maintenance habits.

Used bikes are a huge crapshoot.   

that is why buying used is pretty much always caveat emptor....

[sbrguy]

+1 exactly zoom.

buying used is not a bad thing, you just have to really really do your homework and usually you end up with a pretty good deal, hey a garage queen bike with 4k miles on it that is 6 years old and 1/2 the price is a good deal,but again you have to do your homework.

i know a lot of people here are saying they do their own work on bikes and that is a very good thing, afterall if you get a bike with problems some of the costs of repair as in dealer labor you would not spend.  but remember not all of us are as mechanically inclined as others nor do we have the tools or desire to do so. 

so again for people like that (myself included when it comes to repairs more difficult than simple maintenance) its sometimes best to get a new vehicle to have that warranty, sure it means we take the hit on depreciation but also it means that if something goes wrong in the first couple of years of riding that its not us wrenching it or taking on the cost of repair.

[Cloner]

...which leads into the question of..."how long do you keep a bike?"...

'67 Aermacchi/HD Sprint SS 250 .... purchased (sort of) in 1989 and now my roadracer.
'95 Ducati 900 SS/SP .... purchased in 1999, since ridden about 35k miles
'02 Ducati MH90e .... purchased in 2009, since ridden about 7k miles.

That list doesn't mention the Suzuki GSXR 750 (raced for four years), Yamaha V-Max (two years was enough), Honda Hawk (totalled after a mere two years....wish I still had her), Honda CBR900RR (this one only lasted about 6 months....one of those front end tucks on the 16" wheel was bound to catch up to me sooner or later!!), Suzuki GS650GL (first bike I ever spent money on...my brother stole it and blew it up after about a year), or any of the other hardware I've owned and abandoned over the years.

I guess the answer is, it depends on how much I like the bike!  I never thought I'd keep that old SS for over a decade.  However, it has become my "weapon of choice" for weekend slicing and dicing.  It runs well, it handles well, it's comfy, and it's not ass-ugly.  What else could one ask for?!? 

All of these bikes except for the V-Max were bought used.  I wish I had bought the V-Max used.     I wish I had bought the SS new!     Other than those two errors, I like my record in bike purchases.

BTW....did Bacon Junkie mention that he bought a 999?  Well, he did!!

[The Bacon Junkie]

BTW....did Bacon Junkie mention that he bought a 999?  Well, he did!!

 

awesome

 

Cloner, your SS/SP is gorgeous!   




 

[Cloner]

Cloner, your SS/SP is gorgeous!   

It was at one time....like this....


It has changed several times since this pic was taken shortly after its acquisition.  Now it has a red frame, flat slides, termignoni spaghetti exhause, some body damage, 30k more miles, an oil leak, and a fatter rider.   

Looking at that photo makes me nostalgic....I loved those frikkin' boots.  They're honest-to-Dog leather Sidi boots without all of the modern armor that makes boots safer to wear.  The soles just wouldn't stay together forever.   :'(

[Goat_Herder]

Hopefully this doesn't turn into the "should I finance bike/toy" thread.  in the end, it's about what makes more sense to you.  The more expensive option of buying new would give you the piece of mind that you get exactly what you expect, without worrying about what the previous owner(s) had done with it. 

[VeryMetal]

I like used vehicles. You save a lot of money and have the opportunity to pick up some nice mods without breaking the bank. You're also taking something that someone else can't keep or doesn't want any more and giving it a new lease of life. I'm pretty confident that if something has been abused, provided you know what you're looking at (and for) it will show and you can make an informed decision based on what you DO know and any service records that might be present. It always surprises me how lackadaisical people are about that stuff, but hey, it's a machine, you can always replace parts and bring it back to awesome condition. Then again, it depends entirely on how much money you have, if it's no skin off your nose why not just buy brand spanking new, who cares? Just my 2 pennies.

[TAftonomos]

I want a M1200S.  I'm capable, but not ready to drop 20K + on a bike.  I'm very hopeful I can find one in the next year in the 15K range.   I can deal with a one or 2 year old bike and save nearly 7K between tax and purchase price...no problem.