[phoenix9]

Iceman, not the answer you are looking for but you can take resale values and throw them in the ocean right about now. What everyone thinks their bikes are worth and what they are going for on the open market have never been further apart.....and that is regardless of whether it is an H-D or Victory.

H-D always seemed to hold their values better than anything else but that is changing rapidly as their not replacing the older customers and the used bikes are flooding the market in this economy at deeper discounts than ever before. Victory used to get good resale value but that has also dropped significantly in the last 24 months as they came out with newer and more modern bikes, coupled with DEEP discounts and incentives that dropped the values of the bikes on the open market. People used to think Motorcycles were an investment....they were insanely wrong.

Bottom line, If you buy a bike today you need to try and estimate what the resale value will be in 4-5 years (if you are planning on trading in in that time), and the one thing we know is that what USED to be true 4-5 years ago is nowhere near being accurate today.....so how can we guess where the market will be in the future?

 

[phoenix9]

It seems that these days, the original purchaser of a new bike will take the big hit when it comes time to sell it. We already know that the addition of various accessories adds little value to the bike.

The buyer of the used bike will retain a higher percentage of the resale of the bike when it comes time to turn it over to the third owner.

Just my observation.

So, does that mean to only buy used bikes?

If you're looking mainly at resale value, the answer could be yes.

You hit the nail square on the head on that one Andy. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Motorcycles are just like cars, trucks, boats, ATVs.....etc. They are "Depreciating assets".

Show me a 2010 model car that doesn't plummet the second you drive it off the dealer's lot. Doesn't matter whether it is a Taurus, a C1500, a Corvette, a Mercedes......they all depreciate. The very best cars in holding their resale value will still depreciate 30% the moment you drive them off the lot and those same great vehicles will only hold 52-60% of their value after 3 years.

......and we're somehow AMAZED that bikes are beginning to do the exact same thing. Again, H-D was truly successful in making everyone a complete idiot from the late 80's on.

 

[phoenix9]

WOW!!!!!!! I really didn't anticipate this much responce to my very simple (or so I thought) question.

You should see what happens whenyou ask about the best oil to use.

I can help with that.
Oil - AMSOIL
Seat - Mustang
That noise - Yes. They all do that.
Glad I could help. Ha ha ha

Classic post!!
Now Rollin, have youREALLY logged enough seat time to form a good opinion??? After all, I don't think you made it to South America this year did you?
BTW, you need to update your map....no Hawaii, and Alaska doesn't change colors.
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