it is not worth buying a new bike anymore..

shawnski

Donating Member
Registered
with price of bikes going sky high and i am not just talking about busa, i am talking about all japanese bikes like zx14, liter bikes etc.. etc.. it is not worth buying new bikes.
this is the way i look at it.. i remember i paid full price for my 2000 hayabusa and it was 10500 then.. pretty much same bike as it is now and i understand the inflation and cost of labor and parts alot higher these days but just does not make sense to have prices around 14k -15k..
one thing was always advantage to buy japanese bikes vs. other manufactures was the value and more afordable but that is not the case anymore
after i bought my new 08 orange/black busa i decided to never buy a new one and buy
used bikes for almost half of price and enjoy the same bike with bunch of mods that you don't have to buy and add on.
i don't keep bikes too long maybe two years max, i just get tired of them and i want try something else and i just hate to lose so much money for depreciation..
i don't believe in financing bikes it is not my primary transportation and it is just for fun and don't see throw that much money away.
i sold my 08 busa after 2 years of riding with 16k miles and lost 6k.. this loss was with paying for all the mods and after market accessories.
i bought me an 07 zx14 after sold the 08 busa with bunch of mods and very clean for 6800 and sold it after a year and 7k more miles for 6600.00 .. and i enjoyed the same feel as it was new.
bought this 05 busa with bunch of mods and accessories for 6500 and probably will lose a few hundred before i sell it next year..
folks this is just my thoughts and not everyone agrees but like to know your thoughts....
 
All good points--especially if you want something new after a few years, and like a bike with mods. I bought my '05 new, and other than a cruiser, I can't think of another bike I'd want to own.
 
What really seems crazy is that when you itemize all of the parts on these bikes and what it costs to replace them, it far exceeds the cost of purchasing the bike new. My 2012 GSXR 1000 was totalled and the adjuster said that he stopped counting at $13K. This did not include frame, swing arm, motor, etc. Mostly cosmetic stuff.
 
I agree, I looked at a New Busa (wife wanted me to maybe buy a new one), but my 06 is just as good or better with the mods than a new one. The new busa just didn't impress me for another $5,000 plus added mods. I'll just stay with my 06 until something changes, since NOTHING is wrong with the bike and I've already done everything I want to it.


I was looking at a BMW, but with NO dealer anymore in Okla City, Wichita and I understand the Tulsa dealer is letting the dealership go, I would have to travel 300 miles for service:::: And for that, I THINK NOT :laugh:
 
i decided to never buy a new one and buy used bikes for almost half of price and enjoy the same bike with bunch of mods that you don't have to buy and add on.
like to know your thoughts....

EXACTLY what I have been doing for the past 20+ years of owning bikes :thumbsup:
 
The last price adjustments to the motorcycles was a result of the value of our dollars in relation to the yen. The manufacturers also shortened the margin for dealers at the same time, so it's not us reaping a windfall I can assure you. As long as this country spends more than it has coming in, it will only get worse. At our dealership, we sell more used bikes than new because they are such a good value.
 
The last price adjustments to the motorcycles was a result of the value of our dollars in relation to the yen. The manufacturers also shortened the margin for dealers at the same time, so it's not us reaping a windfall I can assure you. As long as this country spends more than it has coming in, it will only get worse. At our dealership, we sell more used bikes than new because they are such a good value.

yab.. i have visited many motorcycle dealerships that they did not believe on selling used bikes in the past and now they got bunch of used bikes for sale and they are selling bunch of them too..they have got leftover new 2011 busas and zx14s and literbike still sitting in showroom..
 
It's not the manufacturers raising the price, it has more to do with the value of the Dollar. The cost of a busa has gone up slightly every year. The buying power of the US Dollar has been reduced to the point it takes a lot more of them to match the Japanese Yen.

Your US Dollar has been trashed over the past four years inflating the price of a new busa out of reach for more and more of us. If we don't change the leadership in Washington I'm convinced the price of a new busa will teeder towards $20,000 by the end of the next four years of watching the US Dollar decline.

Think about the size of the check you'll be writing for a new busa just before you check the boxes for President, Senate and Congress on November 6th. Your choice at the voting booth will determine the economic direction of this country.
 
I bought my 09 for 10,500 plus tax and tag, so it's really not much more than your 2000 cost you 9 yrs earlier. Myself I will only buy new and start from scratch. My life is worth too much to trust others with it. Who knows what previous owner did or didn't do to it. ESP on a Busa when I twist the wrist I have to know all is good to go.
 
It's not the manufacturers raising the price, it has more to do with the value of the Dollar. The cost of a busa has gone up slightly every year. The buying power of the US Dollar has been reduced to the point it takes a lot more of them to match the Japanese Yen.

Your US Dollar has been trashed over the past four years inflating the price of a new busa out of reach for more and more of us. If we don't change the leadership in Washington I'm convinced the price of a new busa will teeder towards $20,000 by the end of the next four years of watching the US Dollar decline.

Think about the size of the check you'll be writing for a new busa just before you check the boxes for President, Senate and Congress on November 6th. Your choice at the voting booth will determine the economic direction of this country.

Sorry Tuf but I have to disagree with part of what you said.... you must look at the international status of the dollar over decades, not just "the last four years", for example, if you compare us to the British pound, the worst years for the dollar are clearly inside the 8 years of the George Bush presidency. All the charts of value and comparison can be googled and pondered, including the internal history of the value of our dollar. Doyle
 
i do agree with everything the op stated it all makes perfect sense..all the bikes i have bought were mostly new but i always tried to find left overs just to avoid paying full price...like i found my 09 busa brand new in 1/11 and saved a few grand and when i bought my 1k i took the L1 MODEL over the L2 and saved a few grand..but yes you could save alot more by buying something used and chances are that it will have most of the common mods done already saving a few grand to you..
 
Shawnski, I couldn't agree with you more! Out of the 72 motorcycles I've owned in the last 5 decades, I bet over 50 have been used. For example, 6 years ago I bought my red HayBus Busa, bone stock, 1200 miles on it, for $6800 cash (new ones at the time were +-$11k). With the $ I didn't spend on a "new" bike, I invested on improvements/aftermarket and never looked back. I really don't see ANY reason for ever replacing my year 2000 Busa. Sure, I may someday buy a bike with traction control but I don't loose any sleep owning 3 bikes without it right now. My red Busa is 12 freeking years old and on any given ride in the twisties TODAY, I usually am sparring at the front of the group, regardless of what the others are riding. That is a heck of a testament to an aftermarketed Hayabusa!
Good post. Doyle
 
I bought my 09 for 10,500 plus tax and tag, so it's really not much more than your 2000 cost you 9 yrs earlier. Myself I will only buy new and start from scratch. My life is worth too much to trust others with it. Who knows what previous owner did or didn't do to it. ESP on a Busa when I twist the wrist I have to know all is good to go.

What you say is sensible Saiid but just know that it's equally viable to find a little used previously owned bike and personally take down, inspect and redo all critical systems while doing aftermarket improvements. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Doyle

(the below pics represent just a few months after I initially bought HayBus, didn't take long to "get into it")

P1010335.JPG


P1010088.JPG


P1010087.JPG
 
A new bike can break just like a used one, why do you think they sell warranties? You trust your life to someone cause a human built it new or used. What says factory builder didn't get distracted and forget pivot axle tightening? One thing in life to remember, nothing will happen to you that's not meant to happen. Noone else in the world will get two things of yours, and that's your blessings, and date/time for you to leave here.

How do you know the tech didn't recheck the rear axle and it comes loose or was left loose from factory on ride home after new purchase? Nothing is guaranteed but death.


Learn to trust some things in life, it will make it that much better of a world for you to live in...


I bought my 09 for 10,500 plus tax and tag, so it's really not much more than your 2000 cost you 9 yrs earlier. Myself I will only buy new and start from scratch. My life is worth too much to trust others with it. Who knows what previous owner did or didn't do to it. ESP on a Busa when I twist the wrist I have to know all is good to go.
 
Daniel I'm not really as worried about the axle coming loose as I am the internals having been thrashed and coming apart on me at 160. A simple search of YouTube shows me 99% of the kind of people who own sport bikes. Stunters, beaters and thrashers. We here are a rare breed and I'm sorry to say the average person has no idea how to properly maintain a bike and neither does the dealer he took it to. Ill start with new.
 
Daniel I'm not really as worried about the axle coming loose as I am the internals having been thrashed and coming apart on me at 160. A simple search of YouTube shows me 99% of the kind of people who own sport bikes. Stunters, beaters and thrashers. We here are a rare breed and I'm sorry to say the average person has no idea how to properly maintain a bike and neither does the dealer he took it to. Ill start with new.

But I'm a stunter, beater and a thrasher...and I'm here:poke::laugh:
 
Listen Cotton Fields, the original post said 'this is just my opinion'. I expressed mine.
Now you wanna argue over it for 23 pages? :moon: you're a one percenter. But I still wouldn't buy your bike because you stood on the seat :laugh:
And besides to me it's a major part of the fun and experience. I like that new bike/car smell.
 
new bike prices are rising rapidly and used prices are dropping rapidly. its a no brainer to buy used.
 
Bought my 09 with 3000 miles for $6500. It still had that new bike smell :laugh: There is absolutly no reason to spend an extra $4k if you can fild a low mileage bike.
 
Back
Top