Motocycle Trade

[DGS49]

I have a 1998 Goldwing SE with about 54k miles on it. It is a great bike in almost every way, but I'm tired of it, and want a cruiser. I figure it's worth about $5.5k.

The acute problem with me & the Goldwing is that I can't tolerate my legs being bent at greater than 90% for more than about half an hour, and the highway pegs are also uncomfortable. Not a big deal, but a deal nonetheless, which makes long rides a challenge.

In order to save on taxes (which I hate paying), I have acquired my last couple bikes by trade - no cash.

Whilst wandering around Craigslist the other day I found a 2011 Suzuki M50T that looked tasty. Actually, in my opinion this bike is fukking beauteous. I believe this is the bike that they used to call a "Volusia," and although it's only 805cc, it looks and handles like a bigger bike. They usually come with hard-leather bags, but this guy says that he never had them.

The basic bike is only worth about $4k but he has added GPS, Mustang seats, a stereo, riding lights, aftermarket horns, and some other stuff. The only complaint about this bike amongst the motorcycle cognoscenti is the rear drum brake, which is marginal. As far as performance, I have no doubt that it will go 75mph on the highway, two-up and that is sufficient for my purposes.

I am meeting him this afternoon to compare and ride bikes. If I sell my Goldwing outright, I'm sure I could get $5,500 for it, and I could probably buy a "nicer" bike (e.g., Honda VTX 1300 Interstate), but if this goes well I think I'm going to go ahead and do this trade.

 

[DGS49]

The Suzuki was perfect, but not for me. I need something more substantial, so that when I go over the occasional bump my passenger's fillings will not pop out. For one-up riding only, I would have snatched this bike. Power was more than adequate at all speeds.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Tried a Burgman 650 Exec?

 

[DGS49]

I rode one a few years ago, and couldn't help feeling that I was riding "on" the bike and not "in" the bike. On paper it looks like an ideal transport, so maybe it's worth another try.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Was it an Executive? The new 650 now has heated grips & seat standard, along with ECVT with power, economy, and manual modes, power windshield, power-folding mirrors, and ABS.

Any Burg offers many foot positions, from a near-standard (feet under knees) to a full extension.

 

[DGS49]

I would never buy any two-wheeler new. The used market is too favorable. The Burgman I rode was not an Executive, and although I appreciate all the extra stuff (and would add a sound system), I can't see where the riding experience would be that much difference from a base model. Same motor, tranny, suspension, etc.

 

[TNHarley]

you don't like Harleys?

 

[DGS49]

See other recent threads of mine. I have ridden Harley's with no problem (other than heat and vibration), and I can see the upside, but in exploring the downsides I am having a hard time justifying the premium price between a Harley and a metric cruiser of the same type and displacement.

If I buy a Kawasaki Nomad (or Roadstar Silverado), I know that I will have a trouble-free, low cost experience, and I can get that bike for $4,500. The comparable Harley - a Road King - would be a couple thousand more with the only real "advantage" being that it sounds better.

The other thing that scares me about H-D is that people LIE about their ownership experience; sometimes they don't even realize that they are lying, but they are. Their first response to the question is something like, "Oh yeah, it's been a great bike!" Then when they keep talking, they bring up a whole laundry list of expensive maintenance items, parts that have vibrated off or had to be replaced, and who knows what else? It seems that when you own a Harley you feel like it's perfectly OK to have to drop a grand a year into keeping it on the road - not to mention that they spend a couple thousand upgrading it from the time they buy it to the time when they sell it (new pipes, new seats, hyper-charger, highway bars, chrome doo-dads, etc.). Then they brag about what it's WORTH! Well, shyt, you spent $20 thousand on the bike and put another $5 thousand into it, and now it's worth $12k? That's $13 thousand in real depreciation in three or four years and you are PROUD of that?

 

[TNHarley]

See other recent threads of mine. I have ridden Harley's with no problem (other than heat and vibration), and I can see the upside, but in exploring the downsides I am having a hard time justifying the premium price between a Harley and a metric cruiser of the same type and displacement.

If I buy a Kawasaki Nomad (or Roadstar Silverado), I know that I will have a trouble-free, low cost experience, and I can get that bike for $4,500. The comparable Harley - a Road King - would be a couple thousand more with the only real "advantage" being that it sounds better.

The other thing that scares me about H-D is that people LIE about their ownership experience; sometimes they don't even realize that they are lying, but they are. Their first response to the question is something like, "Oh yeah, it's been a great bike!" Then when they keep talking, they bring up a whole laundry list of expensive maintenance items, parts that have vibrated off or had to be replaced, and who knows what else? It seems that when you own a Harley you feel like it's perfectly OK to have to drop a grand a year into keeping it on the road - not to mention that they spend a couple thousand upgrading it from the time they buy it to the time when they sell it (new pipes, new seats, hyper-charger, highway bars, chrome doo-dads, etc.). Then they brag about what it's WORTH! Well, shyt, you spent $20 thousand on the bike and put another $5 thousand into it, and now it's worth $12k? That's $13 thousand in real depreciation in three or four years and you are PROUD of that?

I cant agree with that. V-twins are the most dependable IMO. If you actually take care of it, those motors will last forever.
I have a 2000 model wideglide with around 16 or 17k miles. I haven't had to do anything to it except routine maintenance and replaced my back pegs, as they fell off.
Take care of it and check your nuts every once in a while and you are good. They are very much worth the price difference. Plus, HDs hold their value like crazy.
I ahev driven several types of bikes, cruiser and sport, and HDs are by far the best. In the cruiser class, a Yamaha warrior is #2 by a long shot. Those things are frikkin awesome.

 

[DGS49]

17 thousand miles is NOTHING for a Japanese bike. My Goldwing has 55k and it's just getting broken in. The Yamaha Venture has a 5-year UNLIMITED MILE factory warranty. Harley would go broke if they tried something like that. A V-2 is an obsolete design and cannot compare with a V4, inline 4, or opposed engines, all of which are smoother, more powerful and much more reliable. The actual HP figures for Harley engines are a joke. NONE of them but the V-Rod (designed by Porsche) makes 100hp, and most don't even come close. Any Japanese 650 sport bike will blow any Harley off the road.

In fact, the Japs simply stopped improving their cruiser engines many years ago when they realized that Harley lacked the balls to even compete, insisting on continuing to pump out their slow, noisy, hot, vibrating junk. Harley's idea of solving the vibration problem was to mount the engines with rubber spacers. Are you serious?

And I strongly dispute the claim that Harley's hold their value. By the time you add up the initial price premium with all the aftermarket garbage that H-D owners add on, then subtract what you ACTUALLY GET when you sell one, the depreciation - measured in dollars, not percentages - is about the same as with comparable Japanese bikes.

I may end up getting a Harley just for the hell of it, but from a quantitative standpoint, there is no reason to even consider anything but a V-rod.

 

[TNHarley]

17 thousand miles is NOTHING for a Japanese bike. My Goldwing has 55k and it's just getting broken in. The Yamaha Venture has a 5-year UNLIMITED MILE factory warranty. Harley would go broke if they tried something like that. A V-2 is an obsolete design and cannot compare with a V4, inline 4, or opposed engines, all of which are smoother, more powerful and much more reliable. The actual HP figures for Harley engines are a joke. NONE of them but the V-Rod (designed by Porsche) makes 100hp, and most don't even come close. Any Japanese 650 sport bike will blow any Harley off the road.

In fact, the Japs simply stopped improving their cruiser engines many years ago when they realized that Harley lacked the balls to even compete, insisting on continuing to pump out their slow, noisy, hot, vibrating junk. Harley's idea of solving the vibration problem was to mount the engines with rubber spacers. Are you serious?

And I strongly dispute the claim that Harley's hold their value. By the time you add up the initial price premium with all the aftermarket garbage that H-D owners add on, then subtract what you ACTUALLY GET when you sell one, the depreciation - measured in dollars, not percentages - is about the same as with comparable Japanese bikes.

I may end up getting a Harley just for the hell of it, but from a quantitative standpoint, there is no reason to even consider anything but a V-rod.

The motors are subjective. I have an 4 banger in y garage now. Good motors.
A Japanese 650 will blow most cruisers off the road. That's what thy are made for lol.
Your complaining about depreciation is the same with most motorized vehicles.
Custom junk is YOUR junk. I'm not going to pay over blue book value for a truck because it has a lift and HID headlights. Most people won't.
My Harley has been worth the same for 5 years.
My Yamaha yzf600r? Can't say the same for it.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Just about any bike is fine for 1000 miles a year. (Why even own it, then?) I expect to top 17,000 this year (have 13K now, bike is a 2012), my wife expects to hit 90,000 on her PC within 2 weeks. My uncle has 65K on his Triple...his father's Aspencade is over 150K. I know a dude that is fast closing on 200K on his Goldwing.