Some Harley owners still delusional about their bikes' value

[Playinthestreet]

Every guy in the world thinks a Hawk GT is worth $3500.  I think they're great bikes but $24-$2800 is the real world.  That 66 XLH on the site I linked to started at $10k 15 months ago.  

[black hills]

Every guy in the world thinks a Hawk GT is worth $3500.  I think they're great bikes but $24-$2800 is the real world.  That 66 XLH on the site I linked to started at $10k 15 months ago.  

Yea.. I'm gonna wait and see if it sells. If not I'll offer him less and see what happens. I think it would be perfect for the wife.

[4krysia]

Some Harley owners are delusional about their bike's value because they're upside down in their loan; they're not aware that new bike supply has caught up with demand; or they think the bling they added contributes to high resale value.  

the credit markets collapse (e.g. home equity lines of credit shrunken by da bank) is changing MANY Americans' discretionary spending.  Manufacturers / retailers selling things people 'want' rather than 'need' are in for an ugly year or two (Starbucks, Bennigans, Linens and things, etc. etc.).

heavy discounting of new toys WILL eventually squash down prices of used toys of every brand, its Economics 101.

[Bikenut]

I'm seeing 06 Dynas where the owners are asking $16K with basically no mods apart from pipe, couple o aftermarket trinkets. And this is  not the exception but the majority.  KBB lists them retail (as from a dealer not private party) at $11k.  These guys are asking more for their 06 bikes than 09s off the dealership floor.  Which there are lots and lots of....

Not only owners but dealers as well. I've seen 7 yr old Road Kings wearing a few trinkets with 50-60K on them and dealers asking $13K.

Look, people can ask whatever they want. The nutjobs paying it, they're the ones with the issues. Yes, most sellers are delusional, but if I can get an extra $3-4k by keeping it for sale a little longer, knowing that one of the faithful will sell him mom's ashes to a coke dealer in Fresno just to get the exact mix of stuff I've got on mine because he's a fucked-out ADD bike freak and needs what he needs... I'm cool with that.



.... see, this is why I'm not shopping bikes until it's actually time to replace them. I'll go nuts. Again.  

   Guilty, well, of being a nutjob bike freak with issues that knows what he needs anyway. I get new bike itch every couple years and sometimes it passes and other times I just hafta scratch it. This time it was a cruiser/tourer. It's always a _____/tourer. At first appearance I paid more than I should have for the Road King BUT, 1st, I paid cash, and 2nd, it was exactly the vision I had in my head. I mean exactly, right down to the custom paint. Saved me a metric ton of work and time. Now I could have waited and picked up a similar year/miles/condition bike for a better price but there's no way I could duplicate it for the same $$. I was actually looking at a NEW '07 Yamaha Stratoliner S for $11.2K. That's $5500 off list. But even at that I couldn't farkle/paint/mod it comparable to the HD. I actually made 2 lists with prices and cross referenced them. The HD ended up on top by having things that just could not be reasonably obtained on the Strat. A larger tank, 6 speed, factory tour pack, and paint with the 50's look (couldn't find wide whitewalls for the Strat), not to mention the support network and parts availability to go with it. Everything else could be duplicated but the $$ figure was very large.

    There's a saying about "an ass for every seat."... sarcasm optional. But if you figure in the mods you'll put on and they're the mods you want, it adds up. Otherwise, forget it.
    I have 2 friends that bought HD's recently. One was on a trip we took, I stopped in a shop for new grips (full chrome grips suck even worse than it sounds, I bought used remember) and he left with a new '08 Ultra, talk about impulse After haggling price down to $6k + his nicely apportioned Street Glide he then drops another $3K on "personalizing it". The other friend was all proud he got a bike for $12K, then immediately spent another $5K on it making it pretty much exactly what he could've bought new off the floor. The good deal seems to evaporate pretty quickly IMHO.
 
   I talked to a guy at a demo day last week who has a '03 anniversary Electra Glide with 26 miles on it. Cant sell it. Thinks it's a "collectable". Maybe if it still has 26 miles 20 years from now. These are the delusional ones.
   Another friend has a nice Ducati 900 monster sitting in his spare bedroom. Got it for $2k off as a late season leftover. Then lost his license in the spring, don't ask. He thinks it's still worth what he paid because it only has 700 miles on it. Duh. its 7 yrs old.


As for shopping bikes, I never stop. Doesn't hurt to look....usually.

[Baz]

You guys should see what went on up here.

Of course everyone wanted a collector edition 2003, 100th anniversary HD. The problem was that the Canadian dollar was at a all time low against the US greenback so there was a huge currency exchange markup attached to the already very rare 2003 collector edition.

I have a client who put in his order on an Ultra Classic and ended up settling for a 2002 model as the Dealer jerked him around on delivery on the 2003 he ordered. Anyway, he told me a while ago that he could buy an identical 2008 Ultra Classic for $12,000.00 less than he paid for his.   (If I can recall, he slapped down over $30,000.00 for his bike at the time, but I am not positive)

He was thinking of purchasing a new bike as he is very close to retiring, but he tells me he can't afford to trade his in.

I can tell you that locally, there are many HD riders who still feel that their bike is worth more than they paid new for it. For some reason the classifieds are full of H.D.'s.

Lots of the (ahem) "rare" 100th anniversary specials for sale.

[chornbe]

   Guilty, well, of being a nutjob bike freak with issues that knows what he needs anyway.

Ditto that, my man. ditto that. (Un)Fortunately I buy myself something new every 12-18 months. I gotta stop!

[Geoff]

 From what I've seen perusing the local bike classifieds pretty much all brands are overvalued.

 The HDs have been dropping lately though.

I call this market correction.

[Lon]

Ditto that, my man. ditto that. (Un)Fortunately I buy myself something new every 12-18 months. I gotta stop!

I think it's a disease.  I have the same problem.

[Bikenut]

It is, and sorry to say it is incurable. However it is treatable with the application of a new motorcycle at approximately 2 year intervals. Which themselves can be extended by large periodic influx of modifications, supplemented by accessories and farkles for the greatest effect.

 

[weaselope]

another bubble economy...the harley bubble...we need to take this serious folks.  If that bubble bursts, tons of bike hauling trailers, ford harley pick up trucks, bad tatoos and stuffed bears will go unsold.  People may even start dressing preppy again.  The effects could be widespread.

and I actually like harleys...

[Baz]

You mean my ex brother in law will not show up anymore wearing a scull cap & flip flops in -30 degree weather?

Of course him dressing as a yuppie may make for some pretty cruel jokes also.

[Geoff]

another bubble economy...the harley bubble...we need to take this serious folks.  If that bubble bursts, tons of bike hauling trailers, ford harley pick up trucks, bad tatoos and stuffed bears will go unsold.  People may even start dressing preppy again.  The effects could be widespread.

and I actually like harleys...

Good point. I never thought about all those Sturgis Specials (trailers) coming on the market.