What can I expect to pay for insurance? Iam a 21 yr old male.. Car insurance is already high considering my driving history...do motorcycle insurance companies look at that?
Accesories, ie: Helmets, tank bags, tires, pipes etc. Even then markup is 40% at best. In good times you can make a buck, in bad times you starve. It's not a business to get rich from. Too many assumptions here. Yes, new bikes depreciate horribly, but how bad does the dealer want to move that new bike. He doesn't own any of them. He pays flooring on them in as little as 90 days, depending on the terms when he ordered it. No guaranteee that used bike from the dealer is mechanically sound and you can't hold him to it if it isn't. Only experience and a good eye can get you a used bike in good condition. The good news is that most used motorcycles are in great shape, but you would not believe the idiotic things I have seen owners do unwittingly. I would also argue about the price of parts. For the most part the only parts on a sport bike that become prohibitively expensive are the fairing pieces. But your premise that a used bike from a dealer should last a couple of months without anything major like tires, valve job, or brakes I would agree with. All those things you should be able to check yourself anyway. Tires and brakes visually, and the valves tick when they go out of adjustment, usually. Mileage is an indicator too. You will still take a hit on trade in value on a used bike. Even if only after a couple of months. Seasonality comes into play in most areas. The dealer isn't too keen on taking in a bike of any kind going into winter. Ideally he wants to be flat, but that never happens. In any event I think you are better off money wise selling whatever you buy privately. Put it in Cycle Trader or on Ebay or even in the local paper. Some shops will let you post an ad on their bulletin board too. Hang onto it until spring. Peace.
Pay cash for the bike so that you own it and only put liability insurance on it. If you finance it you will very likely not be able to afford insurance. It can be more than the bike itself.
Is it true that the Japanese brands are more reliable than a Harley as far as breakdowns and maintenance goes ??? Someone told me that the Japanese brands don't need as much maintenance as a Harley, and that you are basically paying for the name with a Harley. I'd appreciate any opinions from those here with bike experience. Thanks a lot.
I've heard the same thing, over and over. So much so there almost has to be at least something to it. Even if the maintenance and reliability are comparable, as you pointed out the prices aren't. I own a 2004 Honda VT1100 C2. I liked the idea of a Harley when I was shopping around. But my practical side won out.
Someone I know took there 79 sportster to a big rally, heaps of japsters along as well. Nearly ten years ago, and anecdotally, harleys are much, much, much better than they used to be-still no match for jap cruisers. The bike clubs, mostly harleys, always had one or two(or three) pickups riding support, to pick up all the bits that fell off, and dead bikes. These days, theres no question you would be paying for the image, and name-no question. Thats not to say some of the jap bikes aren't asking similiar money now, its just that since the yuppie phenomenon, new harleys have little cred unless there completely pimped out. Oh, if theres anyone downunder looking for a 01 ZX900 ninja, immaculate, less than 20k on the clock, let me know..........
Thanks for the replies. I probably will end up with a Japanese brand. I've been looking around on ebay just to get an idea of price range with respect to brands and year. Anyone ever buy a bike on ebay ?? I tried to sell my car there and ended up with nothing but a deadbeat buyer and $128 in ebay fees. How old is "too" old if you're not interested in a "vintage" bike ??? I was surprised to see a LOT of old bikes on ebay, most older than 2000. How many miles can you usually get out of a bike on average ??? I just want something RELIABLE for fun and occasional commuting.
That's up to your due diligence, unfortunately. The plus side, is most people never ride, so there are great examples around from pre 2000, many are immaculate, -hence the crazy premium. The downside, is there are always idiots, who decide to cover up there latest spill with spack filla and cheap paint. The reality is, most modern single or double pot bikes up to 600cc are pretty bombproof, assuming good maintenance-above that it gets exponentially expensive to keep them on the road. Odd, that. Kilometres isnt a great measure, ive seen beemers with more than half a million miles on them , but, everything replaced judiciously, perfect, and enduro tourers with 80k on them, everything else replaced, but you know. Bombproof reliablility? Get a Klr , or Dr , 650, they're great. If you must have a road bike, hondas CB range , or yamahas virago's have a great rep, but expect to pay a lot more for well kept examples, up to scratch.
I know old thread, but didn't think needed to open a new one. I'm looking for another bike to add some fun back to a fairly boring life currently. At the moment I am looking at a used 2020 KTM 790 Adventure, and a new Honda Goldwing Tour DCT. The Honda would be more because the wife was always saying she wanted to ride with me. I don't think she will do all that much riding as she is constantly cold, even in the summer. Not to mention her Mom might come out of the grave and kill me if I put her daughter on a bike. Mom in law was a surgical nurse who saw too many motorcycle victims in surgery. The 790 would be similar to my last bike, a 2015 KTM 1290 Super Adventure, which I loved. Also could wait out KTM to come out with that model in the US later this year or next year. I think they, like all vehicle manufacturers have been hurt by lack of chips. What will be interesting is how long it takes me to pull the trigger, or if I will talk myself out of it.