The great "Harleys aren't worth that much anymore" observation

[R3Tex]

Why is resale value such a commonly held belief? I don't buy things to resell...don't have that kind of extra cash lying around

 

[JoseyR3Wales]

By now or at least by tomorrow I thought I would have been riding my new Touring...sadly it isn't to be at this time.

Sell all the shirts you bought and H-D bling. That ought to be worth something on fleabay.

Before the 1st of October a "wholesaler" in south Florida was offering me $16,000 for my trade in. The $11,000 in accessories weren't worth anything (figured I might get a penny on the dollar....nope....not even that) so my $34,000 plus Harley was found to be not quite the "holds its value" type of bike they have been sold as all these years...unfortunately...I learned it the hard way.

At the $16,000 trade in price I was ready to go (wasn't too happy about it but I wanted to get back on a Triumph so I made "allowances" and swallowed a lot of pride).

Apparently after October 1st the 2014 Harleys were "rolling" so the price dropped to $15,000...this started to put me in a bind as I had enough money the way the "deal" was originally structured...now I was $1,000 short. We tried to get the local HD dealer in Pensacola but they were only grudgingly putting up only $14,500....same excuse....the 2014's were rolling.

So now just about every HD dealership is preparing for a huge saturation of used HD's so that the "faithful" can trade in their overpriced bikes (and find out what they are really worth...I would almost hang out at the local dealership to see the look on their faces when they find out what their rides are really worth).

Harley is putting a lot of faith in this new Rushmore project (three models...one of which is a trike...that have water cooled heads) which basically is a new radio and new controls to run the radio and a new look for the old football shaped air filter cover...but this will be at the expense of a big "beat down" in trade in values as they are banking on a good number of the old riders trading in their bikes....thereby flooding the market. Which is where I find myself now caught up in a bike nowhere worth what it was a month ago because of the new bike roll out.

I am still going to get the new Touring but it may be a little longer to get more money together to do it and at least I have had it dramatically driven into my aging skull...don't ever buy a "black hole" of a motorcycle and expect to get much of a trade in value for it...to think I wasted $11,000 cash down on this pig with nothing to show for it.

I have learned my lesson....never again.

Dennis

 

[mexican]

Why is resale value such a commonly held belief? I don't buy things to resell...don't have that kind of extra cash lying around

Exactly, i buy my bikes to ride them,

 

[TRIIICK]

Why is resale value such a commonly held belief? I don't buy things to resell...don't have that kind of extra cash lying around

Inflation is killing us in the pocket book. Looking back to 2001 i paid $17K for my roadking brand new, they want $24K for the same bike today . Resale value and inflation would change my belief..

 

[steve59]

He might have been referring to our global economy and the fact that so many bikes share the same parts that are made from only 1 or 2 places? My tc88 used chevy small block lifters that came from a plant in mexico. I expect any company trying to compete would use 'off the shelf' parts whenever possible, don't mean the whole bike comes from where a few parts are made, and the R3 is assembled at Hinkley I believe.

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

The idea of Triumph being Japanese comes from the beginning of the current John Bloor incarnation. In the beginning JB sent his engineers to Kawasaki to study and learn for a year and a half. Then come home to England and design. That is why the triples are so good. BTW the Bonneville twins are made in Thailand.

 

[rocketjohn]

And I reckon the reason the Bonnies are made there is because they can sell so many more Bonnies than anything else, that it makes some kind of financial sense...like cheaper cost, bigger margin, and so on.

 

[cusso ken]

The idea of Triumph being Japanese comes from the beginning of the current John Bloor incarnation. In the beginning JB sent his engineers to Kawasaki to study and learn for a year and a half. Then come home to England and design. That is why the triples are so good. BTW the Bonneville twins are made in Thailand.

Maybe they should just let Kawasaki build the Rockets