Money spent purchasing bikes - Am I atypical?

[chestand]

I bought my first new bike in 1977 - a Suzuki GS400X - Suzuki's budget version of the GS400. Drum front brake, no centerstand, no electric starter, no digital gear indicator. Cost - $995.00. Next new bike was a 1978 Honda CX500. Cost - $1850.00. Fast forward 30+ years and now I buy used. Bought a 1981 Yamaha XS850 in 2011. Cost - $1000.00. In 2012, I bought the bike I currently ride, a 1993 BMW K1100RS. Cost - $1700.00.
So, in 37 years of riding, I've spent a total of $5545.00. I feel like I've gotten quite a bargain and I look at prices of bikes today and wonder if I were an 18 year old just starting out now if I could afford it.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: chestand
I bought my first new bike in 1977 - a Suzuki GS400X - Suzuki's budget version of the GS400. Drum front brake, no centerstand, no electric starter, no digital gear indicator. Cost - $995.00. Next new bike was a 1978 Honda CX500. Cost - $1850.00. Fast forward 30+ years and now I buy used. Bought a 1981 Yamaha XS850 in 2011. Cost - $1000.00. In 2012, I bought the bike I currently ride, a 1993 BMW K1100RS. Cost - $1700.00.
So, in 37 years of riding, I've spent a total of $5545.00. I feel like I've gotten quite a bargain and I look at prices of bikes today and wonder if I were an 18 year old just starting out now if I could afford it.


Depends...you can still find bikes for under $3k. If you are 18 and can't make 3k forget it. Kids today save up for things they want just like when I was a kid.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Depends...you can still find bikes for under $3k.

Yup. I only learned how to ride in 2010. After finishing the MSF course, I bought an '06 Suzuki GZ250 for $2K to practice and gain confidence on. Later that year I traded up to an '08 Vulcan 500 - it was still less than $3K.

The GS is my first new bike. I certainly wouldn't have been able to afford it when I was 18. At 18, I just got my first car - it cost $1K and that was all I could afford at the time.

 

[mrsilv04]

I started out with a 1981 Honda motorcycle, that I paid $210 for. It was $210 instead of $200, because the classified ad in the newspaper cost the seller $10, and he thought that was a rip-off, so he asked $10 more for the bike. I still have it today.

I rode it for about 3000 miles, and then finally got legal and got my motorcycle endorsement. I then bought a budget touring bike for $3750, a 1990 Honda PC800. I rode it for 3 years and put around 40000 miles on it, then sold it for $3500 (yes, I only lost $250 on it).

I took that $3500, and then went big and bought a 2002 Goldwing that was less than a year old for $12500. I rode it 9 years and put over 80000 miles on it. I then sold it for $9500.

I turned around and "re-invested" that $9500 into a lightly used 2008 Goldwing with ABS and Navigation. It is my current ride. I could sell it today at no more than a $500 loss.

In 16 years of riding, which has collectively been around 140,000 miles, I've "lost" less than $4000 in depreciation.

I wish that I could say that I've lost less than $4000 in depreciation on the 4 wheeled vehicles that I've owned in the past 16 years.

 

[EdwardC]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
I started out with a 1981 Honda motorcycle, that I paid $210 for. It was $210 instead of $200, because the classified ad in the newspaper cost the seller $10, and he thought that was a rip-off, so he asked $10 more for the bike. I still have it today.

I rode it for about 3000 miles, and then finally got legal and got my motorcycle endorsement. I then bought a budget touring bike for $3750, a 1990 Honda PC800. I rode it for 3 years and put around 40000 miles on it, then sold it for $3500 (yes, I only lost $250 on it).

I took that $3500, and then went big and bought a 2002 Goldwing that was less than a year old for $12500. I rode it 9 years and put over 80000 miles on it. I then sold it for $9500.

I turned around and "re-invested" that $9500 into a lightly used 2008 Goldwing with ABS and Navigation. It is my current ride. I could sell it today at no more than a $500 loss.

In 16 years of riding, which has collectively been around 140,000 miles, I've "lost" less than $4000 in depreciation.

I wish that I could say that I've lost less than $4000 in depreciation on the 4 wheeled vehicles that I've owned in the past 16 years.



Agreed, that's kind of the beauty of a used motorcycle, they don't their value too much. There's the big loss of value when driving off the dealer lot, but then after that, it tapers off.

I bought my first bike that I still have, the GS500 for about 2k, and recently bought an old XS400 for $400. I'm only in about $2,400 in bikes. I can't imagine spending the amount most new bikes go for nowadays.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Agreed, that's kind of the beauty of a used motorcycle, they don't their value too much. There's the big loss of value when driving off the dealer lot, but then after that, it tapers off.


I refuse to buy new, be it a car, truck or motorcycle. Nor do I buy used motorcycles from a dealer. Used bikes from dealers are either overpriced, or they are the ones that sat uncovered outside in the weather for years.

I did buy the Honda PC800 from a dealer, but it was a consignment sale, and it was in better condition than 95% of the dealers' used inventory, and the dealer who consigned it had done all of the maintenance on it.

So many people buy a motorcycle, and then lose interest after a year, that assures that there will always be a supply of good used units.

I actually went to the Memphis area (900 miles round trip) to fetch the 2008, because I wanted a model with ABS... and they are more difficult to find, thanks to the stupidity of Honda. However, it will hold its value much better in the long run, as those who want an ABS model will hold out for one, and will pay more for it.

I'll admit that I'm not thrilled with the amount of money that I have tied up in this Goldwing, but I do ride a lot, and I take all of my vacations on it. As proven by the 2002 model that I had, they still hold their value well, even with high miles and timely maintenance (and a good spreadsheet to document it all).

 

[RatBikeRandy]

Good for you! I've broken even or made a little on most of my bikes over the past umpteen years. I've nearly doubled my money on some and I still buy and flip when the price is right.
I'd lose some on my current Harley but I've ridden it 10 years. I bought it at a fair price when it was only 3 years old and have enjoyed immensely so no worries.

 

[Spazdog]

I don't wanna' think about it.

Too much. I spent more on my bikes than on my cars for many years.

 

[02SE]

For the last 30 years or so, I've bought all of my bikes new, with one exception. I don't have any idea how much I've spent on bikes over the years. I do know I don't regret one cent of it.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Doog
Depends...you can still find bikes for under $3k.

Yup. I only learned how to ride in 2010. After finishing the MSF course, I bought an '06 Suzuki GZ250 for $2K to practice and gain confidence on.


I bought a gz250 used for $900 several years ago, I'm still riding it. I would like a bigger bike, but 65 mpg is hard give up for summer commuting. I use it all summer for work, runs to home depot for small items. I added large saw ammo boxes on each side and i can carry 2 gallons of milk or 10quarts of oil!

I do have an interest in a ninja 250 or the 300, but it can't carry anything compared to the gz.

 

[Robenstein]

I have bought a few used bikes cheap, and while they were low mileage they were not well cared for and there were nagging issues due to neglect. Good thing I knew how to work on them. But after that experience I make sure that if they are used, they are not old. My 1980 GS550 taught me that.

 

[leroyd92]

My first car was a 1982 1000cc harley sportster, 50mpg, spent $5 a week going to highschool...do the number over 4 years and the bike payed itself.

Upgraded to a custom 1800cc Harley and 30mpg, I spend $10 a week going to work.


My family taught me to run everything till it can't run anymore...

Still have the truck that brought me home from the hospital 22years ago =)

 

[Silk]

In the '70's I was riding bikes from the '50's, in the '80's I was riding bikes from the '60's, in the '90's I was riding bikes from the '70's, in the early 21st century I was riding bikes from the '80's and '90's. Both the bikes I now use are 1987 (R65 and TLR200) I have owned 3 new bikes in my life, all in the '70's, although one was 4 years old when I got it....and still have it. Really not into anything new...they need history before I can get into them.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Doog
Depends...you can still find bikes for under $3k.

Yup. I only learned how to ride in 2010. After finishing the MSF course, I bought an '06 Suzuki GZ250 for $2K to practice and gain confidence on.


I bought a gz250 used for $900 several years ago, I'm still riding it. I would like a bigger bike, but 65 mpg is hard give up for summer commuting.

Yeah, the mpg was great. I averaged about 75 mpg on it.

If you want to move up to something larger, yet with still good mpg, look at the newer Honda CTX700 or NC700X - they get 60-65 mpg easily, and you can install panniers on them to carry stuff, too.

These new 670cc Honda parallel twins are very nice - smooth and fuel efficient, and plenty of low end torque.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: leroyd92
My first car was a 1982 1000cc harley sportster, 50mpg, spent $5 a week going to highschool...do the number over 4 years and the bike payed itself.

Upgraded to a custom 1800cc Harley and 30mpg, I spend $10 a week going to work.


My family taught me to run everything till it can't run anymore...

Still have the truck that brought me home from the hospital 22years ago =)



My first "car" was a 1981 Honda CB125S. I was 15, it was all I could get a license for.
I do not know how many miles per gallon I could get. It got phenomenally good fuel economy. I could put a dollar in and make it to school and work all week (gas was about a buck a gallon) Had to be near 100mpg. Sadly, the lure of bigger/faster/better was too great and it was replaced by a Yamaha RD350.

I wish I had kept the CB125 though. It could off-road really well as long as it wasn't too muddy, got amazing fuel economy, required a racing tuck and a very level run to indicate 70mph (so I was never really in danger of a really bad ticket), chain adjustments were infrequent (engine was too weak to stretch a chain) and it simply would not break. Doesn't matter what oil you put in it, doesn't have a filter....got a can of API-SE Pennzoil 10W40? Then I have an oil change.

I'm kinda' surprised you could keep an Ironhead as a daily driver that long. I've known a few people that had them. Stator problems, it would vibrate fasteners loose, and they leaked as bad as my Limey bike BSA did. I think the '82 was marginally better in quality over earlier years of AMFs

 

[Panzerman]

I had more fun on the cheap motorcycles than I ever did on the costly ones. A lot of kids think they have to start out with the state of art bikes, truth be told, the old enduros were a lot of fun.

 

[chestermo]

In 1998 I bought my 1993 Kawi ZR 1100. It had 3500 miles on it and I paid $3250. It retailed new for $7000. Best $3250 I ever spent.

 

[chestand]

I work with a guy that rides a 2011 HD Fatboy. When I told him what I'd spent total on all my bikes through the years, he said that there are a lot of HD guys that easily spend that much on modifications after the sale - chrome, Stage kits, etc.

I question the wisdom of spending upwards of and sometimes much more that $20K for a bike and then dumping another $5K or so into it.

Different strokes I guess.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: chestand
I work with a guy that rides a 2011 HD Fatboy. When I told him what I'd spent total on all my bikes through the years, he said that there are a lot of HD guys that easily spend that much on modifications after the sale - chrome, Stage kits, etc.

I question the wisdom of spending upwards of and sometimes much more that $20K for a bike and then dumping another $5K or so into it.

Different strokes I guess.



I've got 6 grand in parts alone on the engine of my Harley. It adds up really fast once you add in tuning,exhaust and if you've gotta pay someone to do it 5 figures comes up in a hurry.