Harley Davidson Owners w/100,000 Miles on Bike

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I have seen several early Honda CB450 Black Bombers bring some really good money. A Kawasaki W1 will bring good money also.

Anything old for the most part is appreciating in value... I can remember just a decade ago the Brit bikes were still a dime a dozen and the prices on old Nortons and BSA's sure are climbing lately as are even the less desirable oil in frame Triumphs.
 
Originally Posted By: whip
Originally Posted By: xl2006
Originally Posted By: gman2304
I did an NADA comparison of a 10 year old Electraglide vs a 10 year old Goldwing a couple pages back. The Electraglides NADA used value was almost double the Goldwings. Might be different in Ohio...


How about the 69 FLH I bought in 1976 at the New Orleans police auction for 600 dollars and sold last year for 8500 cash. The older models sure have appreciated. Don't see no 40 year old yammies, kawis or Hondos bringing that kind of return. In fact I can't remember ever seeing an old japanese bike period.

There are plenty of old Japanese bikes going for high dollars. Clean Honda CBs and CBXs are very desirable. Look at the cafe scene to see some modified bikes selling very high.


Old parallel twin Japanese bikes have really increased in value the last 10 years. People like to turn them into bobbers, increasing the value of every non molested bike.

The old inline-4 Japanese bikes, not as much. For some reason they don't hold as much appeal to those who wish to cut up a clean vintage bike and weld on a hardtail and bolt on some mini apehangers.

My KZ550 was half the price of a comparable KZ440 even though there are more KZ440's out there.
 
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Originally Posted By: Robenstein

Resale is not an accurate indicator of the quality of the machine.

Agreed.



Originally Posted By: BigCahuna

Resale is the ultimate indicator.


No, resale value is an indicator of the desire of other people to own a particular model. If no body wants brand XYZ, then it's resale will be next to nothing. However, if brand XYZ is HIGHLY coveted, whether artificially inflated through hype or not then it's retail will be correspondingly high.

Neither retail nor resale are indicative of quality.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric


Originally Posted By: Robenstein

Resale is not an accurate indicator of the quality of the machine.

Agreed.



Originally Posted By: BigCahuna

Resale is the ultimate indicator.


No, resale value is an indicator of the desire of other people to own a particular model. If no body wants brand XYZ, then it's resale will be next to nothing. However, if brand XYZ is HIGHLY coveted, whether artificially inflated through hype or not then it's retail will be correspondingly high.

Neither retail nor resale are indicative of quality.
So you would knowingly buy a motorcycle knowing a) It will shrink in value more then others do? b)People pay for quality, they don't seen to want to pay for cheezy plastic over hyped bikes after a couple of years.C) If there's no quality in a Harley, why do they sell so many of them? Surely a percentage of their buyer would realize that and run to but a metric bike, wouldn't they?.D) owning a metric bike for a long time isn't a choice, it's a result of being stuck with a bike nobody wants to buy. There's a brand new '09 Yamaha road star on Craigs list in Texas still for sale from a dealer. How Can you explain that?.Too much quality? Too much technology? Too much value? Too much artificial inflation?.,,
 
When I buy a bike I care the least about resale. I ride/drive what I own into the dirt. I still have my first car. lol

Some people are not looking to trade all the time and if a bike has [censored] resale but its built well, that just means I get a great deal on a great machine secondhand.
 
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
So you would knowingly buy a motorcycle knowing a) It will shrink in value more then others do? b)People pay for quality, they don't seen to want to pay for cheezy plastic over hyped bikes after a couple of years.C) If there's no quality in a Harley, why do they sell so many of them? Surely a percentage of their buyer would realize that and run to but a metric bike, wouldn't they?.D) owning a metric bike for a long time isn't a choice, it's a result of being stuck with a bike nobody wants to buy. There's a brand new '09 Yamaha road star on Craigs list in Texas still for sale from a dealer. How Can you explain that?.Too much quality? Too much technology? Too much value? Too much artificial inflation?.,,


Having just ridden a Street Glide, Road King, and an Ultra Limited, as well as a used Vaquero while considering a touring bike, I can say I would rather drive a Honda Civic than ride a cruiser of any make. They are too hot, too slow, and too ill-handling for me to buy regardless of what anyone would pay for them used.

I always wondered about buying a cruiser when the time came I couldn't ride a motorcycle anymore, but I think now I would rather just give it up. If riding slow in a straight line is your thing, I guess a Harley wouldn't be any worse than any other cruiser.
 
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
So you would knowingly buy a motorcycle knowing a) It will shrink in value more then others do? b)People pay for quality, they don't seen to want to pay for cheezy plastic over hyped bikes after a couple of years.C) If there's no quality in a Harley, why do they sell so many of them? Surely a percentage of their buyer would realize that and run to but a metric bike, wouldn't they?.D) owning a metric bike for a long time isn't a choice, it's a result of being stuck with a bike nobody wants to buy. There's a brand new '09 Yamaha road star on Craigs list in Texas still for sale from a dealer. How Can you explain that?.Too much quality? Too much technology? Too much value? Too much artificial inflation?.,,


Having just ridden a Street Glide, Road King, and an Ultra Limited, as well as a used Vaquero while considering a touring bike, I can say I would rather drive a Honda Civic than ride a cruiser of any make. They are too hot, too slow, and too ill-handling for me to buy regardless of what anyone would pay for them used.

I always wondered about buying a cruiser when the time came I couldn't ride a motorcycle anymore, but I think now I would rather just give it up. If riding slow in a straight line is your thing, I guess a Harley wouldn't be any worse than any other cruiser.


If you can't ride anymore why are you looking 800lb touring bikes? Move down to a 250cc bike or a trike. My 80 year old friend is going from a Goldwing to a Can Am.
 
Originally Posted By: dr2152
Originally Posted By: SlipperyPete
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
So you would knowingly buy a motorcycle knowing a) It will shrink in value more then others do? b)People pay for quality, they don't seen to want to pay for cheezy plastic over hyped bikes after a couple of years.C) If there's no quality in a Harley, why do they sell so many of them? Surely a percentage of their buyer would realize that and run to but a metric bike, wouldn't they?.D) owning a metric bike for a long time isn't a choice, it's a result of being stuck with a bike nobody wants to buy. There's a brand new '09 Yamaha road star on Craigs list in Texas still for sale from a dealer. How Can you explain that?.Too much quality? Too much technology? Too much value? Too much artificial inflation?.,,


Having just ridden a Street Glide, Road King, and an Ultra Limited, as well as a used Vaquero while considering a touring bike, I can say I would rather drive a Honda Civic than ride a cruiser of any make. They are too hot, too slow, and too ill-handling for me to buy regardless of what anyone would pay for them used.

I always wondered about buying a cruiser when the time came I couldn't ride a motorcycle anymore, but I think now I would rather just give it up. If riding slow in a straight line is your thing, I guess a Harley wouldn't be any worse than any other cruiser.


If you can't ride anymore why are you looking 800lb touring bikes? Move down to a 250cc bike or a trike. My 80 year old friend is going from a Goldwing to a Can Am.


I have many years of riding ahead of me. I was thinking well down the road.
 
http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Kansas/blog-444404.html

Here's a sporty that blew at 126,000 miles.

62 year old here, love all things automotive. Owned all brands motorcycle finally bought used '12 Sportster. Wanted to own Harley at some point. For all the talk of vibration, the Sportster 883 is very mild at highway cruising speeds. The whole bike feels far less clunky and rough than I was led to believe by internet discussion such as this. Nice torquey bike that is fun to kick around on. Mine will never see 100K, too many short trips, too few trips. Enjoy what you ride, I'd probably enjoy it too.
 
Starting in 2004 the Sportsters got rubber mounted engines to cut down on vibes. SO the 2003 and down bikes had much more vibration than the 2004 and up models.
 
The Harley world is saturated with bikes. Unfortunately the Harley world is saturated with posers and weekend riders that don't have enough sense or smarts to work on it or maintain it. [censored] my cub cadet is more complicated than any Harley I ever worked on. That's one reason I like them so much. Simple machines that are easy to maintain and repair, and parts are everywhere.
 
I have a 2006 xl with a 1250 top end that I ride all over the country. Most reliable Harley-Davidson I have or have owned, ride decent even with 11 inch rear shocks,little vibration, great power and decent handling. I have an old ironhead that I wouldn't ride 100 miles. They are simple to fix if need be right on the side of the road..if need be.
 
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The old ironheads are hardcore bikes. The latter rigidmount with the early evo motor are a big step forward. The rubbermounts are a giant leap forward. Quality control at KC is great on these bikes.
 
For me it was a bucket list purchase. I like the style, wanted to experience the feel of a Harley. I had sort of bought into the standard line about unreliability. As a purchase requirement it didn't matter-for me its a low mile Sunday driver.

After ownership I look at it in a different light. I was pleased to see how easy it is to service. I've read accounts of high mileage on the Sportster engine. My engine at 11,000 is bone dry with no oil leaks. At this point I look at a nice bike that is eager to run the miles and an owner that is the weak link.
 
Originally Posted By: whip

There are plenty of old Japanese bikes going for high dollars.


True... just price one of these Japanese bikes...

Honda
1)1988 RC30
2)1990 Nr750
3)1994 RC45

Kawasaki 1994 ZX7R

Yamaha 1998 R7
 
Originally Posted By: rvt
For me it was a bucket list purchase. I like the style, wanted to experience the feel of a Harley. I had sort of bought into the standard line about unreliability. As a purchase requirement it didn't matter-for me its a low mile Sunday driver.

After ownership I look at it in a different light. I was pleased to see how easy it is to service. I've read accounts of high mileage on the Sportster engine. My engine at 11,000 is bone dry with no oil leaks. At this point I look at a nice bike that is eager to run the miles and an owner that is the weak link.


Even though it is a rubbermount there are some fasteners that will work loose. Keep an eye and torque wrench on all the engine mounting bolts and isolator bolts. Especially the front motor mount and the two 5/8 bolts on the front head. I put 85,000 on before I did the top end rebuild. It was fine then I just wanted a little more power. All I have ever done is normal maintenance and part replacement as required.
 
Originally Posted By: BusyLittleShop
Originally Posted By: whip

There are plenty of old Japanese bikes going for high dollars.


True... just price one of these Japanese bikes...

Honda
1)1988 RC30
2)1990 Nr750
3)1994 RC45

I had a Kawasaki widowmaker 750 triple and all she did for me was give me four broken ribs, fractured facial bones, broken collar bone and broken arm. I fell in love with an old heavy slow Harley soon thereafter.

Kawasaki 1994 ZX7R

Yamaha 1998 R7
 
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My 1975 Kawasaki 900 Z1 cost around $1,900 new...was as reliable as a hammer, would freakin fly and ate Honda 750 F models for breakfast. IIRC I sold it around 1980 for about $1,200. Probably worth 4 times that much now.
 
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: The_Eric


Originally Posted By: Robenstein

Resale is not an accurate indicator of the quality of the machine.

Agreed.



Originally Posted By: BigCahuna

Resale is the ultimate indicator.


No, resale value is an indicator of the desire of other people to own a particular model. If no body wants brand XYZ, then it's resale will be next to nothing. However, if brand XYZ is HIGHLY coveted, whether artificially inflated through hype or not then it's retail will be correspondingly high.

Neither retail nor resale are indicative of quality.
So you would knowingly buy a motorcycle knowing a) It will shrink in value more then others do? b)People pay for quality, they don't seen to want to pay for cheezy plastic over hyped bikes after a couple of years.C) If there's no quality in a Harley, why do they sell so many of them? Surely a percentage of their buyer would realize that and run to but a metric bike, wouldn't they?.D) owning a metric bike for a long time isn't a choice, it's a result of being stuck with a bike nobody wants to buy. There's a brand new '09 Yamaha road star on Craigs list in Texas still for sale from a dealer. How Can you explain that?.Too much quality? Too much technology? Too much value? Too much artificial inflation?.,,


I would knowingly buy a bike or car even if the resale was low. Why? Because I don't care! When I by something, I buy it because it's either something that I really want or is very practical. I don't buy as an investment, because when I'm done with it, nobody will want it anyway.

You're right, many people will pay for quality, but the retail price reflects the costs the manufacturer and dealer have in the product (can be raised by an abundance of quality parts/workmanship or even artificially inflated) and resale is driven by how how desired the item is on the used market.

Lastly, I think you should re-read my post, as nowhere did I mention a preference to one brand of bike or another. In fact, I specifically left names out, so as to better illustrate my point, but obviously it was lost.
 
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