Bike choice help, with a twist

JonT · Crazy Courier Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Karma :

Hey guys,

I sold my SV last September and I have been without a bike ever since. Recently (probably due to summer) I have been lusting for another bike but I have had one significant problem.

I have £3k in savings but I don't want to touch it as it is my 'rainy day' savings. More specifically money I might need in the event that I lost my job and it taking a few months to find another.

But then it hit me, the money isn't lost when I buy a bike its simply converted into an asset that I could translate back into cash if I really needed it.

So I want to spend £2-3k on a bike but I was wondering which bikes depreciate slower. I don't know much about it but I am under the impression that a bike depreciates more rapidly the newer it is and slows down as it gets older.

If I am right then I am thinking that getting an older yet higher spec bike will retain value better then a newer one. I am planning to put money into savings each month to compensate for the bike losing value and also get fully comp insurance so that I get the cash back if I bin it.

To recap

Do you think this plan make sense or is it just too risky?
Which bikes would you recommend in the range £2.5k-3.0 ( or cheaper!) that are known to depreciate slowly (I am open to lots of different types of bikes but I wouldn't want my mate on his SP1 to leave me too far behind :p).

neatbik · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Karma :

Harley Davidson - they hardly depreciate at all.
Whether you want one though is a different story... Laughing

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Lots of things could cause a bike to depreciate, just from using it to age.

Generally the best bet is to go for a cheaper bike, as they tend to lose value less. I'd be looking at under £2k, maybe a sports 600 for around £1500.

JonT · Crazy Courier Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Karma :

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

Some thoughts, not geographically limited:
ebay
ebay No bids yet.
ebay
ebay

TiN · Pocket Tin Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Karma :

Get something that's fairly mainstream and open (in terms of insurance, cost of running etc) to potential buyers in the future. Modern sports 600s can be had for between £1500-£2500, and you can probably resell close to that in a year-or-so time if you look after it...

I personally don't see a motorcycle as an investment though, as you'll be spending money on insurance, tax, servicing, fuel etc...so even if you pay £3k for a bike, and sell it for £3k in a years' time, you would've spent £1k+ in that time?
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TiN
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