Are Used Bikes Worth It?

[MCN]

New Bike looks (New Model/Version).
Never thrashed.
Envy of all your mates.

But.

A good used bike is just as much value if it didnt cost too much, runs perfectly, looks good and fits its purpose.

So there is no absolute right or wrong, IMHO.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[om15]

I bought a used bike last year, it had been stored for some years was on an X plate.
However, it had a genuine 2,300 miles on the clock, had been serviced and MOT'd every year, no corrosion and it ran perfectly. Carb clean, new tyres and I have a 22 year old bike that is only just run in, great value.

Second hand is great if you shop around and take your time.

My first new bike was in 2016, (I have been riding since 1971) it was a Triumph Street Twin and I was very disappointed, sold it at a loss, bought a Tracer 700 which I then traded in for an Interceptor, the combined loss on those three bikes was more than I had spent on any bike owned previously. From now on, second hand only for me.
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Alcohol doesn't solve problems, but neither does milk

[Zen Dog]

I think I've sold all my (used) bikes for what I paid for them, more or less, and the ones I've got now would be worth what I paid, with the exception of the VFR750 which is a ruin, but I've had my money's worth and then some.

Obviously there's been all the various running costs, but in terms of the actual value of the bikes, I'm at net zero pretty much.
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Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[DJP]

I've got to say that if I'm comparing used bikes minus cost of repairs vs new bikes minus cost of depreciation then for me it's pretty much been a wash.

The only reason that I'm riding a used bike at the moment is that there just isn't anything in the new market right now that really appeals to me.
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Suzuki Bandit 1250
https://deejayp999.atwebpages.com/index.html
That's http not https

[slowasyoulike]

Like the OP I keep records, and since I resumed riding in (about) 1996 after a self-imposed hiatus, I have comfortably broken even on my motorcycling habit. Never been near a new bike or a dealer in my life, and I've seen nothing to make me change that, so I would say yes, used bikes* are very definitely worth it.

*especially ones that are a tiny bit crashed or won't go after a long period in stasis.

[Blah blah]

I think my problem is that there aren't any new bikes that interest me enough to change the 2 old ones I have (and that I couldn't afford to buy when they were new).

An Enfield Himalayan or a Goldwing might be fun for an hour or 2 and I fancy a go on a H2 just to see what all the fuss is about but I wouldn't buy any off them. Other than those 3, I can't think of any new bike that I would be interested in having a go on, let alone buy.

So yes, 2nd hand bikes are worth it to me because they enable me to ride what I want to ride.

[Robby]

In theory, it would be cheaper for me to have second hand bikes. Buy them at around 5 years old, keep for 2 or 3 years. New enough to probably be reliable and have parts available, but old enough for depreciation to have happened.

In reality, all of my old bikes have been quite cheap and quite old. I then spend more than the value of the bike getting them up to showroom standard over about a year, then sell them for less than I paid.

So for me, having a brand new bike worked out a lot cheaper. It just needs servicing and the occasional modification, like luggage, heated grips, exhaust. I do appreciate the reliability too.

[kawakid]

I've got 2 bikes, an ER6 ~ 2007 and a Z750S ~ 2005 , both bought from new.

My car was practically new in 2015 with 3K miles on it.

I tend to only ever replace cars/bikes when its not feasible to keep them running any longer.

Take my ER6, its a commute, goes out in all weathers, I'm not going to get anything much for it, but its super reliable and it has never let me down.

The Z only comes out when the weather is nice and probably only got 24K on it. (Toy). I'll keep it, until I bin it. It does everything I need.
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I've a twin and a 4.

[Tierbirdy]

Done with buying 2nd hand bikes, theyre always lemons with hidden gremlins that come out at the worst of times. Some fucker thinking theyre a genuis engineer has always fiddled with it, spliced stuff into the wiring loom then hacked it out, and bodged repairs with zipties and araldite.

Every single 2nd hand vehicle Ive ever bought, especially bikes, have caused some kind of hassle, but nothing beats the Bandit.
Bought a 2nd hand Bandit 1200S which I loved, rode fine for a few weeks, took it on a tour of France, beautiful, as soon as it came home to grey drizzly miserable UK I found out everytime it rained it ran on 3 cylinders until it eventually bogged down and died. Got caught out in a monsoon on the M25 and the bike died leaving me freezing, soaked, stranded and waiting 5 hours for the RAC to turn up (was raining so hard the speaker on my phone died mid call and they had to drive the whole M25 looking for me)

Was so angry with it I Sparta kicked it over once I got home, sold it the next day for scrap, and went out and test rode a brand new showroom MT09 and bought it the same day. Never looked back and never buying someone elses broken shit again.

[kgm]

[Tierbirdy]