Used Motorcycle Value

So you are ready to buy a used motorbike? Great choice, a used bike can offer you definite value for money, provided you know what the motorcycle’s value is in the first place. You can get cheated out there – in general, most dealers who sell used bikes will overrate it with cheap sales talk (maybe not all 100% of them, ok). It is always a safer bet to get a used motorcycle from someone like you – a previous owner, directly without the involvement of a third party. You could look at local newspaper listings for used mobikes, maybe even online – but make sure you deal direct with the seller.

Putting a price to the bike


The used motorcycle industry is huge, what with more and more bikers wanting to get an old machine and building on it as per their personal taste. Whether you are looking to buy yourself an old motorcycle, or looking to sell your used one, putting a fair price tag to it can save you hours of unnecessary thinking, procrastinating and maybe bargaining. But you need to know that factors that influence used motorcycle values, and they include the year of production, the running condition of the vehicle and also the paperwork required. Insurance can be an issue when buying a bike that hasn’t been used in years, and remember, riding a bike on road without at least a third party insurance is against the law, wherever you live, and you can be heavily fined for it. The Kelly Blue Book has proved to be a useful tool in helping you determine the price of a used motorcycle, for over seventy five years now (they help put a price tag to used cars as well). Amateurs and professionals alike use this as a quick reference guide when making a motorcycle trade.

Some factors that affect the used motorcycle’s value

Once you have estimated the market price of a used motorcycle, you need to raise or lower it, in other words fine tune the price based on what you see in the machine in front of you. A ‘showroom condition’ machine could be valued higher of course. You would be looking to raise the price of the used motorcycle above the market value, if you were selling it, and vice versa if you were out to buy one. At the same time, let us be fair in understanding that a used motorcycle will always be a used one and you cannot get much over the motorcycle’s market value, unless it is customized or vintage.

The offers could come in lower than market value, if your bikes engine is reaching the ‘rebore’ stage (worst case scenario), or if the piston rings need replacement. Apart from that, rust on a machine is bad news for the seller – it takes time and money to tinker the metal. Tires and accessories really wouldn’t affect used motorcycle value a lot, unless they were in a totally condemned state! Typically, if the bike has been left in the garden shed for a couple of years you wouldn’t be able to get more than a few hundred dollars at best.


News on Used Motorcycle Value