So many used bikes with low miles

[jcrawford]

I just purchased a 2011 CBR 600RR and during the purchase I could not help but wonder why the dealer had so many bikes that were 2005+ that had such low miles. Generally the bikes had between 1-9k for miles.

I am just curious to get the truth from the community as to why they trade the bikes in so soon?

[caddydaddy]

Unemployment is very high!

[Chippertheripper]

eee con a me

[Doc]

They all want Busas!

[caddydaddy]

They all want Busas!

They'll never use all that power! Damn squids!

[Dannyf]

northeast winters.....

[I8A4RE]

[QUOTE=jcrawford;1080201]I just purchased a 2011 CBR 600RR and during the purchase I could not help but wonder why the dealer had so many bikes that were 2005+ that had such low miles. Generally the bikes had between 1-9k for miles.


With a 2011.......hopefully you wont be part of it.

[j4eric]

A lot of people think sport bikes are for them......until they ride it.....it ends up sitting in their garage....I know of a couple of friends like that......excellent deals out there on used bikes...just got to be patient and be ready when it comes on the market.

[Rossco]

I picked up my 03 Bandit earlier this year with under 10k miles on it. According to the mileage listed on the title, the owner put just over 500 miles on the bike within his 2 years of owning it.

[butcher bergs]

My take:

Motorcycling is not as glamorous in real life as it is on TV. People sometimes find that out the hard way since it actually takes some effort to learn how to ride. Add that to the current economy and the result is smokin' deals on machines with low miles.

[Talus]

My take:

Motorcycling is not as glamorous in real life as it is on TV. People sometimes find that out the hard way since it actually takes some effort to learn how to ride. Add that to the current economy and the result is smokin' deals on machines with low miles.

Agreed. Also the fact that people, myself included, never considered the cost of gear and upkeep. Often people just think about the cost of the bike and think they're all set to ride. Then there's the cost of a good helmet, jacket, boots, gloves, etc...and the whole thing gets rather expensive.

[Danz19899]

i cant even comprehend how people only ride bikes 1-2k miles a season.

my 09 is mid season #2 and is about to tick over 18k miles . . . fml lol

[Rossco]

my 09 is mid season #2 and is about to tick over 18k miles . . . fml lol

Looks like someone needs to update their sig.

[Danz19899]

Looks like someone needs to update their sig.

fixed lol

[jcrawford]

ok this is basically in-line with what the dealer was telling me, they said basically people buy the bikes and then realize they don't ride them that often or they have become unemployed etc. I was really weary buying a used bike even with so few miles because you never know why someone got rid of it and I would not want to inherit someone else's problems.

Just about to hit the 200 mile mark on my 2011 and NO I won't be like the others, this is not my first bike so I am familiar with how expensive they get and currently I am employed so all *should* be good (knock on wood).

I plan to store my bike this winter either at Cycles128 (70/mo) or at Breaklites in Peabody ($250 from Nov 1 - Apr 1). Breaklites would be cheaper but has anyone dealt with this company before?

I plan to have quite a bit of work done to the bike over the winter such as

Jardine RT-One Dual Outlet Exhaust
Sprocket swap for more power
Fender Eliminator and plate relocation
Integrated tail light above exhaust in tail (I will probably have to do this myself as it's not street legal)
Flush mount turn signals (again I will probably do this myself for street legal purposes)
Frame Sliders

Cycles128 seems to charge an arm and a leg for everything they do i mean they wanted $160 to put the Jardine Exhaust on the bike.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[nhbubba]

I don't think its the cost of equipment, but rather the fact that, as bergs says, it isn't as glamorous as they think. They buy for all the wrong reasons, don't end up using the bike, then just want to get rid of it.

And I've met way too many people that buy (expensive!) bikes without having ever ridden. I can't understand how someone would do this. At least take the MSF BRC before buying.

The type of bike comes into play here too. Common sport-bikes and metric cruisers are wicked common and so the market is flooded by them and so they are cheap and easy to find used. More exotic, less popular stuff (like V-Strom 650's) are a little different. Or at least they were last May and June!

[Kenn157]

Agreed. Also the fact that people, myself included, never considered the cost of gear and upkeep. Often people just think about the cost of the bike and think they're all set to ride. Then there's the cost of a good helmet, jacket, boots, gloves, etc...and the whole thing gets rather expensive.

indeed!
I swore I wouldnt do anything to the Thruxton... FAIL!

The Speed Trip, well thats different!

[DesmoTull]

Good, let them flood the market with used bikes. Makes it better for all of us!!!

[jcrawford]

i cant even comprehend how people only ride bikes 1-2k miles a season.

my 09 is mid season #2 and is about to tick over 18k miles . . . fml lol

I can't either! My first season (last year) I put in 5500 miles as I was taking all the seat time I could. I just bought my bike and figure I will bypass the break-in 600 mile mark in a week or so. Already pushing 200 miles.
I probably will not get as much seat time this season though as I have my kids all summer long. Last year I had them every other weekend so it puts a damper on my riding but in reality I would rather be with my kids anyway
and ride to/from work every day is enough for me with the traffic. It may only be 20 miles each way but in the early morning flying down 95 is nice

[Falko]

My first bike years ago didn't get ridden too much. I had no one to ride with and my commute was 2.5 miles, not worth gearing up for. I put about 2000 miles on it in a year and sold it. My commute has expanded to 40mile each way, have numerous people who I ride with. And I have to keep the miles racked up to justify two bikes, or wifey says one has to go.

[jcrawford]

I also have no one to ride with My friend who I was riding with all last season totaled his bike and has not been able to get a replacement yet. I don't want to just ride with any knucklehead

[mell0]

I think a part of it is people not knowing what they want (myself included). People see streetbikes and the image and all, so they buy them. Then when they put a few thousand miles on them they realize that they aren't the most comfortable machines out there and aren't suited for their style. As much fun as I have on my R6 and love it I still can't wait to upgrade to a motard, or something else.

[jcrawford]

I could see that happening, when I upgraded from my 2006 Katana to the 2008 CBR 600RR I noticed the positioning change was more uncomfortable however I am ok with the feeling

Another point I think could be made is the fact that you cannot test drive a bike and all bikes feel different, maybe someone bought a honda and found they did not like it and wanted to try a Ducati or Suzuki, etc.

I jumped for the Honda and while I am a small guy I have to sit on the tank leaving about 6" of space between me and the rear seat. I was thinking about having a custom seat made so that it would "fit" me better but I am not sure how that would work.

[ZX-12R]

i cant even comprehend how people only ride bikes 1-2k miles a season.

Life happens. In high school through early college years I would easily put 25+K a year on my bike. Later in college as workloads got larger, this dropped to under 20K. Once I graduated and found work it continued to drop. My first year with my 12R I put 12K and change on the odo but work continued to get busier and I got more responsibilities. Add getting married and starting a family coupled with having a job that requires me to travel often and I find that when I have free time I want to spend it with my family while continuing to put off the general upkeep chores around the house. Last year I traveled so much I didn't even put 1K on the bike. Fortunately this year I've all ready exceeded that number.

The lack of riding isn't due to lack of desire as I would love to be riding a lot more than I currently am. More important things have come up in life that need my free time more than the motorcycle does. Fortunately my wife understands that my motorcycles are my only real hobby and doesn't have a problem with me taking off for an entire day every now and then.

[Kat_man]

And commuting on a bike back and forth to work isn't as straightforward as it would seem; you've got to gear-up, you are not going to have that cup of coffee on the ride in, and you have a limited cargo capacity. I usually rack up about 5K miles/yr commuting but sacrifices have to be made to do it.