Too late to get a motorcycle or scooter?

[gershon]

I stopped by my dealer yesterday just to look around. They sold 21 motorcycles on Saturday. This is NOT a big dealership. They only have about 50 bikes on the floor when it's full.

They don't have a single bike left 650 cc or below. And small scooters. Since they placed all their orders for the year during the winter, there is no capability for them to increase supply. Markdowns are gone. And the bikes coming in during the next few weeks are already taken. (This isn't included in the 21 sold on Saturday.)


I guess gas prices are having an effect.

[atlaw4u]

That's good and bad news.

[anagama]

I wouldn't worry about an empty showroom. I've got ten bucks says half those bikes sold are on Craigslist or Ebay in 2 years with about 800 miles on the odometer, another 25% with a few thousand miles. So many people buy a motorcycle only to find they aren't really riders and after a couple years, they decide to ditch the garage queen.

I just picked up a perfect 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 for $2200 with 4800 miles on it. I could probably have haggled harder, but they're $3500 new (plus dealer setup fee), so I feel OK with my purchase. Heck -- he paid at least $1300 to break in the bike for me. ;-)

[Maxx]

Look hard enough and you'll find quite a few late model used low cc bikes on the market, and those Ninja 250s are perfect for that. Just be careful, as bikes that small tend to be really iffy on the highway. I had a Suz 450 that was a little too light on the highway. I would definitely opt for something in the 500-750 range if you plan on highway riding.

[msirach]

A good friend is a Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha dealer and says the sales are good and service is even better. He sold out of scooters and the other models are moving well. The factory inventories are low because the dealers did not pre-order a large amount because of the good chance of a hit from the economy. Likewise, the companies saw light orders from the dealers and didn't produce a large amount.

Shop work is booming though and battery sales are through the roof. He is seeing a lot of 70's and 80's street bikes. People are dragging the old street bikes out of storage after 10 or 20 years.

[phoebeisis]

I've ridden MC since 1973. It is a big mistake to pay $3500 for a used , or new motorcycle to save money.In general a mid sized MC will get 40-50 mpg in city driving,and maybe a bit better on the highway.There are plenty of older Corollas/Prizms/Civics out there for maybe $5000 that will get 30+ mpg.

MCs are sooo dangerous now, especially for an inexperienced, or worse , new rider.With the advent of cell phones motorcycles became even more dangerous.If you are considering getting a midsized mc to save fuel- don't.

Scooters are a bit more dangerous than MCs because of the tiny wheels. They just don't handle debris strewn streets very well. The cheapo Chinese scooters are poor quality-they will break in a year or two.

Boy,I sure an negative this am.
Charlie

[Aether glider]

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/inju...e03/recent.htm

From the above link:

Half of the fatalities in single vehicle crashes relate to problems negotiating a curve prior to a crash;

Over 80 percent of motorcycle fatalities in single vehicle crashes occur off the roadway (a crash occurring on the shoulder, median, roadside, outside right-of-way, off roadway – location unknown, in a parking lane, separator and gore. A gore is an area of land where two roadways diverge or converge.);

Almost 60 percent of motorcyclist fatalities in single vehicle crashes occur at night;

Collisions with fixed objects are a significant factor in over half of motorcycle fatalities in single vehicle crashes.

[TRun10]

I respectfully but completely disagree with Charlie.

Gas mileage for my 54 mile rt commute was how I FINALLY justified to my wife and myself getting a bike at the ripe age of 41. I got a 2006 Vulcan 500 w/4K miles for $3100 and spent another $650 on MSF course, gear, and registration.

Two tanks down and I'm getting 57 mpg so far, about 3x better than my V-8 truck! (And 2x that of an average tiny cage.) I hope to get to 65 mpg as my riding/shifting gets smoother. I got to keep my truck (for hauling my wife's horse on occasion) and have a commute that is WAY less boring than before. And if I commute 4x/wk the saved gas (@$3.50/gal) will pay for the bike in 2 years.

So far I couldn't be happier with my decision.

[anagama]

Originally Posted by Maxx

Look hard enough and you'll find quite a few late model used low cc bikes on the market, and those Ninja 250s are perfect for that. Just be careful, as bikes that small tend to be really iffy on the highway. I had a Suz 450 that was a little too light on the highway. I would definitely opt for something in the 500-750 range if you plan on highway riding.

Completely agree. I bought the Ninja for my in town stop and go commute, plus the short stretch with a 50 mph speed limit I often do. I have no intention of taking that on the freeway. For that, I have 1978 BMW R80/7 -- but my car gets better mileage than it does in city driving. I've been thinking of replacing it with a newer Triumph Bonneville.

[anagama]

Originally Posted by phoebeisis

I've ridden MC since 1973. It is a big mistake to pay $3500 for a used , or new motorcycle to save money. ...

I've ridden MC since 1983 -- I bought the bike because 1) I love to ride and 2) I can use what I love to save money. The point I made earlier was that a large percentage of recent sales are to newbies, many of them will be looking at cost only, after getting wet a couple times -- they'll end up using the bike less and less, until finally about 2-4 years down the road, they'll decide its time to recoup the cost. There's always lots of great used bikes for sale if one has the patience to wait and a small amount of cash. The dealership's advantage is financing -- but I hate debt anyway.

Originally Posted by phoebeisis

MCs are sooo dangerous now, especially for an inexperienced, or worse , new rider.With the advent of cell phones motorcycles became even more dangerous.If you are considering getting a midsized mc to save fuel- don't.

I can't imagine using a cell phone while riding -- it would break the requisite concentration level (hyperfocus is what makes riding so enjoyable anyway) and just how would you be able to hear anything? As for danger, it is true that motorcycles are dangerous, but there is so much to love about riding. I'm experienced enough by now to never overestimate my abilities, or underestimate the inattention of car drivers. I do not feel invulnerable. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and keep riding.

Originally Posted by phoebeisis

Scooters are a bit more dangerous than MCs because of the tiny wheels. They just don't handle debris strewn streets very well. The cheapo Chinese scooters are poor quality-they will break in a year or two.

I test drove a few scooters -- my original plan was to get a scooter as supplement to my motorcycle. I have to climb this very steep and very long hill though, and even a 150 had trouble keeping me at 35 mph up the hill. The next price point was $3600 + setup etc. for a 200 cc Kymco. Honestly, the Kymcos seemed fairly well made, but when the cost is going to approach four grand, that just felt like way too much for a scooter. That's why I started scouring Craigslist for a 250 Ninja.

The Kymco felt pretty stable because it has 16" wheels which give you the gyroscope-like stability a motorcycle has, although the seating is really different from a motorcycle and I wondered how side-winds would affect it. I did try a scooter with regular size scooter tires and it terrified me -- it had no stability at all even on a clean, flat, smooth road. I took it around the block once, pried my fingers off the bars, unclenched my teeth, and promptly said -- "definitely not for me".

Anyway -- I'm still glad I got the Ninja. ;-)