O/T bike prices rant

What the **** are these people thinkin www.sportster.org ? I was on there lookin for a cheap sporty, decent runner but cometically challenged for a parts bike for a future choppa project.

These people want EVERY CENT back for what they THINK it's worth, **** a new 883 goes for $7500, but these fools want that plus some(to cover the 3gs in chrome do dads they bought for it). I've p***ed over 2 grand iron heads that looked like they were BRAND ****IN NEW. Some of those folks know whats up the others think their 2002 883 matured in value when they rode them off the lot. These people just don't get that a sporty IS NOT, an investment, you CAN NOT get every penny back from it unless you bought it for way under MSRP. I mean if you blew 15gs for one and you turn it around and sell for 10-12 thats fine, but after putting milege on it and you want to break even on it?

Alot of people think that just because it's "dealership" maintained that mileage doesn't count! I went and looked at a pretty stock '93 1200 hugger and the dude wanted sticker price for it, I asked why because it had over 10k miles, he said be cause it was maintaied by a world renouned dealership and that was exactly what he had into it, what the ****. I'm just gonna cut the ***** up any way.

This is exactly why bike part prices are sky ****in high! I think myself fortunat enough to had a dad that was really into bikes and encoureged me to get into them aswell. He gave me a bike when I was about 10, a 1933 Indian Cheif(basket case), I have had so many different plans for it but I turned around and traded it back to him for his '83 FLH(my current project). Sorry for the rant just am gettin pissed of at this ****, and to think in 5 weeks I'll be a factory athourized H-D tech, what the **** have I gotten myself into.
-Jesse

 

What's the problem? Buy the iron head Sporty, it's a cooler bike! Make a better chopper, by a long shot!
And why ***** about yuppies spending too much on their bikes, when you could be on the receiving end that money, if you're a HD certified mechanic!!!!???????

 

I seen a commercial the other day from H-D,you can now buy new sporty's for $6495.00.

 

I aggree, it's sickening...and who would pay that for a used one, when you could buy a zero miles bike for the same price? I have to ask why you don't beg, borrow or steal that 33 Chief back from your Dad? Nothing cooler on the road. Congrats on becoming an HD mech. You should be proud!

 

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I seen a commercial the other day from H-D,you can now buy new sporty's for $6495.00.

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Wasn't it advertised at $3995 when they came out with the 883 Evo a decade or so ago?

 

Heh...my dad rode to California with a friend of his on some old Harley in the late 60's. He said the Harley was too unreliable to make it back, so he sold it for like $50 or something and drove back. Years ago he said he saw a restored version of the same bike selling for like $10k or something.

 

Get the indian back, you can build the bike of your dreamsfor around $13,500. just hook up with mid west supply by contacting Krooners.com he sells sporty frames any specs you want for around $750 in california i sell used 883s for no less than $7000 all the time. I built the sweetest shovlehead around for $11000 using krooners for all my parts. but you have to get a business license first and get hooked up with him on the wholesale end, dont order online or out of the catalog until you talk to harry.

 

I bought a ironhead sportster motor today for $200. It is a decent runner to.Now I just need a hardtail roller. My first Harley! I hope my BSA doesn't get jealous. Brad

 

The value of sportys is a pretty funny thing, I think I read somewhere that sportys outsell big twins in a neighborhood of 3 to 1. I love the speed power and handleing of a sporty. It is the thinking of most people that you can't get your investment out of a sporty, and in many cases that is true. bolt on parts are just that, you may be able to get your original cost plus the price of the bolt-ons but thats about it. But if you go past the point and turn it into a one of a kind custom, then you can start getting some value into your bike. I had a customer recently who was complaining that he was never going to get his money out of his bike. until I took him to bartels and showed him a 883 sporty that they had customized and was half his bike that the were selling for 16,500. he quit complaining after that. I have had a good amount of offers on my sporty and one was even for $14,500 and it was half apart! I turned him down, People say I was crazy, but if i bought a new bike I would have to put just as much effort into it to make it how I wanted it. So I didn't feel it was worth it. Most of the folks that buy HD's are buying them strickly for a investment. The reason you could sell a 5 year old HD for more than you paid for it was the fact you couldn't buy a new one off the floor because it was already sold over a year ago. but now with stepped up production the waiting list has shortened. Over time that is going to drop the resale values severly, and also drop the investment value of a harley. Which means the value of the company is going to suffer again due to lack of sales. This again shows the piont of our country's view of the short term, quick fast buck is better than long term company survialbility.
a good price of a ironhead sporty is 3500-4500 and a pre 91 evo is around 5500 post 91 is about 5500 and up.
Trumps are the best bang for the buck right now..... but it aint a harley.
You might try just building one from the ground up. cause you'll build the bike the way you want it and you won't have a **** load of take off parts laying around the garage. and it will still be cheaper than a new one. that goes for sportys as well s big twins.

 

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cause you'll build the bike the way you want it and you won't have a **** load of take off parts laying around the garage.

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I think walking in and seeing all that **** that I paid sales tax on would send me into a rage... therefore no sporty for me unless I happen upon a dropped one...

 

I don't want the Injun, I want a bike I can beat the **** out of every time I ride it. If I did that with the Chief it would be down ALOT, it would cost me a fortune to keep it on the road. The shovel on the other hand is/was a running driving semi reliable bike, that likes to be ridin hard.

Those couple cheap Iron heads were a couple years ago, they pop up every once in awhile but few and far between. I'll definatly agree that Trumps are the best for the money, but I do perfer H-D tho.

I would rather have an Evo sporty just for the stregth and reliabilty of the bottom end. I need to be able to ride in to the track, thrash on the cars there and then ride it home. I basicly just need the front part of a frame, the front, end the wheels, and the motor/******.
-Jesse