Should I Buy a Used or New Motorcycle

So you finally decided it’s time to go ahead and purchase that bike that you’ve always had your eye on. Before you decide to part ways with that hard-earned cash, just know that you have choices to make. Besides the color, and brand, and a million other choices you luckily get to make, the first and most important thing you will have to do is to decide if you want to purchase brand-new or used.

While I love the smell of a new exhaust as much as the next motorcycle-loving man/woman biker, sometimes buying used can have some advantages. Check out the points below before you decide on a new motorcycle or a used motorcycle.

Pros of buying a used motorcycle

• Already banged up: When you buy a bike brand-new, you will wash it and wax it and hug it and love it. WHEN you drop it and I guarantee you will, you will shed tears. You will curse the earth and wonder why has God so forsaken you. You don’t do this if you drop a used bike. Will it still sting? Yes, you will still curse a little. But it won’t be the 30-minute special word tirade using literary combinations that the Devil himself would be proud of. If you’re a new rider, you definitely want to take this one into consideration.
• More Benjamin’s in your pocket: Older bikes cost less. Used bikes cost less. Older used bikes cost even less. You can save quite a bit of money versus purchasing a brand new model of the showroom floor.
• Lower insurance rates: You can finally throw that famous line out when talking to people. Take this example:

Girlfriend: I’m pregnant. How do you feel about that?
Black Moto Biker Dude: I’m so happy about that and the fact that I just saved a bunch of money on my motorcycle insurance by switching to Geico.
Girlfriend: What! Is that all you care about? Your stupid insurance and your stupid motorcycle. I just told you I’m pregnant and all you care about… (several hours of blabber later) … Why? Why would you do that?
Black Moto Biker Dude: By saving money on my insurance, I can afford that fancy crib for the baby, and buy the really expensive diapers you want. And we can buy those funny looking baby shoes that you like. Need I say more?
Girlfriend: I never realized that by purchasing a used motorcycle you were able to save money on motorcycle insurance. I thought you only cared about your motorcycle. I was so wrong. You are so smart and wise and wonderful. I love you.
Black Moto Biker Dude: I love you too! What do you think of Suzuki or Harley for a name?

Cons of buying a used motorcycle

• Doesn’t have the latest bells and whistles: Depending on the specific bikes, you might not get new technology that the company recently introduced such as handling improvements or fuel injection systems. These same things can also apply to recently introduced safety features such as rear disc brakes, ABS brakes, etc.
• You don’t know who had the bike before you: Since you can’t always know the history of your bike, you have to really play it by ear when buying used. For example, Evel Knievel is selling you his motorcycle and tells you it was only ridden every other Sunday just to the corner store and back. Are you going to still going to buy that bike? Probably not since you can be almost certain that he most likely jumped over the Grand Canyon or something with it. Since you won’t be buying your next bike from Evel Knievel but instead from a stranger, you won’t know how that bike has been treated which means it could have some major mechanical issues down the road.

Pros of buying a new motorcycle

• Warranty: Bikes that are brand-new or close to it come with some form of a manufacturer’s warranty. This way you know that for the first few years, you are cover for any factory defects. If you purchased an extended warranty, you even have the option to have most standards repairs covered as well.
• Virgin bike: You know what virgin means. I don’t even need to go over this one.
• Big fat 0 on the odometer: We all love a vehicle that has zero miles. Hell, I didn’t get my first zero mileage vehicle until I was an old man older. A bike with zero to low miles guarantees that we will get the most life out of that bike. Plus to be honest, it gives you hella bragging rights! Let’s see an example of this in action:

Four bikers meet up at a social event for individuals that have recently purchased a new bike.
Biker 1: My bike is good. I had 15K miles when I bought it.
Biker 2: Well, I can beat that. My bike had 10K miles when I bought it.
Biker 3: Sorry to disappoint you urban hippies but I had 5K miles. I bet you can’t beat that?
Black Moto Biker Dude: Zero miles bitches (mic drop).

Cons of buying a new motorcycle

• Hidden costs: New motorcycles have more doohickeys which unfortunately means more money to maintain and fix when they break. When comparing whether to buy an old or new motorcycle, make sure you look at all of the nickel and dime hidden items that will add up over the lifetime of your purchase.
• More Benjamin’s in your dealer’s pocket: There’s a reason it’s called the “Stealership”. Unless you work in a dealership and know the game or you can run math like Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, you will probably get taken at the local dealership on a new bike. This is especially true if it’s one of the popular new bikes for that year (cough, cough, 2017 Yammy R1, cough). If you want new, be prepared to pay up the wazoo for it.
• Depreciation: All that extra money you forked over (read the bullet point above this one)… well, this is where it all goes Houdini on you and disappears. Your motorcycle will drop an average of 20 to 30% the second you drive off the lot. Think about that, buy a bike 600cc bike for 10K cash and go to Micky D’s across the street to mull over your decision. You quickly change your mind and decide you want the 1000cc instead. That beautiful 10K bike, that you just bought 15 minutes ago is now worth 8K if you’re lucky. If you ask me, that was probably the most expensive lunch you will most likely ever eat.
• Higher insurance rate: If your bike is more expensive, your insurance will be too. Since you have a new motorcycle, you are definitely going to pay more versus a used bike.

As you can see there are many different things to take into consideration when buying a new bike over a used bike. Make the decision that works for you, your wants and desires, and your wallet and enjoy the world of motorcycling.