The MR2 has been on CL for about 2 weeks I think, and within the last 3-4 days I've had two different offers for motorcycles. A 2015 GSXS 700 and a (didn't say year) GSXR 600. I dislike not being seen on the highway by soccer moms in SUVs and cell phones already, I can't imagine a bike.
Is the motorcycle trade thing "a thing"?
It is if you have a bike, want a car and don't have cash
Seems to me that Motorcycles, like paintball equipment and RC cars, is a hobby many people buy into on a whim and then quickly tire of. Since there is little value in the used market all that stuff becomes trade bait.
I know a guy that bought a new crotch rocket he rode one summer and its been sitting next to his mower for the last 3 years unused.
i thinks some people go through a 'lets get a motorcycle!' phase. for some people they enjoy it and stick with it, for other people they decide its not their cup of tea and look to get back into a car. I know i've been guilty of of trying to trade of my bike when i got tired of it.
Because they're garbage bikes nobody wants to buy. Simple as that.
"but it's worth $5000!"
Yeah, ok. Go sell it for $5000 then bring me $4000, and you can keep the difference. Sigh. Craigslist.
Yeah, pretty much all of the above is true... There are a lot of used bikes out there that nobody wants, including (especially?) their owners. Garages across America are full of them.
I love orphan bikes that are unloved by the masses but their owners seem to think that since they overpaid for that they shouldn't sell at a reasonable price.
The end of summer is closer than the beginning so maybe they've ridden all they want to??
So I own a motorcycle. The current MSRP is $9,999 for a new one. Mine is a few years old, but is exactly the same as new in every way except for mileage, which is low. When I realized that I was not riding as much as I used to (kids) I listed it for $5,000. Mine has some nice upgrades, so that was a real deal IMHO. Then I dropped it to $4500. Then $4000. Not one nibble.
Before dropping it to $3,500 I decided just to keep it and just ride more. If I could trade it for something listed at $5,000, that would be a real bargain for me, but I haven't attempted it because I know that no one wants used motorcycles. The market sucks for sellers, but for buyers of used bikes, it is a great time!
^^^^^^ That is pretty much it.
I feel somewhat sorry for the people who paid big bucks for a custom bike. Of course, nobody put a gun to their head and made them buy it.
You think that's bad? I had 2 different people offer me a horse trailer for my D350.
pinchvalve wrote: So I own a motorcycle. The current MSRP is $9,999 for a new one. Mine is a few years old, but is exactly the same as new in every way except for mileage, which is low. When I realized that I was not riding as much as I used to (kids) I listed it for $5,000. Mine has some nice upgrades, so that was a real deal IMHO. Then I dropped it to $4500. Then $4000. Not one nibble. Before dropping it to $3,500 I decided just to keep it and just ride more. If I could trade it for something listed at $5,000, that would be a real bargain for me, but I haven't attempted it because I know that no one wants used motorcycles. The market sucks for sellers, but for buyers of used bikes, it is a great time!
I had my SV1000S in pristine shape listed since April 1.
$4500. Ok $4000. OK 3500. Still nothing. $3000.
Guy showed up and offered me $2500 and was PISSED when I countered at $2600.
He then called me a scammer a week later because he found out that the front tire had some damage which is why it was leaking (which I told him about).
I'm awfully close to giving up on CL. I'm great at buying stuff but the selling process is AWFUL.
What bike btw?
The nice thing about bikes values, is that if you buy used there is also more of a defined (higher) bottom to how low the values will go than there seems to be for cars. They drop like a rock initially, then level out pretty quick. So it's much easier to buy a reasonably newish and still quite nice one, enjoy it for a while, and sell it for around what you paid for it.
I don't think I need a bike.
They're coming to the stark realization that they can't ride worth a E36 M3, never ridden in even the lightest of rain sprinkles, and they would like a truck for the winter, instead.
I went through it 2 years ago getting rid of of my beloved CB750 Nighthawk. Bike was pristine, but it was a 20 year old Jap bike with little aftermarket. I finally did get $2100 out of it though so I'm not mad. It was just so hard to get people out to look at it.
Chadeux wrote: You think that's bad? I had 2 different people offer me a horse trailer for my D350.
At least they didn't offer the horses with it. You want to talk about something you can't give away.
On the other side, bought an old Honda scrambler cheap, rode it for a year, cleaned it up and sold it for a few hundred more than I paid.
Could also be bike owner hoping to trade to someone who doesn't know the bike market
I replied to both with the same comment, Sorry I'm not interested in motorcycles, but it never hurts to ask.
The first guy replied no problem, asked a few more questions, shared an MR2 he had built up & regrets selling, hopes to buy a supercharged and will contact again if he sells the bike. Second guy simply agreed and said good luck with my sale.
Where I grew up in the '80's it was the same thing with guns. I had a Monza Spyder I wanted to sell. All potential buyers showed up with no money and a trunkfuls of long guns and the odd pistol.
Chadeux wrote: You think that's bad? I had 2 different people offer me a horse trailer for my D350.
What did they think you were going to tow it with, if you were getting rid of the D350? 
In reply to MadScientistMatt:
Pretty much what I thought.
A 401 CJ wrote: Where I grew up in the '80's it was the same thing with guns. I had a Monza Spyder I wanted to sell. All potential buyers showed up with no money and a trunkfuls of long guns and the odd pistol.
Those guns are now probably worth 4x the current values of Monzas.
I was actually able to trade a GSX-R750 for a third gen Prelude. The guy had just gotten into the armed forces and it was "cool" to have a motorcycle on base, so in my case I lucked out in that he wanted to move from 4 wheels to 2.
I've never bought a motorcycle new, as there are so many great used values out there. I specifically remember buying an SV650, riding it for a year, and then selling it for ~$400 more.
Just be glad nobody is offering you their X-Box and cash or their not running project that is "95% finished"
I recently listed my POS Chevy C1500 on CL. I secretly hoped someone would offer a motorcycle for trade. Easier to ask for forgiveness from SWMBO.
Instead I got cash and had to put in in the communal kitty.
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