Recently I read a story about how as of late, Harley’s biggest competitor has been itself—not Harley-Davidson the corporate entity, but actual Harley-Davidson owners selling their used bikes.
Recently I read a story about how as of late, Harley’s biggest competitor has been itself—not Harley-Davidson the corporate entity, but actual Harley-Davidson owners selling their used bikes. With the economy down in the dumps, the housing/mortgage industry flipped on its ear, and US oil prices setting yet another record this morning (May 16 2008) at $127 dollars a barrel. It was only back in February that the record was set at $100 a barrel. As you can see motorcycling is becoming a more appealing means of transportation. If you take your time and do your research there are some great deals on used Harleys, especially if you dip into the Evo realm.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a life long-rider or are just now thinking about getting on two wheels for the first time, the used Harley market is especially hot right now. Of course, there will always be those who have to have the latest and greatest and that’s fine. The new ‘08s are great, especially if you pick up a new Street Glide with all the bells and whistles. But for those of you who are budget conscious, you could easily find a low-mile Twin Cam for less than 12-grand (I just searched Craig’s list and found an ‘02 Softail with 8,000 miles and from what I could tell no body damage for $10Gs). Then when you figure in the couple hundred bucks you can make off the aftermarket parts that you don’t like that are most likely on your new used bike—pipes, bars, wheels, etc—you’re only a couple thousand dollars and a few riding seasons away from having the bike of your dreams. And if you budget right, you might be able to come in a couple grand over the price tag of a brand new stock Softail. I’m not trying to take anything away from buying a new H-D, (I’d love to purchase one of the new Dyna Fat Bob’s), it’s just that when I search the internet and local Cycletrader, the deals to be had are hard to pass up.
New or used it doesn’t matter, if you just bought it it’s new to you, right?