View Full Version : Is a modded bike worth less than a stock bike?


n4v1n
July 28th, 2009, 11:32 AM
I was just wondering if I vinyl the bike up, added washers to the carb, put on a slip on, and rearset adjusters... would that potentially deter some buyers in the distant future?

noche_caliente
July 28th, 2009, 11:59 AM
I wouldn't say it would deter a future buyer, but you're not going to get the money back out of it - you'd be better off reverting to stock to sell and then sell the after-market parts separately...

Spork
July 28th, 2009, 12:01 PM
I second that one... when i do come to get my bike, im looking for one that is stock, because mainly the mods that i have in mind are different from what others have, and i just want to have fun doing them myself, but i would rather walk away from a bike that was modded and buy a stock one than to pay more for the "upgrades" someone else did

Snake
July 28th, 2009, 01:01 PM
+1 here. Most potential buyers are not not going to be willing to spend extra on a bike just because it has been moded. IMHO

HKr1
July 28th, 2009, 01:18 PM
I was just wondering if I vinyl the bike up, added washers to the carb, put on a slip on, and rearset adjusters... would that potentially deter some buyers in the distant future?

Slip-on, washers & rearset adjusters.......... Dont think they would hurt the price of the bike compared to stock.
But, Iam willing to bet if you vinyl it up. It sure will drop the price.

dimeified
July 30th, 2009, 06:19 PM
I would pay a little extra for a modded bike SO LONG AS IT came with ALL of the OEM parts and the mods were reversible, with no drilling, grinding, splicing, or cutting.

capt_bugaloo
July 30th, 2009, 07:40 PM
From what I have seen, mods don't hurt the value much if they are quality mods, but they sure don't help either!

cifex
August 3rd, 2009, 01:54 PM
When shopping for car / bike. Generally I consider anything that has been modded to be ridden like it has been modded. So if the bike has 5k miles on it, I figure thats about the same as a stock bike with 10k miles on it.

FYI: I mean performance and purely aesthetic mods. Adding a luggage rack doesn't exactly scream "bad ass mofo"

dimeified
August 3rd, 2009, 07:24 PM
When shopping for car / bike. Generally I consider anything that has been modded to be ridden like it has been modded. So if the bike has 5k miles on it, I figure thats about the same as a stock bike with 10k miles on it.

FYI: I mean performance and purely aesthetic mods. Adding a luggage rack doesn't exactly scream "bad ass mofo"

This is very interesting... over on the porsche forum, there is always the ongoing battle of old porsches, about modded track cars vs stock garage queens, when looking to purchase a car. There is no consensus. It is very interesting though, the school of thought in favor of a modded/track car.

These people feel that a modded track car, even with high miles, is regularly maintained, looked after, seals replaced, and always in tip top shape, prepped for racing. The low miles garage queens taken out now and then dont get fluids circulated/changed as often, gaskets seals worn/aged, and in general the car is probably not maintained to a strick standard to be up to par for track duty.

Now i know we aren't talking about 20-40 year old cars here, but i believe the same principals apply to a certain degree.

cifex
August 6th, 2009, 08:13 AM
This is very interesting... over on the porsche forum, there is always the ongoing battle of old porsches, about modded track cars vs stock garage queens, when looking to purchase a car. There is no consensus. It is very interesting though, the school of thought in favor of a modded/track car.

These people feel that a modded track car, even with high miles, is regularly maintained, looked after, seals replaced, and always in tip top shape, prepped for racing. The low miles garage queens taken out now and then dont get fluids circulated/changed as often, gaskets seals worn/aged, and in general the car is probably not maintained to a strick standard to be up to par for track duty.

Now i know we aren't talking about 20-40 year old cars here, but i believe the same principals apply to a certain degree.

There are A LOT of dbags on Long Island with cold air intake on there Scions that couldn't change the oil. You have to meet the person really, but Tank Pad + Rim Tape + CF Exhaust + Decals sets off the squidliness alarm in my head.

sofo
August 6th, 2009, 08:24 AM
Depends on the mods. I can see a bike with a Corbin seat, adjustable levers and rearsets being attractive to buyers since the mods make the bike more comfortable and adjustable for fit.

Intake / exhaust and suspension mods would cause me to ask questions about how and why they were installed and how the bike was used afterward.

cifex
August 6th, 2009, 08:32 AM
Exactly..... If I see the guy installed a double bubble or touring shield, an iPhone mount, USB charging ports, a Ventura rack and has a detailed log of Maintenance. (Me) That doesn't exactly indicate I am going to DPA on Friday nights to pick up hooers.

Grn99Kawi
August 6th, 2009, 09:23 AM
lol@ DPA...

I agree.. stock for a bike is better.. a slip on isnt the end of the world, but keep the stock pipe... aside from some minor stuff mine is stock (RIM TAPE!)... IMO its worth more to a potential buyer.

rofl

cifex
August 6th, 2009, 09:58 AM
It's a pre-gen though. -10 squidli factor counteracts the rim tape.

Grn99Kawi
August 6th, 2009, 10:00 AM
it's a pre-gen though. -10 squidli factor counteracts the rim tape.

rofl

kevins_garage
August 6th, 2009, 11:22 AM
I was just wondering if I vinyl the bike up, added washers to the carb, put on a slip on, and rearset adjusters... would that potentially deter some buyers in the distant future?

Everything really depends.

Some people might be deterred simply because your bike is a different color than the one they really wanted (regardless of mods). There's no way to change that.

Some people may be deterred if the seller is a young kid vs. an older dude, or a homely chick vs. a hot chick. Not much you can do to change that either.

For the most part, buyers don't really want to pay extra for mods, even if you have all the original parts to go with it. But, you never really know until you actually try to sell it. You might just find a guy that wants the exact bike you are selling with the exact same mods and is willing to pay you a handsome price. Stranger things have happened. :)

istreefitty
September 30th, 2009, 11:44 AM
I agree that you can sell the bike for more with mods but you will never get as much as you paid for those mods out of it, but them again you wont get as much out of the bike as you paid for it. However, a modded bike can be the difference between actually selling your bike vs a stock one. I think that with every bike there are certain modifications that "clean" up the look of your bike that are generally accepted as worth paying more for, like a cleaner rear fender, Legal flush mounts, and HID light conversion, rear cowl, just to name a few. The only problem with mods are the lack of baseline for their worth. For example, unlike KBB or a local market on craigslist which give an object a starting point of worth (say your bike), most modifications worth is determined in the eye of the beholder (both the seller and buyer).

tjkamper
September 30th, 2009, 11:52 AM
I personally think that Mods don't help the value any. If you still have stock. You can deffinately get more money selling the aftermarket stuff on ebay and reverting the bike back to stock to sell.

istreefitty
September 30th, 2009, 12:07 PM
I agree that you wont get as much selling the bike as a packaged deal vs parting out the bike, but I consider the measure of worth as 3 things money time and effort. What I mean is selling my stock bike then selling each individual mod (I have quite a few) might make me more money, but will "cost" me a lot more time and effort (posting on ebay, paying ebay fees, posting on craigslist, having people come over more than once to look at the parts, paying for shipping, making my way to a post office when I work 5 days a week 6-4, etc). I will say for me these abstract things like time and effort play a great roll in my decisions, but that is just IMHO.

tjkamper
September 30th, 2009, 12:34 PM
Very true, especially if you are ready to get rid of the bike and just want to move on. Then any extra minute you spend on the bike is a loss of some kind.

However, if you still get some level of enjoyment out of working on the bike, and the selling process, then it is atually a gain.

It is all based on your individual preferences. If you have no free time, then selling the bike fast with little input from your part is the best way to go. You might even debat paying someone to sell the bike for you. But if you want to spend as much time with your baby before she is gone and have the time, then piecing it out is better.

AnarchoMoltov
September 30th, 2009, 01:28 PM
You'll be lucky to get what the bike itself is worth, I dont think any1 is willing to pay for the mods..Thats why you should always save the stock parts you remove to put them back on when you are going to sell.. my 2 cents

istreefitty
September 30th, 2009, 01:38 PM
I would have to disagree somewhat. I think that the 250 market is relatively stable except it seems to me that in many markets demand exceeds supply (at least here in Hawaii), which sets up the seller to get at least current worth (if not a bit more). I know here demand exceeds supply even for a new 250r so OTD price is around 5500 firm. I know this because I went there yesterday for parts and 2 people asked about the 3 ninjettes on the sales floor, only 1 of which is not sold, and the sales guys said IF they have old colors when the new ones arrive they will sell them for 5000 OTD.

Back to the point. This create a great market for used sellers in that almost any condition 08+ 250r can go for AT LEAST 3500 (Ive seen some tore up 250rs sell for that much) WAAAYYYY above their KBB value or dallas craigslist value (i have no other comparison)

AnarchoMoltov
September 30th, 2009, 02:41 PM
I would have to disagree somewhat. I think that the 250 market is relatively stable except it seems to me that in many markets demand exceeds supply (at least here in Hawaii), which sets up the seller to get at least current worth (if not a bit more). I know here demand exceeds supply even for a new 250r so OTD price is around 5500 firm. I know this because I went there yesterday for parts and 2 people asked about the 3 ninjettes on the sales floor, only 1 of which is not sold, and the sales guys said IF they have old colors when the new ones arrive they will sell them for 5000 OTD.

Back to the point. This create a great market for used sellers in that almost any condition 08+ 250r can go for AT LEAST 3500 (Ive seen some tore up 250rs sell for that much) WAAAYYYY above their KBB value or dallas craigslist value (i have no other comparison)

Wow $3500 for an 08??? I bought a 09 with 180 miles on it for $3500, I've since sold it...Hawaii must be doing alot better than the rest of the country then..People around Chicago are having a hard time selling their bikes period..A brand new 250 costs $3999, if you arent a dealer you cant expect to get dealer fees from a buyer, so a used 250 is worth less than $3999, unless you find some 1 stupid enough to pay $4000 +..