First, let me state that I am not trying to slam or impugn anyone with this post. It is merely a commentary on things that I often see in motorcycle adverts in many areas. In my area in particular, some of the most outrageous misperceptions seem to occur with both private and licensed sellers of H-D bikes, but these observations can occur with any brand.
There are also regional market issues involved, so a universal buying or set price point approach doesn't generally work. In my area, there have been at least 8-10 R65 bikes for sale over the past 3 months. Of these, I know of (3) that were genuinely in very good-to-excellent condition: very well maintained, no dents or scratches, and with hard luggage and/or fairings, all the keys, etc. These machines sold for an average of between $2800 - 3100 US. Many of the other bikes were in lesser condition - and a couple were non-running. The sellers tried to get over $3K for these machines as well and they either did not sell and they kept lowering the price into the low $2K range or below or didn't sell at all. What I am saying is that in my area (New England), there are a fair number of R65s around, and only the very pristine examples command a price in the $3K - 4K range.
When I bought my '82 R65LS, I paid $2350 for it. It was running and I was able to test ride it, though it had been in storage for many years it was at least resurrected to the "running" stage by the seller. It was in need of numerous cosmetic and mechanical things, but all the pieces were there, absolutely nothing was missing, and the engine wasn't making any really expensive sounds, so I bought it, intending to be tinkering with it it over the years. I have spent many, many hours, and well over $1K on it replacing parts, cables, rebuilt transmission, shocks, springs, tires, tubes, etc, etc. I am probably going to sink many hundreds more over the winter getting her repainted too, but I would never expect to be able to sell it around here for much, if any, over $3K (no intention of selling it now, either!) even with all this investment and given the fact that it is a somewhat more rare model than the "regular" R65. However, if I lived out in California, especially around the San Fransisco area, these particular models appear to be in high demand, and I could potentially get close to $5K for it after it is repainted - I've seen similar
condition, low mileage R65LS models sell for that much there this year.
So, what I am trying to say, is that:
1. Sellers: Even if one has oodles of time and $$ into a bike to get it from a condition 'A' to condition 'B', don't expect to be able to recoup all your $$ invested if the market in your area values a bike in condition 'B' to be around $3K, even if you spent $5K on the bike and repairs to get it to that condition.
2. Sellers: "Farkles" or accessories on a bike - don't expect to recoup what they cost you when you bought them new and put them on the bike - the value that they add to a bike is not a direct sum of what it cost - they depreciate as well, and furthermore, that big custom painted pink metallic flake Windjammer X that you liked so well might not be looked at with such desire by a prospective buyer, and be the first thing that s/he want to toss in the bin after they take the bike home. Consider selling high-priced accessories separately and you'll get more $$ for them that way.
3. Buyers: Regional markets have a big effect on what is a good price. For example, you might want to buy an R65 over in my area for a generally lower price than what you'll find on the west coast, but getting the bike over to your home on the west coast will eat up much or all of the cost savings, if the only objective is $$.
Different models have different desirability and population density in different market areas, so even though R65s are generally less expensive over here than in
California, the same statement may not apply to monolever R100RTs, for instance.
4. Buyers: Altritter's points are good ones - also don't expect a dealer to sell a bike at a price as low as a private individual *may*, as the dealer (at least in our region) generally has to sell the bike in a known condition, and may by law be required to provide some sort of short term warranty or repair terms if you are unsatisfied. Some private sellers will certainly sell you the bike as it just rolled out of the barn where it has slept for the past 25 years, but most dealers cannot get away with that sort of thing. This does provide at least some peace of mind, and you should be expected to pay a bit more for it. How much is dependent on dealers reputation, and general condition of the bike balanced against your desire.
OK, getting off my little soapbox now ! The key thing to remember is: Be aware of what the fair market price is in your region when you go to buy/sell a bike. Buyers have to balance their willingness to pay premiums against the condition of the bike and their desire for it, and sellers have to mitigate their emotional attachment to the machine with a regionally fair selling price.
