Perusing other dealers around in VA, GA and TN looking at used bikes, I saw several '17's and other 'used' M8's.
Mostly were Touring bikes with 50 to 300 miles on them.
A couple I saw had a few thousand on them................

 

Just bought one...it was worn out...125 miles...not sold as "used" or "demo" but a new bike. The dealer allows folks to test ride any model on the floor but they are escorted by someone from the dealership so there shouldn't be any issues with them being thrashed by the tester. BTW, FLHTK, stage one, traded my trusty 2008 FLHTC and a 2014 FLHR. It was time to thin the herd. I rode it today about 150 miles or so and it's really nice.

 

First 50 miles makes or breaks an engine's longevity and unless the demo ride is chaperoned bet your *** they are wrung out and over revved. Don't for a second believe " it doesn't hurt anything " I've been into far too many roached new motors with owners who thought the same way.

 

I have no problem buying a used demo bike, but it better be a really good deal. Those first miles are damn sure critical to the life of any engine. That's not just folklore.

 

I am not sure I buy into the statement that the first 50 miles makes or breaks engine longevity. The whole "break in" debate has never been solved. Some swear the best way to break in and engine is to ride it hard to get the seal to seat other preach following the manual.

Now is it possible that abusing an engine (redline shifts, banging downshifts etc) in the first 50 miles increase the chances it will have problems down the road that (IMO) does not translate into all engines being locked in based on the first 50 miles

 

Been building bike engines since the 70's sometimes professionally and no questions in my mind early break in is critical, replaced too many scuffed pistons in bikes with idiots who believed ride it like you stole it from that first fire up. Piston skirts those first few miles are finding their happy spot , overheat by hi revs swell things prematurely and scuffed & galled skirts are a reality and piston slap is coming shortly.

Your bike your money but easy break in isn't a myth.

 

It's not negativity. It's realistic. You aren't going to get a 2017 M8 at this point in time for five thousand dollars less than MSRP.

On this very forum somebody was selling a 2017 M8. He priced it $500 less than MSRP. For that little discount, I'd rather have brand new than something somebody might have had problems with or rode hard at redline all the time.

A greater difference in price of new vs MSRP makes the risk of used bike worth it. A $500 discount for example doesn't.

 

The bike in question are rental bikes. Ray Price HD has decided to do away with their rental program so they are selling the bikes. Bikes were broken in by dealer personnel before they hit the rental fleet, so they were not abused in the first 100 miles.

 

Hopefully they are priced with sufficient discount.

Many people abuse rental cars. I am not sure if that holds true for rented bikes.

 

The idea that someone has previously abused a vehicle is an excuse to buy a new one. After 50 years of driving I have purchased over a hundred motorcycles and the same number of cars (hot rods, performance sport cars and "regular cars"). Out of the 200 I have purchased no new bikes and 3 regular cars. The newest other than new was over a year old. I have had a few lemons, but 2 of them were the new cars and the newest bike. I don't think that many people rent vehicles with the intent to abuse the **** out of them, except for the mid '60's when Hurst rented out the Shelby 350's that guys took out to the track. People were afraid to buy them because of the abuse and they sold for under 4 thousand at the time and now sell in the mid six figures. Looking back, what I saved by buying used more than made up for the cost of repairs along the way. I also enjoyed looking for a bargain. I could always afford anything I wanted but always looked at vehicles, other than the ones for transportation, as a hobby that buying new would have taken the fun out of.....but then again I thought being married would be fun and volunteering for Viet Nam as being exciting.