I don't plan on trading mine in tell I have rode the hell out of it. I want to have over 200,000 miles on my Fat Boy and just hope they give me a couple grand for my next one.

 

Well, as a new owner to HD, as well as having the new engine/trans, I honestly cant find anything wrong with them! Yes it may run hot but the MoCo MUST comply with the EPA and unfortunatley for an air cooled motor to run at the optimum 14.7:1 AF ratio, it will run hotter. There are no shortcuts to that complying; either you do or you dont. Granted, a bike uses less fuel per mile and generates less emmisions per mile than a car does, BUT its the EPA's job to regulate emmisions.

THAT SAID, Im glad that I live in AZ where motorcycles do NOT have to be emmisioned. that leaves me free to mod out my ride as I see fit. I will be doing a stage one with a fuel pak, and I feel very fortunate that I can do that weithout the fear of the sniffer test. But everyone must realize that the MoCo needs to change and evolve SOME aspects of their product in order to stay competitive. There millions of riders out there that could care less about the brand that they ride, as long as its fun and looks good.

I think that we as Harley owners are a select breed who value not only the bike, but the tradition and lifestyle that owning specifically a Harley brings. But even traditionalists must understand that HD WILL go the way of GM, Chrysler and Ford IF it doesnt evolve dynamicaly and fluidly! There is a REASON why Toyota is single handedly smoking all of the Big 3!

The value of the bikes you have can and will fluctuate like any item of value! Today may not be the best day to measure its vaule, but wait a few years down the road and it may go up! Or it could go down! Thats simply the nature of the game of financial value. I think that if you want a new bike, you should evaluate WHY you want a new one. It looks to me like you have 2 very killer bikes in your garage. If your buying because you really love the new bike, then get it to add to your fleet! If you want one but need to get rid of an old bike, consider wating on the new bike until you can sell one of the old ones private party. but it seems clear to me that as others have stated, that offer by the dealer for the trade in value for each of your bikes seems right, and a private party sale may not get you all of what the dealer is offering.

Good luck on your decision, and hopefuly that new ride your want will find her way to your garage... one way or another!

 

That seems like a heck of a lot of money for your Fat Boy. It is going to be 10 years old in a month. I think that is way more than fair. If you want to get more money for your Hertigage sell it yourself.

 

ebeattie - you are pretty much correct in all you say except I think the "tradition and lifestyle" is stronger than you might think as far as keeping Harley in the game. For example, Toyota is smoking the Big 3 but not in the pickup market. American pickup drivers are generally staying with the Big 3 trucks. Toyota has spent a large fortune on the Tundra and it is built right here in the USA, and it is a fine truck, but sales of the Tundra are way below Toyotas stated expectations and the Tundra is now being heavily discounted.

HD cannot ignore modernization of their bikes, and they are not, but they know, and the market shows, that the Harley mystique is their best sales tool. That mystique combined with the desire to buy an American classic is fueling an exponentially growing international market as well as the domestic market.

 

you always gonna get robbed on a trade in... they want to sell it for a good amount of change

best bet is to try to sell it yourself

then go buy your bike

but if your in a hurry, trade ins gonna rob ya but get ur bike to you quicker(usually)

 

Correct, and taking it a step further (if you're interested in getting the most bang for the buck) consider not buying from a dealer but buying from one of those guys that buys their first Harley and then realize they've made a mistake.

 

There are a lot of good points in everybodys posts.
I'm pretty sure at this point I'm going to hold on to them babies and make some upgrades.
They both run and ride great. I gotta tell you...the Heritage with the balanced motor runs like a damn Cadillac going down the road. I was never unhappy with them.....I was just thinking about something different.

 

Trade-in value (wholesale) is very much a product of supply and demand, and right now, in HarleyWorld, there is considerably more supply than demand. Wholesale value is also linked very closely to what the financing institutions will actually loan on a given used vehicle. If a customer needs to finance their vehicle purchase, the bank or other lending institution is only looking at the KBB or other wholesale value of the vehicle as to what they will loan on that vehicle, be it car, truck, motorcycle, what have you. If a dealer 'overpays' for a used vehicle, it becomes a problem for them when they have to try to squeeze a potential buyer intothat vehicle. So, they will always low-ball trade-ins. It's just business.

 

You could take the money for the Fat Boy - that seems real reasonalbe. A Heritage and a Street Glide would be a good combo. Consider one other thing - if you had a VTX and a Magna or even a Buell, your trade in value would not be squat.

 

not so familar with non-harleys, huh?

he took an $8000 bath on just one of the bikes in TWO years. if it were a Magna, that would have been, AT WORST, a $4000 hit. but hey, thats all that "reality based" stuff.

between craigslist and kbb, you can learn a lot about depreciation.

Just out of curiosity, whats your prediction on the "investment" return on those blinged out pseudo-choppers that were all the rage a couple of years ago?