Why do people do this? I bought a 2016 Wide Glide in 2022 with under 5000 miles on it, and a couple weeks ago, bought a 2020 Road Glide with 8000. While I was shopping, I saw a ton of bikes with super low mileage on them. It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

When I had my 52 Panhead a lot of guys thought I was crazy but I rode it everywhere

 

I bought a 2007 Street glide last year. I have already decided after 8,000 miles I want to move up to a 2014 or newer Electra Glide. I found a 2015 with 3,215 miles on it. I think it might be better to buy one with 20,000 miles on it. I worry about the bike sitting still that long. I don't understand how people can spend that kind of money to watch it get dust on it...

 

Life?

Marriage, kids, medical ailments, etc.

 

Known a few that got the **** scared out of them first ride. Parked it, never picked it back up. It happens.

 

This, and instead of picking up a smaller bike to learn to ride when the midlife crisis hits (more money then common sense), pick up monster heavy of a bike, they have no business on, until the learn the needed skills in the first place.

Hell, seen it in the younger crowd as well, with new riders picking up close to GPmoto ready bikes like the GSXR-1000, only to wrench them in a mater of days.

And a funny one if we are just taking engine sizes and new riders, when the first CBR600F came out in 87, it was race ready from the factory, and the bike would loop out all the way up to third gear if you did not have throttle discipline. So completely the wrong bike with a novice rider that the dealers where selling them as a novices first bike since smaller CC bike, believing that that smaller 600 bike was going to be a good one to learn on from the start.
Hence look at the statics, but believe that of all the 1987 CBR600f's that where sold that years, over half of them were totaled by being wrenched by novice riders in the first year of ownership.

 

Multiple bikes. Ride each one a throughout a short riding season and each only gets a small number of total miles

 

Some people find out they really don't like it, whether they admit it or not. As said multiple bikes, and life does get in the way. Some people buy a cute little bike, that really limits when then can ride it too,

 

I thought I got something special when I bought my 1990 FXSTS with 6000 original miles on it in July of 2022. Recently there was a 96 Road King for sale with 513 miles on it… I thought it was a Typo.

 

How many people buy a boat but seldom use it. Same with a camper or ATV. Look how many buy huge pick up trucks but never use them as trucks. It is there when they want to use it. Or just to have it.
I have 3 bikes 2 of them see less use than 1 of of them. Many reasons.