What do you do with your old bikes that aren't worth much?

[Twisties]

Just curious.... it's tempting to keep them but then you have maintenance, insurance and registration expenses, plus they take up space.  Of course you have a back-up or guest bike.  

 

Do you keep yours, part them out, or sell them for peanuts?  

[Skywagon]

Sell them....somebody wants them and it is good to clean out the garage with stuff that won't be used again.  Sometimes it's tough to let them go.

 

[TEWKS]

I had good luck with Craigslist moving a few toys. The other thing you could do is pull the registration & insurance, cover them up in a corner and keep them on a tender. They’ll be fine for a year or so like that. But, if you’re truly done with them, drop the price every couple of weeks till you hit your rock bottom. One more option might be a used bike shop, we have a local guy that’s always looking for bikes, granted he wants to make a profit when he flips them. 

[steveg]

I sold my 20 year old R1100RT with 214,000 miles for $1000  if you price it right someone can get a good bike for cheap. Pass em on, not every one can afford an expensive bike

[Hosstage]

I'm not a collector, I've sold my old ones, including my first Harley, which wasn't as hard as I thought it might be. As you know, us Harley guys are a sentimental bunch, most end up saying "wish I had that one back". I'm good with my decision. Selling each bike helped with funds to get the next one. 

Having said that, I'd like to keep my 22 year old Harley because it is the one I set up exactly the way I wanted, spent a little too much doing it, but still brings a smile every time I ride it. I will ride it into the ground and then decide if it's worth rebuilding or just lighting it on fire and pushing it out into the sea.

Luckily, I have a 2nd bike to share miles, because as John said, I can afford it. Now.

An RT is on the short list for my next one.

 

[Skywagon]

21 minutes ago, Hosstage said:

An RT is on the short list for my next one.

 

 

After all our belly aching, complaining, and throwing rocks at BMW?  Yeah me too....although I've never owned a GS.  If only we would have added one more bay to the garage.

[Hosstage]

1 hour ago, Skywagon said:

 

After all our belly aching, complaining, and throwing rocks at BMW?  

It's the same on the Harley forums. And those are the guys that own and love them!

[9Mary7]

12 hours ago, steveg said:

 if you price it right someone can get a good bike for cheap. Pass em on, not every one can afford an expensive bike

And we may get new riders started on a great hobby........

[EdM]

I re-aquired my old RS and put it up on a shelf. I haven't figured out yet what the long term plans are for it. I'd like to perhaps ride it occasionally on some day trips, so may look at putting a collector plate on it and cheaper collector insurance. But first it still needs a bit of TLC to sort some minor issues.

[fatbob]

I keep riding the old bikes, love em!   That’s why I have 8 bikes I guess.   

[duckhawk64]

Just sold the best Beemer I've ever owned. Best looking, too. 15 years of bliss in SW Wisconsin. 

Although, electronic cruise and better suspension is nice on the 2019 R1250. 

[DBULL]

I sold my favorite BMW I ever had-replaced by the R1250RT but in SE Wisconsin.  LT had 223,000 miles, never had engine open, valves always in spec, not a drop of oil used.  I am loving the new, lighter 1250 and happy for less worry about 23 year old wiring harness, etc etc.  

 

I was sad to see it leave the yard, and let it go for a song.  

[Ponch]

Maybe I'll give it a viking funeral and video record it letting BMW know they'll #1.  

[AviP]

They keep collecting like old books that i will never read again. I need to re-evaluate my needs.

[syntorz]

On 6/10/2023 at 7:58 PM, duckhawk64 said:

Just sold the best Beemer I've ever owned. Best looking, too. 15 years of bliss in SW Wisconsin. 

Although, electronic cruise and better suspension is nice on the 2019 R1250. 

That's such a pretty picture AND in Wisco, I wish I would have bought it!

[duckhawk64]

Well, thanks for that. I "came of mature age," riding the sidewalls off the front tire of that bike. It is like a brick of stability  in the corners.  The funny thing was when my son was behind me on the 95 k75. He would say, I tried to keep up, but you were... just gone.

[duckhawk64]

CTH T

[Rougarou]

When I went to purchase the GSA, I was going to do a three for one trade. HP4, RT and Shadow for the GSA.  Dealer was happy to make an offer on the HP4, stated they couldn't take the Honda 'cause they don't sell Honda's and offered me something like $2500ish for the RT.

 

I was willing to take $2500 for the RT as she's been beat up pretty good.  At the time, I think it had like 130k on it and shows much evidence of being laid down a couple of times.  But, what turned me off of taking the deal was that the dealer said they'd put it in the back and part it out 'cause they'd likely not be able to sell it.

 

Now, I'm not a sentimental type with inanimate objects, afterall, it's just a bike, but what I can't see happening is taking a bike or any vehicle, that is still perfectly suited for any long haul run and just "part it out".   The bike runs just fine, no drips, no oil burn, still maintaining 45+mpg and only thing that doesn't "function" is the little red light showing cruise control on. 

 

So, I told the dealer I'll keep the bike, original goal was me riding it 100k, I did that, now the goal is 200k unless a barter opportunity falls in my lap.  That 200k on that bike is gonna take some time being ridden every other week, but I'm confident she'll make it, only 50k to go.

[Cap]

10 hours ago, Rougarou said:

I was willing to take $2500 for the RT...

 

Been there.  Older BMW's are a conundrum.  On the one hand, they are cheap enough to be a great entry-level bike for a newer rider, while having better features and performance than typical first-bike offerings from Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki.  But the curse is that older BMW's come with a burden of complex maintenance procedures, specialized tools, and high parts cost.  Most newer riders don't have the knowledge or skills to maintain and older BMW.  And most entry-level riders can't afford to pay a BMW dealer to maintain their bike.

 

The dilemma is that BMW needs to find a way to appeal to a younger demographic.  But the barrier to entry into the cult of BMW is too high.

 

One thing I admire about this forum is that serves as a free repository of service and repair procedures that can help a motivated newbie to keep an older BMW running safely.  But even with free advice and "how-to" knowledge, the cost of specialized tools and replacement parts is daunting.

 

I would love to find a way to promote an easier path to ownership.  That would help solve the problem of "What to do with bikes you don't want anymore."  I would be interested to hear thoughts of how to do that.

 

cap

[Groanup]

I sold my 17 year old KLR for cheap to the mechanic where I bought my RT.

He got it running after it sat for 6 years, then he took it up on Angeles Crest and crashed it...

At least it died doing what it was meant to do, rather than rusting away...