View Full Version : To buy a commuter/second bike or not....?
I have owned my Zed just over a year now (had it from new) and it has 7,500 miles on it. Three months of that year it was SORN'd in my garage. I have been trying to think of ways to keep the mileage down as I can see its value disappearing into the ether so I considered buying a commuter/second bike. Then I thought about how I had accrued those miles, commuting to work barely makes a dent when you enjoy 150-200 mile weekend blasts at every opportunity! :rolleyes:
So what do I do? I have a year old bike that has nearly 3 years of "average" mileage on it already and its not looking likely to change as I enjoy riding it. Should I cut my losses now and move onto another bike - which I dont really want to do just yet as I am still really enjoying the Zed - or keep riding it and end up with a relatively worthless/unsaleable 25,000 mile three year old bike in a couple of years time?! :smt017 Buying a second bike seems a bit pointless when its the Zed I enjoy riding so riding a "lesser" machine wont give me a grin like the Zed does...
I have been thrashing this out in my mind for weeks now and I really dont know what to do! I guess I dont want to end up wanting a new bike in the future when money could be tight and have wasted the value of the Zed by piling too many miles on it....
Any thoughts/views opinions?
rictus01
02-08-07, 04:42 PM
been there done that, had the second bike thing, but ended up using the "best to ride" one all the time, in the end I just had a bike stored for spare if I had a breakdown (that was the CB), if you only want to own a new bike then keep it in the garage and polish/look at it, but if you're going to ride it then it'll loose it's value fairly quickly, you have to ask yourself did you buy it for an investment or to enjoy ?
Given the general "hobby" nature of most bikers they are looking at below 3 years old & less than 10,000 mile, after that they just aren't that interested so dealers will offer you silly money for part-ex.
I never think of re-sale value on my bikes, just how much I can get out of them, my SV had 153,000 miles on it in 2 1/4 years, never been threw an MOT, and worth next to nothing, but it didn't worry me as I consider it paid for itself full.
can't have it both ways.
Cheers Mark.
ASM-Forever
02-08-07, 04:44 PM
If you enjoy it then you may as well keep it. As long as it is well maintained then the miles will hurt any resale value....but it should still hold a decent value.
Of course you could chop it in for a new zed....but you have to offset the cost of replacing with new and the current models resale.
IMHO you like the bike so keep it....if you put miles on it thats only an issue come selling time, which could be a while down the line. Also if any replacement bike will presumably do similar miles...then it will depreciate as well.
Just enjoy the bike...forget everything else(how practical)
been there done that, had the second bike thing, but ended up using the "best to ride" one all the time, in the end I just had a bike stored for spare if I had a breakdown (that was the CB), if you only want to own a new bike then keep it in the garage and polish/look at it, but if you're going to ride it then it'll loose it's value fairly quickly, you have to ask yourself did you buy it for an investment or to enjoy ?
I never think of re-sale value on my bikes, just how much I can get out of them, my SV had 153,000 miles on it in 2 1/4 years, never been threw an MOT, and worth next to nothing, but it didn't worry me as I consider it paid for itself full.
can't have it both ways.
Cheers Mark.
Yup you have summed up all my thoughts there Mark - I do want it both ways! :lol:
I guess I have already decided that I am just going to have to enjoy the Zed and face the financial consequences in the future - lifes a b!tch eh! :rolleyes:
fizzwheel
02-08-07, 05:39 PM
I've got two bikes, I kept the SV as I got offered naff all part ex against the GSXR on it.
The plan was to garage the GSXR over the winter and use the SV as a hack, trouble is as soon as it was a nice crisp winters day out came the GSXR again.
Its not that the SV is a bad bike, its just that I prefer riding the GSXR, the SV is sorn'd at the mo, and its a 2nd bike on my GSXR policy, but it still extra expense running two bikes.
You could always buy something for a hack over the winter months to commute on to keep the salt of the zed and then flog it again come spring time. If you bought the right bike for a hack you wouldnt I imagine loose much money on it...
Buy another Zed, in a different colour, then split the mileage between the two. Easy!! :D
dizzyblonde
02-08-07, 09:12 PM
you know i've got 2 bikes...and you know i love suzy to bits and never considered another, until faced with a dilema of her not getting to France, never mind back again. Now i wouldn't be without 2.
So to quote a t-shirt that im indoors wears
a bike on the road is worth 2 in the shed!!:smt003
And he has one (sort of) on the road and 5 in the shed (or the living room)
So IMO get another, it won't harm you and you may be quite surprised like I was with the insurance
You could always buy something for a hack over the winter months to commute on to keep the salt of the zed and then flog it again come spring time. If you bought the right bike for a hack you wouldnt I imagine loose much money on it...
I think this is what I am leaning towards - fair enough the Zed will have plenty of miles on it but as long as its in good condition still then I wont be as upset!
a bike on the road is worth 2 in the shed!!:smt003
I like that - also I have had the green light from 'er indoors (translated=I wont get any frosty treatment if I do buy one!)
I think I will just keep looking - I have my sights set nice and high - an ER5... :lol:
I worried about the resale value on my SV, I knew that I would only be owning it for a year or so and I wanted to keep it minty and low mileage, but now I have my GSXR I'm just using it and not worrying about the mileage. (2000 in 6 weeks and rising fast!) I know I will keep this for several years and I'm not expecting it to get any money back if / when I do sell it. I guess it depends on how long you think you will keep the zed for - if you will want another bike in the near future probably best to keep the mileage down but if you're keeping it long-term I wouldn't worry about it.
Cheers,
Matt
philbut
03-08-07, 11:02 AM
I bought an old hack just to use over winter and when it's raining. I don't bother cleaning every time it get wet etc so it's just a lot less hassle. The SV is my good bike (can't afford a swanky bike just yet) and i like to keep it spotless - cleaning it every time it rained was a real pain. I don't regret gettin the hack at all, plus it was battered before i got it so when some idiot knocks it over i couldn't give a monkeys.
Old bikes tend to reach a certain price and stay there, so long as they've got MOT and decent consumable, you can probably sell em for almost what you paid (or more in the case of my last GPZ!).
riktherider
03-08-07, 11:20 AM
get your other half or parents to get a bike as well. my dad has a bandit twelve, which i use whenever i dont fancy the sv (which isnt often), or when the sv is injured (take today for example.) i allways choose the sv over the bandit because its so much nicer to ride. i have the same problem with mountian bikes as well. i have a £1500 jump bike, a bmx and a pub bike. when ever i end up going for a ride into town and need to lock the bikes up, i allways end up taking the expencive one. i think no matter what bike you have, you will always end up using the one you favour more the most. thinking about it its the same with shoes as well. you allways have your favourite pair of shoes!!
I would not have more than one bike to "save" the milage on another - it will not really save you that much in the long run with the extra insurance MOT etc.....
The only reason to have more than one bike IMHO is for 2 reasons:
As a spare in case of breakdown
Because they are different animals - eg sports, off road, touring
Andy
Mine may well be coming up for sale in the near future ;) thats if I dont flog it to death in a sort of Basil fawlty car attacking type scenario.
If I end up getting something its going to be cheap-cheap - as in £500 tops!
Mine may well be coming up for sale in the near future ;) thats if I dont flog it to death in a sort of Basil fawlty car attacking type scenario.
;)
there was supposed to a photo attached d,oh
If you get something for £500 you can count on not riding it for more than a month. Either it breaks down or it's such a bore to ride compared to your Z that you will soon be putting miles on the shiny one again.
So far so good for me, 2 months on and I am still riding the z to work once every two weeks. I am riding it today after test riding the Aprilia Shiver 750 http://zee750s.com/zeeforum/viewtopic.php?t=2017 yesterday as I couldn't bare the difference between the shiny Italian and my 9 year old Suzuki. I'm sure I'll be back on the Suzy tomorrow.
I saw the most gorgeous custom painted naked 1999 SV with 23000miles that went for £1000 last month so imagine what you could be commuting on :)
Are you still looking or have you bought one?
Ratty46
30-10-07, 12:55 PM
i want to run two bikes,
i do at teh mo, tho one is a 125 scooter, ideally i want to get rid of that and get either a cheap'ish DT125 or something liek it for work, rain and the worst of winter!
but my brain keeps telling me i need a KTM motard....
It has over 9000 miles on it now and I was offered 2500 as a trade in so its staying! Just had a decent pay rise at work so think in a year or so I will buy a second bike just to have a choice in the garage - a 97 TLS would be fun! :twisted:
:drink: I love pay rises!
metalmonkey
30-10-07, 01:55 PM
It has over 9000 miles on it now and I was offered 2500 as a trade in so its staying! Just had a decent pay rise at work so think in a year or so I will buy a second bike just to have a choice in the garage - a 97 TLS would be fun! :twisted:
Yeah my pay rise is still being decided, don't even know when its coming through yet, sigh. I though about getting a cheap bike for winter, but I'm using the car as much possaible when I can to get to work.
Though am working on getting another bike, not sure whats going to happen with it yet. But that isn't a winter bike!
I know it isnt a winter bike - but as Rictus mentioned earlier in this thread - you only end up riding the one you like riding anyway - so you may as well be spoilt for choice! :twisted:
diamond
30-10-07, 04:37 PM
Did you buy the bike as an investment? If the answer is no then what does it matter what milage it is, just ride it and enjoy it. My SV is not quite 2 and a half years old and has 33000 miles on it, i bought it new to enjoy it and thats what i do. Admitidly i have 2 other bikes in the garage but the SV does the miles cos it does what i need it to day in day out. I bought it to ride not to look good and gather dust.
Just keep riding and forget about the mileage
Pedrosa
30-10-07, 04:40 PM
I have to agree with e.d.
I have a Spanish pal called Oscar who has a 900 Ninja. Some of the guys pull his leg saying it is the most classic bike on the Costa del Sol! But it has 60k plus kilometres on it and runs sweet as anything. On the mountain road high jinx runs Oscar is always right up there with the hottest riders. He has had nothing more than routine maintenance to carry out for the whole time he has owned the bike.
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