Ghost bikes
 

Bit of a rant this.

As you'll know from my for sale ad, I'd like to sell my bike. But I'm coming up against ghost bikes - I mean bikes that have hardly been ridden. There are a few 675s similar age to mine, 2007/2008, done all of 3K miles!! I mean who the hell buys a motorbike just to leave it rotting in the p1ssing garage!!! I think mine isn't high at 14K, 3 years old on March 1, nothing like some peoples' mileage on here, but 3K miles - that's 1K per year, or an average of less than 20 miles a week!!! It's a joke!!!! Surely a bike NEEDS to be ridden, not just parked up where you get condensation and all sorts?????? So when I call a dealer, I get a sharp intake of breath and they say '14K, oh that's high'. NO IT BLOODY ISN'T!!!!!!!!!!!

/Over :evil:

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Thought this was going to be about the place in Preston :o

I'm with you on that 1 Ed, I think some people spend most their time polishing and admiring their bike instead of riding the damn thing. Exactly why I didnt p/x my ninja when I got my new bike, its done 37k so may as well be scrap to most dealers. Worth a hell of a lot more to me :cool:

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Unfortunatly the "average rider" in the UK is a lot different nowadays than a few years back. These are officially "toys" for most people. And when someone buys one they want it to look as close to new as they can afford. To some extent we all loose out as you take a big loss on a bike with very little use when you come to sell it.

Jambo

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Me too- I'm expecting a delivery from them today- Oxford 1st time panniers.

I was thinking "Oh noes- not again" :eek:

Re: Ghost bikes
 

what place in Preston:confused:

Re: Ghost bikes
 

I'm taking a guess somewhere called Ghostbikes

there is a Ghostbikes.com

Re: Ghost bikes
 

I know what you mean Ed.

My 54 plate D600 is getting on a bit now with just over 12k on the clock....;)

Re: Ghost bikes
 

it come down to people using bikes as sunday rides now adays. i am unfortuantly in that catagory, might take her to work every now and again in the summer, but most the time she gets used only during the summer, and maybe once every couple of weekends for 100 or so miles, then back under cover till the next time. however there is some extreems like you say, my ZZR, nearly 8 years only and only 7k on the clock. good as the bike is pristeen, and milage will stay low ish now i have it, but 100k a year does sound very low to me!!

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Oh I had an offer!!!!!

£3K:smt082:smt082:smt082

Re: Ghost bikes
 

My SV lives in the garage, used for when I want to enjoy riding, for work and shopping though I use the high mileage, smokey old banger Yamaha, it may be thirty, a grey import and be a bit crap, but it keeps my SV nice for sunday best. By the way, it is a K3 with under 10k miles on the clock... Go on, hate me! ;-)

Re: Ghost bikes
 

quick derail, any issues you have mate its round the corner from mine if ya need something done, tbh ive heard nothing but good things about them

ed this brings up the age old question, biker ,motorcyclest or just someone who owns a bike

Re: Ghost bikes
 

I do. :p

My triumph has done just under 2000 miles, partly due to other bikes and partly due to life (other things to do....not through choice either) As for buying a bike, anything over 6000 miles i wont buy it. Im a tart like that, its my toy and i like my toys minty mint and theres a lot of people out there the same. For some its transport, for some its a getaway/weekend machine and for others its a hobbie. Better than having a train set innit.

Besides the weathers too $hit too often to risk my pride and joy, so i have a dirty bike to play on.

Also, you wont like it but ive seen them go for 4k with less than half that mileage. The later ones got the lil niggles ironed out hence they are more popular. Its heartbreaking i know but it will only sell for what someone think its worth.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

i've never understood this attitude (no offence) do people think a bike will explode after 10.000 miles or something, check bike conditon, service history, recipts of parts, and working order, if all good who cares if its got 6.000 or 60,000

then again i suppose it helpfull for me to get cheap bikes so meh lol

Re: Ghost bikes
 

I get it, people want new, but not to pay new money. Which is fine, but not really how I view things :D

Re: Ghost bikes
 

A 60000 miles bike is going to generally look worse than a 6000 miles bike, stone chips etc)

Re: Ghost bikes
 

It all comes down to the individual. I like the idea of getting a bike with low milage, as hopefully when i come to sell it the milage will still be low for its age, and hopefully the value will have held, but at the same time, i dont do that many miles.

I would never get a brand new bike. i cant wait to upgrade to a zzr1400 but will be getting a 6mth old one or something like that with 1k on clock. still shiney new looking, and a new bike IMO, but i wont be stumping the drop in price from new.

But thats just me, i am the same with cars.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Welll....errrr....I got three bikes with little mileage last year. Umm when I had two, they used to get ridden with average mileage a year each. Thats around 3k a piece. Now I have three, and like last year, when Dave is running properly again, I'll put him up for sale, as I don't have the need for him really. Its all good being greedy, when you have the time to run three, and afford insurance for three, but I have the feeling that it will go up through the roof this year, so two will have to do!

Peg's happy now his average mileage has gone from 14k to around 2:smt082
28k on a bike that was bought in 2009 with around 380 miles on it as an 08 plate was a bit much!

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Well quite, Suzy has 28k on her, Dave 34k...neither will explode...well ok, maybe 'breakdown averagely'. As for the VRap, 3.5k on a 2002 bike...wheres it been hidin :confused:

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Bought my k6 with 8k 19months ago
Its now got over 22k, and its still MINT! lol

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Exactamundo. My bike is not a shed. A bit dusty, but it polishes up nicely. FSH, never any £££ spared. It always starts on the button, has never broken down, and looks so feckin cool.

I never knew there was bike snobs;)

Re: Ghost bikes
 

The Daytona in my avatar was 3k, on a 56 plate, with 3600 miles. Just turn the situation to your advantage when you come to buy, and get yourself a practically new bike, that's been sat in someone's garage and done no mileage, for a fraction of the cost of a new one. If it really bothers you what number is on the reg plate on the back, spend 250 quid on a private plate.

My 06 plate SV with 23500 miles sold for £1500, every other 06 plate SV in autotrader had half the mileage on the clock.

That's the way it is unfortunately, if you want to ride your bike, you have to decide that you have bought it to be ridden, you've paid your money for that purpose, and write off your residual value right from the start.

In my case with the SV, I'd paid 4k for it new, so for 4 1/2 years and 23500 miles of biking to have cost me £2500, or 550 quid a year, for all the places I'd been and all the fun I'd had, it was acceptable. I pay similar every year for two car insurance policies they give me no pleasure at all.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Isn't that what bikes are supposed to be for.....riding:p

Suzy won't be going anywhere,partially because of sentimentality, partially because of a different engine( so shes worth scrap to anyone else), and neither will the VRap, but then I bought them both for riding!
Dave was only supposed to be around until Suzy was rebuilt and restored, but earned his stripes and has stayed, hes in his fourth year now.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Sounds awfully familiar... when I was discussing the finer points of this with Express insurance after crashing the GSXR, they didn't seem to think a 12k/year on a bike was possible, never mind typical. Same as some of the quotes I was getting for trade-in at the height of the troubles with the Triumph - I looked at swapping to a Z1000, and I was offered £4k for my 2009 S3 against it with 13k on the clock.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Yes but.......

we all know the score on bike ownership, some use them as workhorses, some as everyday transport to and from, some as toys.

Once upon a time I just had one bike, that was transport all year round. Now I have a couple of cars and a few bikes, one car is the everyday box, the rest are essentially toys and hobbies so get very few miles typically. So what, that's the way I live.

If you go to buy a used bike, you basically want the best value deal you can get, and that means not paying more than you want to for the best condition bike you can find, which might well mean low miles because if/when you come to sell it on you know that'll keep the best residual value. If you're going to put lots of miles on it you'll probably opt for a slightly higher mileage one initially because you know you'll not be paying top whack for it so not as much to lose. As others have said, something is only worth what someone else will pay for it regardless of what you or I think "our" pride and joy is worth to us.

If the offer is too low, don't sell. If you need to sell, take the best offer you can get. That's business.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Thats pretty much what Rictus said when I bought the VRap.
I paid 2.7k for it with 3400 miles on a 2002 plate. It was up for 3k, but theres always room for a barter:D It had the bellypan on it, had the R&Gs, was pretty much immaculate, and above all, standard. I could have gone to ebay and bought one for much less, but that would have been modded to someone elses taste, and handled like crap!
By the time I added the Leo Vince cans(120 quid and a pro polish), and paid 40 quid for the grab rail I needed I've still got 100 quid of the original asking price for a screen and the seat to be sent to Tony Archer for padding :D I now have the bike 'I' want.

Again as you say with selling, don't sell if an offer is too low, if you need to sell, get the best offer.
I took Dave off sale last year, due to really not needing to, and from offers that were too low. TBH unless I get an offer I'm happy to sell at, I'm likely to have it sat there in my shed......til MissYC finally caves in;)

Re: Ghost bikes
 

I could write a similar thread about shoes in reverse. The red ribbon lace high heels that are sexy as hell - an 1198s of footwear - and just as uncomfortable to the user. 3 years ownership and I hardly ever wear them though I get admiring glances when I do. Then there's the knee high leather boots with the sesible heel. Walked miles in them in all weathers. Totally reliable but not going to get me any wolf whistles.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

LOL LPH.
I got some o those shoes. Worn twice, damn impractical, could never ride a bike in em...but they look dammmmmmmmn good!

http://images.izideal.com/img/produc...low-boots.jpeg

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Ed, 3 months from now will be the perfect time to sell your bike.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

My poor Street triple with 16K in 18months has got no chance of selling then,

Ho hum. :D I'll have to keep it!

Re: Ghost bikes
 

You will be able to sell a street triple still in high demand.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Ed that is a kick in the teeth £3k for a L.E bike, 14,000 is sod all on any motorcycle engine, I'm of the view they'll last like a car engine (100k and require refreshing).

Mileage doesn't bother me as long as the bike is in tidy condition and runs well.
My local dealer does take in high milers and does sell them on! I did nearly put money down on a Thundercat with 50k on it. It looked like new engine sweet as a nut no rattles no nowt.

Dave I'm with you on the mileage thing (no offence to anyone that stands by that), the only reason I've got a low miler (it was 3k on the clock on a W plate) is because it came up when I was in the market and was a few hundred quid more to a higher miler

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Thank God there are people who only use there bike in the summer at weekends or have a few bikes, it keeps the cost down for people who ride year round on there only form of transport.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

You sure? A lot can happen to a bike in that amount of time. How many previous owners?

Re: Ghost bikes
 

one owner, never run for about 3 years.

Condition showed it had done F.A.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Sounds quite high to me? :scratch:

My 2005 serow has just passed 400 miles. I bought it last year with 250 on it from someone who never used it, and now I'm just the same. Maybe some bikes are just destined that way.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

I'm with you on this one.

When I bought my Versys I pretty much consigned it to the bin straight away, knowing it would do a load of miles and be worthless within 3 years. I'll get nothing for it at trade in time, so I might break it for spares when I'm done with it - it's worth more money like that.

If you're doing lots of miles you may as well write off what you pay for the bike if you're clocking up over 6K miles a year over a 3 year period. According to Glass's Guide, the average for a UK registered sports bike is just over 2K miles a year, which I find ridiculous. Blame the weekend warriors for that, they base their mileage estimates from the average mileages taken from used bikes in showrooms.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

i got my k7 650 with a whopping 1087 miles on it genuine lady owner and garaged. i wanted low miles as i plan on putting a lot on it. if i ever come to sell it i will be asking what its worth not some grossly exaggerated price that everyone seems to think their bike is worth (that last statement was not aimed at you Ed i personally think your bike is worth what you are asking). i like low mileage bikes as they usually have not had time to be molested and bodged. a FSH means zero to me its more how the owner looks after a bike and not the garage its serviced at. if push come to shove i would rather buy a high miler that the owner has loved and cared for that a low miler that has been dropped more times than ridden.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

Imagine how much MCN's test R1 is worth, circa 33k on a 2009.

Re: Ghost bikes
 

I tried to get some of those last summer but they were out of stock for ages. Where do you buy them? And are they really uncomfortable for walking.

Sorry - de-rail - but we don't have a separate sexy shoes section on here - perhaps one to suggest to the mods.