Motorcycle Prices vs. Book Values

I'm actively looking to get onto a 2009 or later Triumph Daytona 675. I've been using Craigslist as my primary shopping method. After about a month of looking it seems that locally the average asking price from a private seller is about $7500 or stock or mostly stock bike.

Book value puts retail pricing at $6500-6900. None of the people I've called seem to be particularly willing to negotiate. I can't figure out why people are asking as much money for these bikes as they are. Should I assume they're upside down on the financing? Should I ignore the book value?

Is there a better place to be shopping for a bike? I'm pretty set on a Daytona, nothing else that really strikes my interest falls under my $8000 cut off. If anyone has ownership experience with newer Triumph I'd be interested to hear about it.

Lot of people upside down on finance but gas prices are pushing used bike prices up. Out here in California stuff that should be bringing 2-2.5 is priced at almost 5K.

Dropped R6's with 20K miles or Daytona's. Harleys seems to be coming down though

When I worked at the shop doing used sales and consignments, the books were a ballpark, at best. Factor in an error of about 20% either way and you're close. The market is just way too fickle to pin down and publish every month.

And honestly, the books are most commonly used as a negotiating tool by the dealers looking to buy. Take them with more than a grain of salt, and just keep an eye on real-world prices in your area.

In reply to alex:

That's pretty much what I thought, but I've never spent this much money on any kind of vehicle and I want a reasonable degree of certainty that I'm not shooting myself in the foot.

$7500 struck me as a good price on some of the bikes I'm looking at until I looked at the books.

Look at the completed auctions on eBay. That gives you a better idea of selling prices vs asking prices. For example, when the E39 M5 prices were in free-fall a while back, there was a BIG disconnect between what buyers and sellers thought the cars were worth. If there's a rapid change in bike values because of gas prices, I can see how the books would lag.

I don't think book value has ever been very accurate with bikes. That said, you can find Daytona 675's new for around $9.5k. There's a 2010 or 11 at the local Triumph stealership. You can get a Speed Triple R for the same price.

Book values in bikes are pretty much useless. Unless it's a Harley, for insurance settlements we rely heavily on actual advertised or sold bikes for data vs the books. Particularly on older bikes, where condition can vary greatly. My KLR650, as an example, is only worth about $750 in the book but you simply can't buy one for less than $1200, and they typically bring $1500 or more even as old and ratty looking as mine.

Man, I wish I could find one of those $750 KLRs.

Maybe it's the market? A friend of mine just got a 2008 675 for about $2500 and the trade of his cheap cruiser.

MitchellC wrote: Maybe it's the market? A friend of mine just got a 2008 675 for about $2500 and the trade of his cheap cruiser.

Part of it is that the 2006-08s seem to be easier to get for a good deal. Problem is I want the upgrades that go along with the 09 and later bikes. I should probably stop being so damn stubborn and buy one of the 07s I keep seeing for ~5k, but I don't see that happening.

Maybe I just suck at buying things though.

Can't stand the riding position, but that motor is pure sex.

I'd go for a 675R...