For the right price I think it is a very good idea to buy an ex-rental:

Been maintained at/above required levels for scheduled service
Everything that was likely to break when pushed hard has already broken and been fixed as good or better than showroom new
22K can cause a lot of "blemishes" and scuffs which are generally repaired to keep appearances up
Not everyone who rents abuses the ride all the time...it still has to get them back

BUT like any purchase...make sure you are satisfied before plunking down the coin. John

 

Would buying a rental really be much different than buying a used bike?

My comfort level would be a bike with less than 5,000 miles...20,000+ (for a rental) steps outside of the comfort box. I guess you need to go with your gut feeling about it before you commit.

 

That's not the way it works, just like trade ins, they base the price on fair market value. (The money is made on the buy in the case of trade ins)

 

Considering what a hard downshift can do to those press fit cranks, and not knowing the skill level of the renters,....... 22k miles is a lot of renters,...... I'd have to run away from that particular one.

The lower the miles, the lower the risk. That one has too much risk.


If the savings were enough to pay for splitting the cases and replacing the crank,..... maybe.


.

 

As others have said, if the bikes comes with a warranty, go for it. The extended warranty is a good idea, too.

Check the bike carefully to see if it's been dropped or crashed. Look for scratches on the end of the levers and other places that touch the ground. Also, check the paint at frame welds. If the paint's cracked, it's likely the bike was crashed. Have another knowledgeable person look at the bike, too. The more eyes, the better.

Before pulling the trigger, be sure to check the used market for alternatives. I recently bought a bank repo Softail Custom with 430 miles for $4K under list.