Who cares about trade in? Before I **** anyone off, I have a Yamaha, and a HD in the garage.

IMHO, bikes are like wives, you get one for life. If all hell brakes loose, you make a change.

When chosing a wife, if you marry a "cheap lady", you' expect problems, and if you want to get a cheap bike, you get what you paid for.

 

Resale value notwithstanding, in a few years Yammerhammer will quit carrying parts for the bike, and everything will have to be special ordered. Eventually, unless the bike is extremely popular, as in a Gold Wing, Yammerhammer won't even order parts for it, and the aftermarket won't be there for it either.

Any of you old farts remember the extremely popular Honda 750 of the '70s? Ain't many around now, especially compared to the eleventy-sevengazillion that were everywhere back then. And just go into the local Honda shop and ask the parts guy for something for one.

 

Yeah I remember, I loved that bike! If I could buy one again and rebuild it I would!

 

Wow, the 750 four cylinder. The bike looked and felt huge to me. Of course, I was 16 at the time and my bike was a 100 Hodaka.

 

So are you saying the Roadstar is cheap? Also is reliability an issue with the Roadstar? I have two wives also so I know what your saying.

 

The Yamaha bikes aren't cheap. I think what Skip is saying is that there are not enough of them in the market to warrant dealers keeping many parts for older models.

 

I have been going to Los Angeles HD for many years and last week I seen a Honda Shadow on their floor (Used bike section) I did not think they excepted Metric trade ins. I wonder what HD gave the guy for that bike.

 

I can't ever imagine parts being an issue for the Roadstar. There are alot of companies cashing in on the success of this bike by making parts and full on customs.http://www.brittcustommetrix.com/

 

I think it more an issue of "fan base". I don't see Roadstar (regardless of quality, price, or otherwise) having the same loyal fan base that the MoCo has. Let' face it, there aren't a lot of guys getting Yamaha and Roadstar tattooed to their arm. Consequently, a few years down the road, you will struggle to find parts. HD evolves slowly, has such a loyal fan base that it's not a concern.

Mac

 

Years ago I had a 1984 Shadow, bought it for $2,000, beat the hell out of it, gave it to the wife, and later to my sister in law, took it back, and sold it for $2,000. Years of riding, fun, etc. Everyone had a great time.

I find that after about 10 years bikes hold their value forever. Buy them, ride them, sell them, all for the same price.