When it comes to buying a used or second hand motorcycle, it is important that you go in with your eyes wide open relating to just how much the bike is worth. There are a number of different factors, which can dramatically affect used motorcycles values. The mains ones being the year of manufacturer, its condition and where it is.
The easiest way for you to check if the asking price that the seller is valuing their bike at is fair is by using a number of different valuation resources. The most common ones used by dealers and private sellers today are the Kelley Blue Book or the valuation guide from NADA. Below we take a look at these two books in a little more detail along with some other ways to check out the values of used motorcycles.
The National Automobile Dealer’s Association (NADA) Guide is as well known as the Kelley Blue Book. However, a large number of dealers and private buyers prefer this one over the Kelley Blue Book simply because they feel it offers a large amount of information relating to how the valuation of each vehicle is arrived at. The Guide has been published since 1933 and is one of the largest publications offering valuation prices for all types of vehicles including motorcycles.
However when talking about books which offer information regarding the valuation of vehicles then the one you will hear most people talk about is the Kelley Blue Book. This particular one has been available for over 80 years now and unlike NADA they actually produce more than one type of price guide book. The one that you will often see most dealers of vehicles referring to including motorcycle dealers is known as the “Kelley Blue Book Auto Market Report - Official Guide”.
Rather than actually providing a true value of the motorcycle this one provides the person using it with a suggest retail value. The value that is shown in these books is often considerably more than what the dealer would offer the motorcycle to you. If you can, get hold of a copy of this guide prior to you starting to search for a used motorcycle to buy.
Researching the true values of the used motorcycle, you are considering buying provides you with far more bargaining power than if you did not. However if you are having difficulty in obtaining copies of either the above mentioned pricing and valuation guides then why not go online. There are now sites set up where you can quickly find out if the price being asked for a used motorcycle is reasonable or not.
One site that you may be interested in using for looking at motorcycle values is “motorcyclebluebook.com”. At this site they have price details for every single type of motorcycle that has ever been produced. The search program on this site is user friendly and in order to get a valuation from them you just need to enter the make, model and year of the motorcycle. After entering this information all you need to do is wait for the email they provide which provides not just details of how much the bike is worth but at what price it is likely to be sold at.
Along with the “motorcyclebluebook.com” another really good website for getting used motorcycles values form is called “Edmunds.com”. This site as with the one previously mentioned provides you with a valuation of what they think the motorcycle is worth, but also provide you with a figure of what they think the motorcycle is likely to be selling for. However if you want to ensure that you get the best deal possible when buying a used motorcycle then don’t be afraid spending some time comparing all the information that these websites and guide books offer before you buy. Doing this is likely to end up saving you a lot of time and money.
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