what's the most you ever paid for a bike?

[shoelace]

i'm becoming a little tortured considering buying a new bike. i'm half jewish and i think that the frugality that comes along with that is driving me nuts. every time i've bought a bike that i thought might be too expensive and extravagant, i've never regretted it. but i have a question:

what's the most you ever paid for a bike? without getting too specific, what percentage of that purchase was your yearly salary? is there generally rule for this when considering a purchase?

i know that if i get a decent deal on said bike then if i end up selling it then i'm not going to lose much, and perhaps if i get a great deal on the bike i could even make a buck or two. but i have such a painful and difficult time with big purchases.

what are your philosophies on such things?

to be specific, that rsv4 se is driving me crazy. i own my 1098 with all kinds of tasteful mods outright and could probably get 10k in a couple of days.

i need guidance/sound advice.

thanks,
david.

 

[V4]

consider this: even if you pay MSRP otd, the dealer is still making a couple thousand dollar profit...:toothless

 

[revnort]

i'm becoming a little tortured considering buying a new bike. i'm half jewish and i think that the frugality that comes along with that is driving me nuts. every time i've bought a bike that i thought might be too expensive and extravagant, i've never regretted it. but i have a question:

what's the most you ever paid for a bike? without getting too specific, what percentage of that purchase was your yearly salary? is there generally rule for this when considering a purchase?

i know that if i get a decent deal on said bike then if i end up selling it then i'm not going to lose much, and perhaps if i get a great deal on the bike i could even make a buck or two. but i have such a painful and difficult time with big purchases.

what are your philosophies on such things?

to be specific, that rsv4 se is driving me crazy. i own my 1098 with all kinds of tasteful mods outright and could probably get 10k in a couple of days.

i need guidance/sound advice.

thanks,
david.

If you can afford it...buy it and don't look back. It sounds like you can afford it, you just don't like the idea of spending so much money. If it is going to cause you hardship then you can't afford it. If it means you are just going to be lean for a few months, buy it. You're in a lucky position to be able to wrestle with this decision, as many people aren't.

My current bike is the most expensive thing I have ever owned. I have never ever regretted it. In fact I would say from the enjoyment I have on it, it was some of the best money I have ever spent.

You clearly want it. It's not like the 1098 was practical purchase. What are you waiting for?

Edit: If you are thinking about a percentage of your yearly salary you are definitely over thinking it. I don't see how that matters. You either have the money saved, can get it, can afford payments, or none of those things.

 

[TheRiddler]

My current bike is the most expensive thing I have ever owned. I have never ever regretted it. In fact I would say from the enjoyment I have on it, it was some of the best money I have ever spent

Same here. If you want to think about percent of annual income, mine was about 20%. But that's just the initial cost (plus registration/taxes). Factor in trackdays, maintenance, insurance, road trips, gear, etc, and I'd probably be at 75% :rofl Hooray for being a poor college student.

 

[Gary856]

I'm worse than the OP. I can afford pretty much any bike out there, but the most I've ever paid for a bike purchase was $4,500, not counting the tax/fees/work/parts needed immediatly after. In my mind I've set an artificial ceiling of $5k. I've got a family and a mortgage, so even though riding is my personal passion, I feel selfish to spend too much money on a bike. To make myself feel better, I do tell myself that I could always sell a bike to get some of the money back.

 

[Flying Pig]

Same here. If you want to think about percent of annual income, mine was about 20%. But that's just the initial cost (plus registration/taxes). Factor in trackdays, maintenance, insurance, road trips, gear, etc, and I'd probably be at 75% :rofl Hooray for being a poor college student.

 

[fast4d]

13.5k

hard to commit to plunking down 22k for a new bike......

 

[revnort]

I'm worse than the OP. I can afford pretty much any bike out there, but the most I've ever paid for a bike purchase was $4,500, not counting the tax/fees/work/parts needed immediatly after. In my mind I've set an artificial ceiling of $5k. I've got a family and a mortgage, so even though riding is my personal passion, I feel selfish to spend too much money on a bike. To make myself feel better, I do tell myself that I could always sell a bike to get some of the money back.

Man, I'll never ask you to validate my bad decisions :rofl

 

[slowblood]

I think there's two type of buying out there.

There's buy what you WANT at price you can afford. Your focus is on the bike not the price.

Then there's buying something because it's a good DEAL. Then your focus is on the price and you will probably won't enjoy it. Because on a track day, I've never said "Man this bike rips for the price I got it for. I'm really enjoying this bargain!"

A person with a 1098 should never be complain about his bike, unless he really wanted a Triumph 675 instead. :teeth arty

 

[SlideSF]

$3800. I always pay cash for my bikes, because I hate going into debt. I usually have a few favorites in mind - then it's the best bike I can find at the intersection of two lines on a graph: my rising savings plotted against my diminishing ability to hold off any longer.:teeth:ride

 

[Tydive]

My deal is pretty simple.
1) Must pay cash for the bike.
2) Only one bike at a time.

If I was single and had a larger garage #2 would go away. I do the same with cars. Freaking Lexus was painful, so yeah $22k for a bike seems reasonable to me if you have the bones.

 

[Hawaiirider]

I'm worse than the OP. I can afford pretty much any bike out there, but the most I've ever paid for a bike purchase was $4,500, not counting the tax/fees/work/parts needed immediatly after. In my mind I've set an artificial ceiling of $5k. I've got a family and a mortgage, so even though riding is my personal passion, I feel selfish to spend too much money on a bike. To make myself feel better, I do tell myself that I could always sell a bike to get some of the money back.

Ditto.

Well, not the family part, but the most I've ever paid for a bike was 5 large for the RST. Which has turned out to be a lot of bike for the money....

And yes, always cash.

Though if you total the 5 I currently own it's $ 13.5, I figure it's pretty easily liquidated if need be. I mean, who doesn't want a cafe'd HawkGT running Uni-pods ?

 

[Ogier le Danois]

$5k

 

[rritterson]

$10.7 was the most I spent. Would never do that again since motorcycles lose value so quickly. Unless you HAVE to have the latest and greatest get a 3 year old bike, with probably 8000 miles on it, at a 40% discount.

 

[Blankpage]

I bought a new ktm690 last May. Thats the most I ever paid and since then have only 2000miles on it. I paid too much for something I don't need.
It was an impulse buy, nice but not amazing. I swore I'd never buy another new bike, better deals out there with slightly used. But I saw this and like a kid in a candy store, I had to have it.
I have to avoid dealers for fear of doing something stupid.
New bike doesn't equal most enjoyment. Some of the cheapest used bike I've had have given me the most fun.
It's less than 10% of my income but thats still too much for one bike thats not being used. There would have been plenty of better used for that cash.
If you don't need it don't buy it.

 

[Banjoboy]

$13,000, for a used BMW R1200ST.
I dun paid ca$h for the thing, and even being the most expensive bike I even owned, it was also the highest maintenance. :wtf (The thing wuz like Paris Hilton!)

 

[Albal0ney]

Spent $11k on my used 998 from a dealership. I was an idiot, thought it was worth it for peace of mind after hearing horror stories about ducati reliability. Turns out, a ducati is a ducati, as long as there are maintainence records, there is no good reason to buy used from a dealership. I regret the extra 2 or 3 grand I spent, compared to waiting for a good deal on craigslist, but I love the bike and in the end, as long as it makes you happy, whatever, live and learn. I will never spend that much on bike again though unless I suddenly start making millions and 20g's turns into chump change. When the new Ducati sbk comes out tho, I may make an exception.

 

[silverbelt]

About 10K.

Motorcycles are toys for some, a necessity for others. If you can afford the bike you want, then just go for it, and don't bother looking back. Look forward and enjoy it.

Factor in some variables before the purchase though.

1) Do you have a garage?
2) Can you afford full coverage insurance?
3) Do you have M1 endorsement? Completed basic MSF course?
4) If you finance, do you have a FICO 720 minimum on all 3 CRAs?
5) Can you also afford the gear? Leathers, boots, etc.

Theres no shortage of awesome new bikes out there to choose from.

 

[horsepower]

Even if I had a million dollars in the bank, I would still only want the bike that FEELS best for me. That was a used but modifed 2003 R6s for $5,500 originally. Now it's my 2007 Honda which I think we paid $10k out the door, but I reimbursed my husband about half of it because I just don't feel right having that big of a gift handed to me......only to thrash it on the track,haha!
I'd spend more on a decent used bike than a the biggest diamond in the world for the same price. That's how much they are worth!:teeth

 

[silverbelt]

I bought a new ktm690 last May. Thats the most I ever paid and since then have only 2000miles on it. I paid too much for something I don't need.
It was an impulse buy, nice but not amazing. I swore I'd never buy another new bike, better deals out there with slightly used. But I saw this and like a kid in a candy store, I had to have it.

With all due respect, I have a KTM and I don't regret buying it. You may not "need" it, but these bikes are FUN!! Besides, its good to be different.