Venture mileage and affect on resale value

[gdebruin123]

After having my RSTD for several months I have decided that I want to get a Venture - want the trunk, CB, radio, and bars for my kids to hang onto when riding. Love the RSTD and possibly keep it for some lighter riding - will see. While I searching for a used Venture I have come across several with 30-40,000 miles on them - some are 2003-2005 years. I have heard nothing but positive on these bikes as in there quality but wondered if any of you have some wisdom on buying a bike with 30K or more on it. Also I am curious what effect this higher mileage has on the resell value ( or should have.)

 

On a side note I find it interesting the wide range pricing I have seen on the Ventures - last week there was an brand new 2007 venture for $13400 on Ebay while I have seen elsewhere 2005 ventures for sale at $ 14500.

 

Anyway, as always appreciate your input.

[Leadwolf56]

As a lot of others here will tell you 30-40,000 miles on one of these bikes is nothing. A lot of them have well over 100,000 miles and still running strong. The V4 is a very strong engine and will last a long time.

[Redneck]

Mileage on motorcycles has very little bearing on resale value unlike cars. the over all condition and year model are the main determining factors of value. The wide range in pricing come from several factors the new retail price will vary depending on location , time of year , how long the dealer has had it ect. The difference in used prices vary depending on what the buyer paid , how many accessories have been added, how much they still ow on it , their financial situations , how bad they want rid of it , how long they have been trying to sell it ect.

[BOO]

Yeah, what Mike said. I have never bought a new Venture but I try to buy a low mileage one and in my opinion 30 to 40 K is low mileage. I have seen several Ventures with well over 100,000 on them. I have run a couple up into the 90's myself.

[bowa1]

There are a lot of people out there that buy a motorcycle and never ride the damn thing. Look at some hardly used HD's in the local paper (I see very low mileage metrics also but our classifieds usually have many more HD's).... around here I see a lot of 4 year old bikes with a few thousands miles on them so when a person sees 30-40K on a bike they might think "holy crap the thing is used up"! Truth is, if a person actually rides the bike it won't take long to reach 30K. If the bike is well maintained, 30k isn't any thing to worry about (at least on Yama's V-4 it isn't ). HOWEVER, I do think the higher the mileage the less it's going to sell for. I know I wouldn't give as much for a 2 year old bike with 30K vs. the same year bike with 10K. Mileage definitely is going to effect selling price! Remember asking price and selling price are 2 different things . That being said, a 30-40K Venture that was well taken care of should have a ton of miles left in it, just make sure it's priced right. Good luck with your search, Larry

[BOO]

Yeah our local paper always has more HD's for sale then any other brand. Theres probably more of them on the road then any other but the ad's that I get a kick out of say something like. 2004 Tour Glide 20k miles, recent top end. Thats a little scary......

Jerry

[Cutty]

Selling prices vary because of location, time of year, accessories, condition and sellers position in life ( employment, divorce, etc. ). No two deals are the same.

[wild hair 39]

the only thing bad about a hi milage venture,THEY DON'T LIKE SETTING AROUND,THEY ARE TRAINED TO GO,'145000,on an 89 vr,120000,since i purcher it

[gdebruin123]

Guys,

 

Thanks for all your feedback. I agree that a bike with 30K versus 5K of the same year should go for less if both have equal parts. Of course when people put custom stuff on their bike it changes the picture. What I see though is that many people are asking similar prices for these two bikes and this kind of surprised me. Maybe it is the time of the year.

 

I am almost venture to guess that the 30K is better taken care of since this is a person serious about riding versus the 5K one is just not riding (for a 2005.) I have put 3K on my RSTD in 3 months.

 

My other issue with this all is that I have not found any Ventures for sale in California and the DMV here requires a bike to have at least 7500 miles on it to bring it in from another state to be considered used. Does any CA member have had experience with this? Of course I can ride it home from East Coast

 

Anyway I will be searching and will let you all know what I end up with.

[Condor]

My other issue with this all is that I have not found any Ventures for sale in California and the DMV here requires a bike to have at least 7500 miles on it to bring it in from another state to be considered used. Does any CA member have had experience with this? Of course I can ride it home from East Coast

 

George, I didn't know that!!! Interesting.

 

Here's one I found on Craigslist out in Stockton. I know it's not a current year, but it sounds like it's pristeen. Do a google search for and you'll get hit's from all over the US. Ebay ain't the only place to find nice second gens.... And don't forget to dicker...

[gdebruin123]

George, I didn't know that!!! Interesting.

 

Here's one I found on Craigslist out in Stockton. I know it's not a current year, but it sounds like it's pristeen. Do a google search for and you'll get hit's from all over the US. Ebay ain't the only place to find nice second gens.... And don't forget to dicker...

 

Jack, I thought so too. I had found a nice brand new blue one in Florida and price was right but guy tells me I can bring it here unless it has 7500 miles on it. Glad I learned that lesson

 

I saw the one in Stockton but I want either blue or black.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Yeah our local paper always has more HD's for sale then any other brand. Theres probably more of them on the road then any other but the ad's that I get a kick out of say something like. 2004 Tour Glide 20k miles, recent top end. Thats a little scary......

 

Jerry

 

That's probably a misprint....wrong year, or wrong bike...The Tour Glides were manufactured in the 80's and early 90's...and maybe that is supposed to say, '20k miles ON recent top end'....

 

If that was a 2004 ROAD Glide, then they might have meant that the bike had a big bore or other top end mod.

 

Those old Shovelheads DID need more wrenching than a more modern bike, but I met a guy at Sturgis a couple of years ago who had over 240,000 miles on his old Shovel, and he had a sidecar attached the whole time!

 

 

[Guest KitCarson]

That's probably a misprint....wrong year, or wrong bike...The Tour Glides were manufactured in the 80's and early 90's...and maybe that is supposed to say, '20k miles ON recent top end'....

 

If that was a 2004 ROAD Glide, then they might have meant that the bike had a big bore or other top end mod.

 

Those old Shovelheads DID need more wrenching than a more modern bike, but I met a guy at Sturgis a couple of years ago who had over 240,000 miles on his old Shovel, and he had a sidecar attached the whole time!

 

 

I have been thinking about saying this for some time, suppose I will go ahead and this seems to be the spot to say it. I like my Venture, it is a neat bike, in fact I love it. But all kidding aside, banter about the mirrors falling off(which they will do!) and also the floorboards!!. And anything else that does not have locktite on it!! The modern Harley is a quality machine. Most of the bad things happened during the AMF days, yes those bikes were junk......totally!! Harley has struggled to climb out of the hole since and has pretty much done a good job. A few recent problems were seen with a recent newer motor with the bearings in the overhead cams. This has also since been corrected and also the 2nd and 5th gears in the transmission on the new 2008 models has been changed to helical cut. So at the present day.........Harley is on a roll, new technology, an extra gear in the box to widen out the gear range.

The new head gaskets......hey they really do not leak anymore!!.

Yes the Harley runs hot and will melt your shoes off!! and you can in stop and go traffic sometimes smell the oil cooking.......but you can also with the yamaha twins......or any air cooled motor.........I suppose what I am trying to say........all the myths and real stories laid aside......the modern machine is a very reliable one. It is getting better every year, the new 2008 even has ABS brakes.........and in reality this particular new year model is ahead of Yamaha in many ways. Yea I know all about the EPA stuff, the heat. and the remaining vibration.........but there is one thing about a harley......and that big twin, if you ever ride one, you will never forget it. It has the character of a real iron horse. I have been reluctant to buy another one for the reasons mentioned above about the trouble they were having with some of the motors and the gear box.......but all this has been resolved........I am watching Harley closely, and in 2009 if a new Venture is not out , with good brakes and a lot of other things they should have already upgraded, I will certainly go get me a brand new Screamin Eagle, with out even any dirt on the tires!!

 

The reason you see so many HD in the for sale adds is quite simple. Most guys that buy them are not lifetime riders. They are the middle aged yuppie generation(like us!!) but they have never owned a bike before. Harley is the American tradition......go get a Harley ride around with a rag on your head......it is tradition.......the thing to do........so almost everyone choses a harley. Then it sits in the garage after the new wears off.......taxes come due.........they have found they really do not like bikes this much, or have had a close call and get scared, or finacially it puts a strain on the family budget....hey harleys are not cheap!. I would say past the year 2005, serious problems with the Harley are not very frequent, some of the top end jobs you hear about are mods........stuff we do with the venture such as installing a new v max rear end..........really nothing wrong with the bike.......just makes it more better!!

I wrote all this to try to truthfully put some of the myths about Harleys away.....most of them are true......but that was years ago........the new ones really are good machines. Kit:bighug:

[Lone Eagle]

Kit, good post. I would tend to agree with you on this - I personally think most of the newer bikes out there are good and/or getting better. I know in my STAR chapter - we have 4 newer Harley cruisers - the people love 'em, ride the heck out of them, with very little problems.

I would also tend to agree about not lifelong, or serious riders. It is extremely easy to just "gravitate" towards Harley - heck, everyone has one type of mentality. But I think when you find the serious rider(s), they have at least evaluated - or owned - other machines, and through a process of elimination, determine which mfg. / bike best suits themselves - and make that purchase.

I remember - after buying my TD, wishing I had bought a Harley -as I previously owned two of them (and almost bought one this time). But after sitting on all the mfg's bikes at the IMS show, for me, I loved the roominess of a TD - so I guess, it depends what you use a machine for.

 

George, you will find one out there - that red one Condor posted sure was nice - but there will be others. It's "early" in the winter season as these deals I'm sure will start popping up.

[SaltyDawg]

I bought a 99 with 42,000 miles on it and no warranty without hesitation. Of course I had already owned a 99 and put 37,000 miles on that one and knew the quality of the bike.

 

I personally would question a touring bike that was a few years old and didn't have 8,000 to 10,000 miles per year on it. I have had this one for 10 months and have put 18,0000 miles on it.

[Guest Popeye]

I got an 86 VR with 17k on it about 2 years ago.

Less than 1000 miles per year.

I SHOULD HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WARNING SIGN.

 

Low mileage meant it was stored a LONG time.

Good tread on tires but rotted.

It was stored improperly as tank rusted from inside, so rust got in my carbs & required overhaul.

[gdebruin123]

Before I had decided on the RSTD I had my mind set on a HD ultra or Honda Goldwing but this for me was purely out of ignorance on what else was out there. The biggest obstacle was price. I drove a Road King for 600 miles over two days and liked it but was not sold and they are expensive used. The RSTD sold me for many reasons; higher windshield, less vibration, smooth ride, nicer styling, lower noise, easy conversion and low cost.

 

Now that I have had it for 4 months and driven over 3K I want the things that the Venture has. I sat on all the comparable bikes at the IMS show and felt the Venture has it all for me. I am a tall guy and need room and I could not find this on the HD.

 

In the end it is all about what works for you and what you like, want, can afford and need. The Venture could use an update but for me it is good enough for now (once I get one - test driving a 07 on wed.) I am still new to all the technical parts and for me it is more like will it start and does it keep running and 5 year warranty helps a lot in that.

 

Maybe in a few years I will change my mind , who knows. For now I enjoy my RSTD everyday and hope the same with a Venture once I get one.