oK anyone in the search for a hack rig usually has access to the internet and probably even found this site and has read it from end to end.
Checked Flea-Bay and Craigslist and countless other resources, including Kelly Blue Book.
So here is my rant that probably (maybe) some here would care to comment on....seems that most here and elsewhere put a value of double retail or 2 1/2 times trade in value....on their rigs.
So based on the KBB what is a fair price for a rig.
My money says some figure in the middle of trade-in and retail at most,mostly less.
Any thoughts, are some folks selling sentiment....
Sorry if this plucks a nerve.....
Sighnedby,
Me with 6 posts and looking.
sturgis1982 - 6/10/2011 7:07 PM oK anyone in the search for a hack rig usually has access to the internet and probably even found this site and has read it from end to end. Checked Flea-Bay and Craigslist and countless other resources, including Kelly Blue Book. So here is my rant that probably (maybe) some here would care to comment on....seems that most here and elsewhere put a value of double retail or 2 1/2 times trade in value....on their rigs. So based on the KBB what is a fair price for a rig. My money says some figure in the middle of trade-in and retail at most,mostly less. Any thoughts, are some folks selling sentiment.... Sorry if this plucks a nerve..... Sighnedby, Me with 6 posts and looking.
First, I don't think any of them have a realistic idea of what sidecars are worth. Sidecars tend to lose value very fast from new to used, but then hold steady for years. For example, a new Motorvation Formula II will run close to $10,000 new, but can be had for 1/3 that only a few years old. At the same time, a 20 year old one in good shape will cost that same $2500 to $3500 if it is still in good shape.
A Terraplane will cost you more today than it did when it was new. KBB says my 1996 Friendship 3 is worth $1535 in showroom condition. In reality, I looked at a lot of repairable ones around $3,000 before finding mine for $2500. KBB doesn't consider mounting hardware which can easily cost you another $1,000.
On a related note, Kelly Blue Book and NADA both base their prices on the ASKING price at member dealers. On their websites, they tell you that the listed price is only a starting point for negotiations.
I see similar things with Harley sportsters (probably big twins too but I haven't looked) and classic scooters. There seem to be some categories where reality and blu book pricing have little to do with each other. Heck, kbb and nada can show discrepancies between themselves. One area I lived, car dealers would quote the guide with the lowest trade in value for your trade in, then quote the guide with highest sale value when selling you the replacement car.
I agree that sidecars are expensive and can double the cost of a bike if you shop on the low end of the spectrum like I do. They also take a long time to sell so don't be afraid to make an offer and let them know to contact you if they change their mind on price later.
Are you using a craigslist search tool like search tempest.com or similar that will allow you to open your search area easily?
The NADA & KBB sidecar prices are not realistic. They solicit their sales info from motorcycle dealers who buy low and sell very high. Most dealers have never had a sidecar in their store unless it came in on a bike. We have bought many sidecars from motorcycle dealers for bargain prices. In the Seattle area several dealers would call us to remove (and buy) any sidecars that came in on trade so they could sell the bikes easier. The only ones that left them on were the URAL dealers.
The solo bike to sidecar rig sales ratio is about 1,000 to 1, few dealers want to bother with them. The sales volume is not there.
The books show no Velorex sidecar sales since 2002 and there have been over 5,000 new Velorex sidecars sold since then.
Many of these and a lot more older madels have been sold since then but most are not sold through licensed Motorcycle dealers.
Add costs of the mounting parts/ sub-frames or brackets/ needed fabrication/ relocation or modification of bike and sidecar
components, installation, alignment and associated labor costs plus the price of the bike and sidecar and it adds up quickly.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars
Ok for the sake of discussion,lets forget the side car, even the motorcycle they are attached to are "overpriced", You say the attaching parts are in addiition to the cost of the car, when current value is considered ?
Alright, are you telling me that every installation is so unique that the cost of instalation can not be quoted....I am sure that HD flat rates there installs....
One only has to review the mentioned craigslist or even the sales feature here.
Just trying to get a handle here. 🙂
Thanks for your comments.
PS. i do buy MC's, guitars, pool cues and research values/own a motorcoach, the disparity between what buyers and sellers value stuff is equally amazing.
With a sidecar outfit purchase the elements I described are there. Some value is attached to all this added to just a loose solo bike and an unattached new or used sidecar.
Harley has a flat rate schedule assuming the Harley (only) sidecar is being attached to a current matching model of Harley Davidson
ElectraGlide motorcycle (or a few years of FXR's). That is the limit of their flat rate schedule. Any variation between the years or models will accrue additional cost for parts and supplies needed and added shop labor charges. With their odd propriatory mounting system they can mount a 1968 TLE car to a 2011 ElectraGlide with a proper HD mounting kit, but it won't be at a flat rate cost.
Other installers work with many makes and models of sidecars and motorcycles. Some being similar but few being the same when it comes to mounting a sidecar. Yes many installations are "Unique".
We can always give a price quote on jobs we are familiar with. On others we may have to give a cost range estimate.
Installations can take hours for some combos and weeks for some others.
L.
