So you are considering buying a motorcycle. Fantastic! But the next question you must ask yourself is if it would be better for you to purchase a pre-owned motorcycle, or a new one? New motorcycles are fresh and shiny from the factory, and are irresistible with all of their fancy new gadgets and paint jobs. But as tempting as they are, does buying a new bike really make a lot of sense to you? Because the biggest benefit to going with a pre-owned bike over a new one is also the most obvious… they are cheaper! A motorcycle is a toy that you get to enjoy throughout your life, and you don’t need to break the bank in order to do so. A used bike has seen road time, so you don’t need to ease it through its baby steps before you can really take time to enjoy it. Once you visit a dealer and sign the paperwork on a used bike, you are off to the races! So why go through all the trouble (and extra fees) with a new motorcycle when there are plenty of perfectly good pre-owned bikes to choose from! As the saying goes, “variety is the spice of life”, and you’ve got a lot of spicy options to choose from.

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1 Used Bikes Are More Affordable

The biggest reason why anyone would intentionally choose to buy a pre-owned motorcycle over a new one is because you won’t be paying nearly as much for almost the same thing. Every year, motorcycle brands have gradually raised the starting MSRP on new models. One example would be the 2020 Harley-Davidson Street Bob, which had a starting ticket price of $14,599. Fast-forward to today, and the 2023 Harley-Davidson Street Bob’s MSRP has increased by two grand with its new asking price of $16,599. It is one of those times when your heart tells you to go with the new bike, but your brain tells you to go with the pre-owned Street Bob that is just a few years older and a couple of thousand miles on it. You are essentially getting the same thing, but the pre-owned bike only costs a few grand less. Buying a motorcycle can be an emotional experience, but allow logic to take the reins in your purchasing decision.

2 Depreciation Works In Your Favor

Just like cars, watches, smartphones, and computers, the value of a motorcycle plummets the second it leaves the dealership. But what is awesome about whether a bike’s odometer as two miles, or two-thousand miles on it, it can only be officially sold as a used bike. That means is, if you are lucky, you can stumble upon a motorcycle that has only been ridden two or three times in its lifetime. Technically, any new motorcycle that leaves the dealership is by definition, a used bike, regardless of how many miles are on it. So if the pre-owned motorcycle you are looking at only has 100 miles on it and still looks good as new, you are basically buying a new bike without having to pay the price of one. So if you decide to inquire about a year-old motorcycle that was barely ridden, you may find yourself buying a 99% new bike at a used bike’s price.

3 Pre-Owned Motorcycles Have Been Reviewed

Every pre-owned motorcycle up for sale has been ridden, tested, and reviewed by experienced riders on every continent. While it is important to do your own independent research on models that you feel are right for you, the word of an experienced rider can carry a lot of weight. It may work out in your favor to consider the opinions and experiences of individuals that have ridden the motorcycle you are leaning towards because their insight could provide important information on how certain motorcycles perform under different conditions, how comfortable they are, how powerful they are, and if they align with your particular riding habits. New motorcycles are updated every year, so no two year models are ever alike, and you may not necessarily want the newer version. With pre-owned motorcycles, you can read some online reviews, and consult some riders that are familiar with the bike you are looming over. Then will you be able to make a more informed decision.

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4 Used Bikes Cost Less To Insure

When placing a motorcycle on an insurance policy, its coverage is determined by the model, your age, your driving record, location, and the model year of the bike. More often than not, the cost of coverage on a pre-owned motorcycle will be much lower than that of a new one. For example, the cost to insure a 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 650R will be dramatically lower than that of a brand-new 2023 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114. Insurance companies generally don’t require you to pay an arm and a leg for coverage when the cost to repair a motorcycle is more than its actual value. Plus, older bikes are seen as lower-risk, resulting in lower liability cost. Once again, by purchasing a used motorcycle, your wallet will thank you in advance. Also, you can receive a discount on your monthly cost if you can prove you’ve taken a motorcycle safety riding class.

5 You Can Skip The Break-In Period

While a new motorcycle is a very shiny and exciting purchase, a catch that comes with it is the break-in period. This is when the owner needs to ride it a certain amount of miles before they have access to the full rev range. The break-in period is a lot like the bike metaphorically stretching its legs. You cannot go over a certain number of RPMs, and you can’t ride it as aggressively as you may have hoped. You have to be gentle and careful with the first few hundred miles before you can really unlock its potential. Then, once the break-in period is reached, you need to bring it back in to the dealership for a full service. Kind of a buzzkill. With a pre-owned motorcycle, you don’t have to deal with any of this. Nearly every used bike has already been broken in by the time of purchase, so you can just saddle-up and ride!

6 Wider Selection Of Models To Choose From

Every motorcycle brand makes changes to their new lineups every few years. Some models receive upgrades to their factory design. But some models are either temporarily pulled from production, or discontinued altogether. This means that those looking to purchase a new motorcycle have a limited menu of items to choose from. But when shopping around for a pre-owned motorcycle, you have a much wider selection of models up for grabs. Did you ever see yourself on a KTM RC8, Harley-Davidson Sport Glide, or a Yamaha R6, but you couldn’t afford it at the time? Well, good news! Now that you’re ready, you have a second chance at getting your hands on that dream motorcycle you always wanted. Not to mention that it will be priced lower than it was before.

7 Free Upgrades

A big perk to buying a new motorcycle is that it is 100% completely stock. That means for the more creative types, it is a blank slate for customization to suit your personal riding needs and style. However, the downside to this is when you find yourself changing out parts like the handlebars, exhaust, seat, lights, brakes, and doing engine upgrades, the cost of customization can get really high, really fast. Not to mention the cost of having service departments install them if you don’t do the work yourself. Whereas with a pre-owned motorcycle, a significant number of them will have extra parts already installed. If you are lucky, you could find the exact model of motorcycle you were looking for with all the upgrades you had in mind already installed. All of that, with no cost to you!

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8 Great For Beginners

Nearly everyone that has owned more than one motorcycle before likely purchased their first one as used. Just like when you got your first car, the whole point of your first motorcycle is to make all the mistakes on it. There will be times when you don’t know what you are doing. You will feel nervous about pulling into a 4-way intersection. And yes, you will fall. Sometimes more than once. But the entire purpose of a pre-owned motorcycle is to build your confidence. Something that is cheap and easy to learn on, as well as not feel bad when you make a mistake here and there. So when you feel that you are ready (both in experience and in finances) for a new motorcycle, you won’t feel as nervous about pulling the trigger.

9 They Are Favored By Experienced Riders

Many bikers that have been riding for decades understand the pros and cons that come with purchasing a new and pre-owned motorcycle. They have acquired all the knowledge and confidence to handle any bike, and they know all the tricks in the book. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when the newest lineup of motorcycles to hit the sales floor just doesn’t impress them as much as it used to. If anything, veteran riders will often lean towards a pre-owned motorcycle because they already know how to properly ride and maintain it. The last thing they want is to have to deal with the hassle of additional expenses that often come with newer bikes. They don’t want to have to go through the break-in period every time they buy a bike. With a pre-owned bike, they can just get on it and go. That’s it.

10 Dealerships Have Them Serviced For You

Most reputable dealerships make it their policy to give every motorcycle in its pre-owned inventory a full-service before it makes it to the sales floor. Whenever a pre-owned bike is taken in, it could need a wide range of services done to it before selling it. So the dealership will make sure the bike is in 100-percent working order by the time you ride off into the sunset, and you can add a warranty on top of that, regardless of the year. That means if a pre-owned bike was in need of an oil change, new lights, new brakes, etc., the dealership will take care of those repairs for prospective customers before they sign on the dotted light. You can always try purchasing a used bike from a regular guy off of Facebook Marketplace, but you’re rolling the dice because you’ll be buying the bike as-is, and there isn’t as much accountability associated with that.