Phaedrus

I would think you'd have to get a great deal on the bike in the fall in order to compensate for any fix-up expenses incurred, insurance payments and the depreciation in value that occurs over time between one year to the next before selling in the spring.

I've been toying with the idea of doing what you're talking about, only with bikes that seem to be holding their value over time, (and may even go up in value), such as those nearing classic status such as a 1969 - 1975 Honda CB750, 1975 - 1977 Honda CB400, 1978 - 1982 Honda CBX1000, Kawasaki H! Mach III, Kawasaki Z1900, 1985 Yamaha V-Max, 1999 Suzuki Hayabusa or the 1977 - 1978 Harley Davidson XLCR.

cliby

I think its hard with relatively recent used bikes to actually make money - you can ride for almost free if you buy sell smart which is pretty nice. But to make money the resale isn't that great on bikes and there is a lot of sellers. I have a friend with a real 'midas touch' at finding older (70's vintage) bikes and turning them into a lot of money, without much work except simple reviving/cleaning or parting them out. Best example is somebody selling off their dad's old boxes of crap a couple years ago after he died. This guy just wanted the boxes gone along with this old engine. Turns out the old engine was a 'sandcast' type SOHC 750 and the boxes of junk were the same type parts - all for $150. Has turned it into thousands so far. Key is knowing what you are looking for and the market. That era japanese bikes you can get some in nice condition from long time owners who rarely use them and finally are unloading them verycheap because they don't realize somebody now wants them. The brown bomber (honda 500) is a great example - terrible bikes when new but now there is some 40-50 year olds who have to have them! Those looking to buy a nostalgia piece and paying a lot more for them - for instance cb400f bikes and parts, RD350/400 series, some early VFR, cb750 SOHC bike, a few DOHC. Anyway, key here is knowing what is valuable to some but not recognizable as valuable to those looking to unload them. Pays to become very expert in a few areas if you really hope to cash in.

nfbzike

To find the value of a bike is tough. its all what the market bears. Obviously we all know things like the superhawk have a relatively small market so setting a price on it is tough. sure its a great bike but you would be hard pressed to get over $4k for one. best thing to do is look at bikes on craigs list. look at 10 of the same bike and get an average where people are asking. throw out some of the ridiculous ones like $10k for a 07 600 with 5 miles. That guy is ony crack.

motojoe

Buy low, fix up, detail it and sell for a fair upper price range. Be wiling to hold on to a bike if it doesn't sell quickly. Start with one bike and see how it goes from there. Don't quit your day job while doing this either. Some states require you to become a dealer if you sell more then 5 vehicles a year.

JamieDaugherty

Where I live, it used to be a big deal to get a bike at the end of the season. You could normally get cheap enough that you could make $500-1000 come spring time. That was back in the 80's and 90's. Now, people realize that a bike has value. If it's worth $5000 in the spring people want $5000 in the fall too.

Unless you find a killer deal (regardless of the season) there is no money to be made in used bikes. As always, your results may differ...