Just_Nick

$2,500-3,000 is reasonable at that mileage. There are plenty of other more modern bikes in the $3,700-4,000 range, so that's a pretty hard sell for him to a random Joe and we know better than to pay that for anything other than a super-clean, low-mileage example. Also, riding season is not for several months, so even that excuse isn't there (except here in Texas, where it's been very nice when it isn't raining).

Peeb

...NEW to Forum...
I just bought a '98 with 17K miles for $2000. I may have paid a bit much because it needs all the normal stuff done. Doing work myself but it's still going to be $500-700 in parts. Visually, it's great, just a couple scratches. Needs tires (great tread but old date codes) chain, sprockets, front brakes, all fluids (clutch, brakes, coolant, oil), forks are bagged out, new fuel diaphragm (that's the core reason it did not run) air filter original and plugged. The clutch disengages with only the slightest pull on the lever and I don;t think that's right. Came with Yoshimura pipes. It's very loud and astonishingly fast. Stock CCT. Stock Regulator/Rectifier. When it's done and perfect I will ask for $2700 and likely get it. It's fun, I enjoy the challenge and don't mind putting some free labor into it. It's as if someone bought it new, flogged it for a couple years, bought new tires and never rode it again. I bought it from a guy who bought is as a basket case, spent a couple days labor just to make it run and HE bought it for $800 plus a battery. He did well, I'm just having fun resurrecting a monster. So the price on a bike this age really comes down to condition. If you are no mechanic, you better pay up and be sure of the quality of all the wear items and be sure it's really what you want. If you are a mechanic, there are deals to be found but you can still be upside down because of parts. I prefer buying something cheaper and putting time parts in so I know what I have. Others need a more off-the-shelf-experience. Both approaches are fine just don't pay up for something not perfect and gone though by a PRO with receipts and history..


BTW, the VTR came with spare carbs I don;t need. Complete with jets, linkage, brackets and everything. I don;t know if they need rebuilding. Look good as is. I will give the carb setup to someone who is doing a project. NOT FOR RESALE.

KLR996

I paid 2000 for a 2000 with 18k miles. CLEAN. Needs a new chain, fresh fluids. Never dropped, has new tires. it's missing NOTHING. It even have some of the mods my other one had.

He came down from 2500. I feel like I got a good deal.

captainchaos

A time capsule '98 with 348 miles just sold on Ebay for $4,172. Honestly surprised it went for that much. I paid $2100 for a mint '99 with 9k miles (with some nice accessories) on it a few years back, and honestly wouldn't pay more than $2500 (MAYBE $3k) for most any superhawk. I've paid around a grand for the last several I've dragged home, including one that simply needed the carbs cleaned. $3700? Trade in on a '98 is $1,445, retail, from a dealer, is $2,165. Ask why they feel the bike is worth an extra $1500. Curious the answer you get. I don't know, but at least in Florida there are always a few for sale within driving distance and $2500 will usually get you a clean, original bodywork bike, often with things like seat, pipes, etc.

06vfirestorm

Well in Australia they are a lot more expensive I paid $6000.00 for a 06 done 3700 klm and although it is in mint condition it spent its life in a guys house . I have had to do a lot of work to get her back on the road ie full service , battery , fork overhaul ,steering head bearings, carbys , fuel tank liner ,tyres and registration but I have a thing for big twins and it is running perfect now

IT_Mike

$2,500 for a 99 with 27K on the odometer. Extra Corbin seat, lower cowling, and decent tires.

8541Hawk

Had to put it back together but the last one was free...
Kind of evens things out as I bought the first one new in 97, so paid a bit for that one....

Kelevra

I also bought my first one new, in spring of '97. The owner let me take his for a spin, after I told him how much I wasn't loving my '94 CB1000 'big one'. Came back and put down a deposit.

Added a Fox twin clicker, race-tech springs & internals, Brembo radial master, vortex clip-ons, and a +2 teeth rear sprocket. Had a local exhaust shop (Kooks Headers) fab me a set of mid-pipes to get the mufflers as close to under the seat as I dared. Great bike for 60,000 miles, track days included. Sold it.

Here I am now, many years later, with yet another '98 VTR, in fair condition, with 22k miles on the clock. Sat for 2 years, idles with choke, but doesn't throttle. Going into the my local Honda dealer shortly for the carbs to be rebuilt/needles shimmed. I decided to mod how I did the first one, but prolly use a modified F4i shock, as Fox's are rare and costly. The bike did come with Akrapovic header & ART carbon exhausts, overall in fair to good shape.
Bike cost me $1000- Prolly put another $1000-1500 back into it. So, $2-2500 will be my number.

AlanS

There's no universal scale for used bike (or anything else) values. Region plays a significant role in the average price you can expect to get. I suppose that's due to supply/demand mostly. If you're selling a bike in a metropolitan area the chances are you'll get more than if you're selling the same bike in an isolated, rural area. But there's a lot of variables. At best we can talk probabilities.

I just bought a super clean 2003 VTR with 21K for $3300. The bike's in San Diego, Ca.

A friend of mine's a millionaire. I'll never be a millionaire. His approach to purchasing stuff is to find the biggest bargain he can. And if he can't find a bargain, to defer the purchase. If something he wants is regularly $100 and he finds it on sale for $75 he'll buy it. If he doesn't find it on sale for $75 he will do without forever...or until he finds it on sale for 75 bucks. On the other hand, my approach is, if I want it and I have the wherewithal to do so I buy the thing. If it should sell for $100 and I find one close by in great shape that I can have NOW, I'll pay $105. There's quite a few ways of looking at such stuff. Then again, my friend drives around in a mechanically sound 'beater' (a hybrid). I have a much nicer car (a hybrid, too). He owns the beater. I make payments. Alas...

Alan

Wolverine

Very true Alan. Welcome to the forum btw.

AlanS

Hi, Wolverine (and all y'all). Thanks.

RidingJersey

i paid $700 us dollars for mine with 68,000 thousand miles on it last year, alot of cosmetic issues, rattling from the automatic cam chain tensioner and pops out of first and second gear at high rpms but i got 78 thousand on it now from riding all last season but im changing the cam chain tensioner's myself now and gonna have the trans fixed soon by a shop but i think once i get it all fixed and ready to go it will be a good investment . only time will tell.

finepooch

you just described me. exceptions are that I am not a millionaire, and I have to wait for a $50 price. lol
to expand on it, scoring a bargain is almost like giving yourself a raise after income taxes. using this method I have been able to buy and sell bikes and actually make money on a few of them. I have seven bikes now and just keep watching for bargains to buy more.

AlanS

finepooch, I guess I'm the type of guy you make money on when you sell those bikes! LOL.

Alan

grampi50

Old thread, so how does a $3700 price, pre-pandemic, compare to a $3700 price today (post pandemic)? That's what I paid for my 20K mile '98...

3DogNate

I just paid $2k for one that was pretty good Looking and only needed a battery, a little wiring clean up on the tail lights and fresh fuel to get running proper. I'm painting a few of the fairing pieces to make it near perfect but it really didn't need it, but hey, I'm a painter so it's silly cheap for me to do it.

BUT, I just sold a '95 Ducati 900SS CR for $5k in about an hour of listing it and last fall couldn't get anyone to offer $4k when I had it listed for a few months. The market is up. I don't think I'd be able to find a Super Hawk in the condition I bought mine in under $3500 right now in the Mid-West, My buddy had a buddy that needed to get the bike out of his ex-wife's garage pretty much asap so he offered it up to friends cheap before listing it. The market is definitely up right now. There are a couple listed that are really nice for $3500-$4800 near by that could use little more than a bucket and a brush. There are some pretty trashed ones that are asking $1500-$2500 that I'd not go near unless I was looking for a shitty bike to stunt out or learn to wheelie well on without giving a **** about.