Best bikes to invest in?

DOHC1

DOHC1

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I'm looking to purchase a bike now, when the prices are down, and hold it over winter (i have more than enough room), and then hopefully sell for a profit come springtime. Budget is about $4000. I was thinking of buying 3 CBR125's for $1200ish now (I have a few scoped out at this price range)..then sell for $1800ish in the spring. Are there any specific bikes that jump in value come spring time? I'm assuming the ninja 250 is a good option too, seeing that its also a beginner bike (often high impulse buyers). Anyone done this before? Was it worth it for you?
 
You're going to buy three CBR's for fourthousand bucks. LOL. LOL. LOL
 
This has bad idea written all over it. You need to spend time buying time buying the bikes, storing the bikes, tying up your money in the bikes, looking for buyers, meeting with buyers, haggling with buyers and other details. And what would be the profit margin, 10%?
 
Yeah, the only way to make money this way is to buy damaged, malfunctioning bikes and fix em up. There you could make some money but there's no guarantee and you need good parts source and mechanical skill.

To buy 3 bikes, you'll spend more money on gas, driving around to find what you want then you will make back. You could also end up losing money if one or more of the bikes you purchase turn out to have mechanical issues or the demand for a particular model drops.

Also if you register them and pay taxes, you dump money right there. If you don't register and try selling them using previous owner's papers, some buyers may be reluctant.

Yet another thing is that you will not sell them for 50% more then you paid for them unless you get extremely lucky.
 
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RetroGrouch said:
This has bad idea written all over it. You need to spend time buying time buying the bikes, storing the bikes, tying up your money in the bikes, looking for buyers, meeting with buyers, haggling with buyers and other details. And what would be the profit margin, 10%?
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Let him go for it...then try to sell these bikes hahah thats always a good experience
 
DOHC1 said:
I don't see whats funny..4000 is the limit, not how much I intend on spending.. I was looking at ones like these:
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-veh...BR125R-very-good-condition-W0QQAdIdZ316556853

Asking $1500, will sell for $1100 - $1200ish
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In his/her ad they say price is firm - what makes you think they'll sell at your discount price? I've been riding 20+ years, so not all that versed in 125 pricing, but 1500 doesn't sound unrealistic given other threads I've seen.
 
From my experience, no bike price is firm once it gets cold and people don't wanna deal with storage. I has previously talked this same seller (I'm 90% sure it was this guy) down to $1200 over email alone (that was also a white CBR125 asking $1500 firm). I'm going to do my research before jumping into something like this..I have experience in flipping cars for a profit (It's actually how I managed to afford my own car at 17..learned to buy cars that needed a bit of work, fix it myself, and sell for a profit). The bike market is appealing to me because of the massive shift from a buyers market to a sellers market as the seasons change.
 
klr_guy said:
In his/her ad they say price is firm - what makes you think they'll sell at your discount price? I've been riding 20+ years, so not all that versed in 125 pricing, but 1500 doesn't sound unrealistic given other threads I've seen.
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........
 
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Very seldomly does the amount of work you think the bike needs, turns out to be the amount of work the bike actually needs.
 
So if you know your tish then purchase one, desirable bike, needing mechanical attention, fix it up nice over winter and sell it. I made about $900 profit on a 1998 CBR900RR.
I don't see older CBR125s being a high commodity item, especially with the new, redesigned model that just came out. If anything, the price will keep dropping.

Bottom line, your idea is not as bad as some people make it sound but I really believe you should study the market a bit more and focus on fixing bikes to sell instead of buying and selling mint ones. Prices in fall are not ALL that much better than in spring, and remember that after New Years, the motorcycle will be one year older.
 
You wanna invest in bikes? Better make them rare and obsolete., complete and original.

RD250/350
Kawi triples
92 CBR900
Norton Commando
etc.....to name a few
 
omnivore said:
You wanna invest in bikes? Better make them rare and obsolete., complete and original.

RD250/350
Kawi triples
92 CBR900
Norton Commando
etc.....to name a few
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nah just buy any ss sport bike for 4-5 grand its actually worth, then comes summer and post it up for 7500 - 8500 like everyone else in toronto
 
DOHC1 said:
From my experience, no bike price is firm once it gets cold and people don't wanna deal with storage. I has previously talked this same seller (I'm 90% sure it was this guy) down to $1200 over email alone (that was also a white CBR125 asking $1500 firm). I'm going to do my research before jumping into something like this..I have experience in flipping cars for a profit (It's actually how I managed to afford my own car at 17..learned to buy cars that needed a bit of work, fix it myself, and sell for a profit). The bike market is appealing to me because of the massive shift from a buyers market to a sellers market as the seasons change.
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while i don't doubt there is at least some potential for a positive return on investment, there are generally better options when it comes to investing. Its time consuming, requires some (unforeseen) manual labour, and is not without its risks. Not to mention the bikes youre targetting are odd.

At 17, i also bought my first car...with a summer job.
 
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what if you can't find good buyers in the spring and in the end stuck with 3 CBR 125s? are you going to ride them all next spring?
 
Buying a bike is a hassle. You're free to try and make a profit but I doubt you'll be doing it again next year.

Are you planning on fixing up the bikes at all over the winter? If you own a truck you could buy bikes from the states and sell them up here. Again, I'm not sure the profit will be worth the hassle.
 
And remember the Misc. expenses, Tax, Cert, Registration, winter storage space, winterizing the bike
You will have to cover those costs as well.
 
Some used dealers I know buy repossessed bikes from the US and sell them here. That's the only way it's worth their time and money to do this. They sell at very attractive prices undercutting local competition and so they always have turnover. You'll be selling your bikes among all the others come Springtime at about the same price.
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