So am I alone in thinking that using mods as a selling feature is going to backfire? You added new levers, changed the exhaust, added a powercommander, cool. Whatever. This actually detracts from my interest if I'm being honest. You did unscheduled modifications from who knows where. This devalues the bike in my opinion. I want as close to stock as possible.
Many, many sellers assume that their "investment" in mods is going to be recovered when they sell the bike.
My view is that in the vast majority of the cases, the mods add very little to the price, they just make the bike easier to sell (especially where original equipment is included as well). I put most mods in this category (slipon, levers, pcv etc).
Some mods can generate some extra money (eg. aluminum panniers on an adv bike) but probably would generate more money if parted out.
Mods like GP exhaust, repaint etc grossly devalue a bike for me as I will need to spend money/time to fix them.
So am I alone in thinking that using mods as a selling feature is going to backfire? You added new levers, changed the exhaust, added a powercommander, cool. Whatever. This actually detracts from my interest if I'm being honest. You did unscheduled modifications from who knows where. This devalues the bike in my opinion. I want as close to stock as possible.
Depends, if I was going to them myself, I don't mind. But even then, you'll never get the full value of the mods.
Also, when I see levers I assume that they dropped the bike. The guy who sold me my bike also gave me the original levers, so it wasn't the case. Having original parts is a plus to me.
The number of threads in the tech section " i added a power commander, slip on, wired my own tail tidy. The bike stalls at idle and the lights are intermittent. Should I get a dyno tune?? " is pretty telling
The number of threads in the tech section " i added a power commander, slip on, wired my own tail tidy. The bike stalls at idle and the lights are intermittent. Should I get a dyno tune?? " is pretty telling
Tail tidy is another one on my hell no list. The vast majority are turds with almost invisible lighting. That needs to come off before I ride the bike.
Mine came with heated grips, adjustable levers, windscreen, some other bits. I still paid what a stock one was worth... Basically just made the sale easier.
Tasteful bolt-on accessories that are appropriate for the bike in question can make for an easier sale and might recover a portion (probably small fraction) of their original cost. If they involve replacing stock parts, I'd want the stock parts unless they're garbage (e.g. I don't want a blown stock shock). If the bike can be returned to stock, that's good.
I agree with the lighting/wiring hacks. Plug-and-play ... No issue. Hacked wiring harness ... I don't trust that someone didn't just tape wires together and call it good enough.
Worst one of all ... custom paint! A cheap spray-bomb job is going to do nothing but kill resale value. Outrageously intricate artwork may be high quality and it might have been expensive but if it suits your taste and no one else's, it's a minus.
And I have a bike with a custom paint job. In its defence ... it's a quality job (it has held up decently, it's not perfect any more but still pretty good 5 years on), tasteful (in my opinion) and period correct, and it's on aftermarket fiberglass with all the original plastic (with original paint) stashed away in storage. And it was done 5 years ago with the objective of getting another 10 years out of the bike. Halfway there.
Personally i hate exhaust mods... I don't need to piss everybody off around me with a loud pipe... as well I leave 5am in the morning... don't need to piss my neighbors off either
I’m game for buying a bike with modifications but like a lot of others many electrical/wiring mods and I’m out. A quality fender eliminator would be an exception.
No cheap junk either because when I buy my own aftermarket parts I’ll wait until the funds to get the right part not the cheapest part I can find.
At the end of it I will pay more for a bike that has mods inline with what I would be planning on doing anyways. Not full pop but that bike would bring a premium from me over a stock one generally.
Personally i hate exhaust mods... I don't need to piss everybody off around me with a loud pipe... as well I leave 5am in the morning... don't need to piss my neighbors off either
On a late model bike, bolt on mods might make the bike more attractive, rarely add a lot of value. Mods that cannot easily be returned to stock and mods the compromise stock frame or wiring will devalue a bike.
On vintage of collector bikes, custom paint and aftermarket parts can take the vale down to 'parts bike'. Here's an example of a make/model I'm quite familiar with, Yamaha XV920R, Yamaha's first ST (I have restored 5 of these bikes, I own 2). The one listed below is for sale on Kijiji for $6000 -- it has thousands in upgrades.
Restored originals are worth about $5K to collectors, nice specimens $5k less the cost of restoration. I looked over this bike, based on the pics itneeds the original the triple, forks and brakes from a 920R ($1000), period seat cover ($250), paint ($800), tank badges ($60), exhaust ($800), center stand ($150), 8" headlamp ears and reflectors ($1000), mirrors ($100). Add on anything else that you can't see in the pics. My guess you could get $800-1000 on with a clean title. A couple hundred more if it's exported to the USA.
It;s a crap-shoot. If I like the mods you have put on the bike then I am motivated to buy over similar bikes without the mod(s). If I don't like the mods you have added then I move on.
I don't necessarily want to pay more for those mods I like though so be careful how you price your bike.
How much time and effort will it take to replace the mods back to stock, IF they can even be replaced.
Most people don't put mods on to sell a bike or command a higher price.
Also, if someone's messed around with the bike putting on mods, and is then going to mess around removing them, how good are they at it?
It adds a level on uncertainty to the quality of the bike, and means you need to take a more detailed look.
I've had mods that couldn't be removed on my bikes. e.g. current bike has the luggage rack split and rewelded to shift it slightly back from the passenger seat. Previous bike had a cd player installed under the seat, and speakers up near the windshield. Previous bike to that had a mod to the oil distribution (V65 Magna) professionally installed. The best I would expect for them, would be zero.
With older bikes, mods are often excuses for "OE parts too expensive". Using that XV920R shown before, most of the parts listed to restore the bike were subbed out for readily available parts off the more popular Virago cousin. As for paint, that bike was OE painted with lacquer which polished up with a glass like finish. It would have been badly faded by now, if the bike is undamaged the 'patina' on the original finish would not diminish the value. If the original paint was damaged, it needs a $1500 laquer paintjob. A $100 2 stage painting takes $1500 off the collector value (the cost of restoring paint).
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