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Buy used or new?

4K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  gibson 
#1 ·
I'm more tempted than ever at selling my Hammer and getting a Cross Country if I can get enough for the Hammer. The family and I went by a dealer yesterday and checked out the last one that they have and I really think I may be able to give up my beloved Hammer for one.
My question is since you can practically get a brand new one at the price that people are asking for used ones how would you go and why?
Right.... I'm upset about the closing but it has only increased my desire to get one now and I've always said that an XC is the only bike that can tempt me off of my Hammer.
 
#2 ·
Get a new one! That way you know what has been done to it and by who! You can also customize it the way you want! If you get a used bike, as I did, you will probably have some changes done to it and won't have the original parts. I loved my bike just the way the guy customized it, but he was an idiot when it came to mechanics. I had bolts stripped out and hex heads that were wallered out. He also used red Loctite Threadlocker on the aluminum brackets that held the touring windshield brackets in place. So, when I went to change to the Klock Werks windshield, the threads in the aluminum windshield mounting brackets came out with the bolts. I had to buy new brackets. Just food for thought. Good luck!
 
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#3 ·
Did you testride a CC already? In city & fast twisties ? That should be your first step...

Sure new is more fun then second... But money talks...

Andre
TaPaTaLk
 
#4 ·
I agree with @MaddogUSMC with prices where they are you can't go wrong. If possible, buy from an Indian/Victory dealer so you know they'll be around to provide service/warranty work.....that you probably won't need ;)
 
#5 ·
Sounds like a perfect example of someone that had absolutely no idea what they were doing and you wound up paying for it Maddog. All perfect reasons to go new and like you said, I would know exactly what has been done to it and how it has been treated. What is tempting about used is that someone else can spend all the money on exhaust, tuners etc. as those addons get rather expensive.

I have not test ridden one yet as I really don't want to bother a dealer and test ride unless I am ready to pull the trigger.

I live in the rural/country area so most of my riding is nice country roads, except for the commute to work in the morning on the highway.
 
#6 ·
Lots of pros and cons to both but I can safely say that for me personally; no way would I ever buy a new car or bike again. The financial loss is just too great unless you can get an $18k XC for $12-$13k. Also, here in AZ when buying from a private party there's no tax like from a dealership. That could add up to $5-700. Then, like mentioned, you can get a lot of the stuff on a good used bike already done such as pipes, intake, timing wheel, maybe even cams, tuner, etc. and still pay less than new on a fairly low miles bike. For instance, I have $26k into my XC, but I know I couldn't sell it for more than maybe $15k on a good day and that's probably being optomistic. I would probably strip off anything I could sell on ebay or the forums but would leave any performance parts on it like the cams, tuner, exhaust, intake, timing wheel, etc. It's already set and tuned for those parts so why not let the next person get a good deal on a good running bike if I had gotten to the point where I was either not going to ride it anymore or had to sell it for financial reasons. If you buy it used from a dealership chances are all the good stuff will be stripped if they have stock replacements for it and most would.

I wouldn't even bat an eye for any XC that had been taken care of that had under 50k miles and maybe even 75k miles if I got a real good feeling from talking with the owner about how well and often he did the maintenance. Anyone who knows bikes can just look closely and see how much the boards have been dragged, a feel and look of the belt, general condition of the paint and rest of the bike, and of course just listening to it run and idle while looking for any smoke or leaks. It's not rocket science.

Now I personally will not let someone test ride a bike I have for sale but I will give them a short ride so they can hear me go through the gears and hear the engine through different rpm's.

Then again a lot of people would rather pay $17-20k and get something new with a warranty. Nothing wrong with that either. I did it. I just wouldn't do it again knowing what I know now.
 
#7 ·
I would buy the new one if the price is close. Of course if you a are a person that likes to do mods make sure you have some cash put aside for all the little extras you are going to want. The 2017 also comes with the LED headlight standard again which is a very nice upgrade over some of the prior years..
 
#8 ·
I would also buy new if you can get it in the mid teens. The Indian/Vic dealer where I live had two red ones for $14500 and they didn't last long at that price.
 
#9 ·
If the price is right, go with new. You never know how a used bike has been maintained and used. If the break in was done right, did they beat the bag out of it from day one, etc.....
 
#11 ·
NEw is nice but to Pains point, I'd make sure they are an Indian dealer.
I bought new in Oct last year and the Vic dealer is not going to do anything with Vic's once they sell their stock.

I have also bought two low mileage used Vic's and wouldn't think twice about buying another used.
There are some amazing deals out there on CC's that are used. If you bought one used for $10-11k, could you still keep your hammer? Gotta tell you, sure is nice having choices to ride. Especially if you ride to work every day on a bike
 
#12 ·
getting a new CC is like opening a hole new world to you. You can see whats over the next hill and in the other states. You and the wife can take overnight trips and take clothes that you never could pack before
go get new
 
#13 ·
All excellent sides of the coin guys and I think I'm leaning towards new.

Questions on financing..... What are the term lengths on brand new bikes nowadays? Better way to finance - With dealer or with bank/CU?
 
#14 ·
Look at the interest rates, then choose. Sometimes dealers have great rates...I got 1.9% for a 3 year loan and was pretty happy.
 
#17 ·
For me owning a motorcycle is actually a necessity not just a toy. We only have one car so having the bike gives my wife more freedom in the summer as we dont have the same work hours and we still car pool in the winter much of the week to and from work.

I was offered up to 128 months 0 down financing @4.9% (of course I did not take that as I did put down about half) so not sure what financing options they give in the US but 128 months is crazy long.
 
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