prices?

i'm no motorcycle expert but could someone explain where sellers are coming from with some of these outrageous prices? i have an xj650 and want another but everything i find locally is ridiculous. does the blue book mean anything at all? how does one go about arriving at a price, both buyer and seller? thanks

 

It might help if you tell us what kind of prices you are seeing.....
Around here the prices are reasonable.

 

And where are you located

 

Plus it's riding season...this is when people jaque the prices because they know you're itchin' to ride!

 

here are a few examples:
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/2397558753.html

http://reading.craigslist.org/mcy/2401013311.html

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/mcy/2347621668.html

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/2395156516.html

http://williamsport.craigslist.org/mcy/2387259656.html

http://york.craigslist.org/mcy/2375899324.html

http://chambersburg.craigslist.org/mcy/2371937651.html

i swear people must be smoking crack or something.

 

i'm in central pennsylvania by the way.

 

None of those are truly crack smokin' horrible; a couple of guys don't know what they have (there was no '85 650 Maxim, there was a 700) and all of them are simply at the upper end of the range. Not surprising for this time of year.

In order:
-First guy doesn't know what he has and somebody's been "customizing" it.-- Pass.
-Nice bike; "original tires with lots of tread left" is NOT a selling point; you might enlighten the seller and offer him $1100 max.
-The third one looks promising. Low miles, I'd have a look, run a compression test and offer $800 if everything looked good.
-Fourth one is the same bike as the first listing with 1000 more miles on it.
-$1500 for a 550 with 32K on it, being sold by somebody who obviously knows very little about bikes-- this guy might be on drugs. Worth a look and a compression test maybe... but he wants 2X what it's probably worth.
-This bike's not bad, and the price isn't all that ridiculous for a 750 but the miles are kinda high for the money. I'd pass just based on the odo, but that's just me.
-The last guy IS nuts; unless it's a 100-pointer and completely ready to ride he's about $1000 too high.

All of the above are simply my opinion, you asked so I answered. There are a couple of them worth looking at anyway. No super bargains but a couple that could work out to be fairly priced.

 

i reckon that most of them look like value for money, lets be honest , you spend 5 or 6 hundred on a bike then spend more again trying to get it up to scratch,but im in australia and my 1981 xj 650 special cost me $2500, but having said that , i can jump on it at any tick of the clock without having to ask the experts why it is a heap of crap and i enjoy people coming up to me saying ,wow nice bike, then they say .after i tell them all about it, they always say,is it really 30 years old+, i love my XJ

 

Kelly Blue book for a 82 XJ650 is $920.00 That is in excellent condition in my area in Richmond, Va.

 

It's the same way down here. I'd love to have a 550, 650, or 750 Seca, but people have them listed at yahoo prices because "it's a classic bike...with original tires!" Great, so I'm going to spend too much and die.

And then you try to tell them the legitimate reasons why their prices are too high and they just think you're trying to rip 'em off. Nuts.

Well, not nuts. Reality more like it. Alot of people treat their motorcycle like a Sea-Doo or some other recreational vehicle -- a fun toy to take out on sunny days, and those are the people who charge too much for a bike they know nothing about.

 

Though for 400.00 I am thinking about getting this one as a project bike

http://richmond.craigslist.org/mcy/2414009760.html

I like the fact he says "Is missing the positive cable that plugs to battery...thats all. Needs new tires a battery and a person to ride it. " so it really needs new tires, a battery and a positive cable. Most likely breaks as well and carbs rebuilt.

 

THERE ya go. Do a compression test, and if it blows decent numbers, jump on it.

ANY 30-year old bike you buy, unless being sold by a true enthusiast who knows his stuff, is going to need:

-Brakes

-Tires

-Battery/electrical work

-Suspension

-Carb work

-Valves adjusted

In other words, $600- $800 worth of "recommissioning" if you're plannning to actually RIDE it.

Assume that going in, and you won't be disappointed.

 

This is typical pricing around here where I am. If you stop and think about it... A new bike in this cc would run you $7000 or higher anymore so it isn't to bad of a deal possibly. I would stay away from the higher mileage ones but some of those weren't to bad at all. It really depends what people have done to them. You can spend a lot of money making these like new again but it would still be cheaper than buying a new one.

 

The one in Baltimore looks fine. Id buy it right now.
As for Blue book? When I put mine up for sale it sold the same day. First guy that came by said he could see why I wanted twice its blue book value and bought it.

 

OK, this is for a Mini bike but this ad is just too funny not to share...

http://richmond.craigslist.org/mcy/2412611182.html

 

I have absolutely no faith in anything the Kelly Blue Book has to say. Inflated nonsense. A dollar a cc and you go from there for accessories, mileage, condition, etc... more for good things, less for bad. Good luck fishing.

 

thanks everyone for the input