Modern Vespa

I really like to hear that news. My thoughts are going back to thinking about buying another bike.

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/the-price-trend-in-the-us-used-motorcycle-market-appears-to-have-changed

I dunno, dealers are still being short shipped on their usual allocations of bikes for the 2023 model year. With new stuff still in short supply used bikes may stay expensive.

I retired from the automotive industry about 18 months ago but have stayed in touch with some of my old contacts. They say they are still struggling to get components for the parts they supply to the automakers so its likely the motorcycle industry is having the same issues. Currently its impossible to get certain key components out of the far east, primarily because of covid. We may be having it better over here but some areas are still struggling to operate because of shortages of workers.

In the end, price shouldn't matter when buying what you want.
But price is the reality check isn't it.
I am in my sixties so now I buy new because I need the reliability.
If I was younger I would consider something custom but now I cannot crawl under machines anymore.
Regardless get something you like. Itz your money,,,
Remember to max out on insurance tires safety equipment tires etc
Drive with Aloha

Used doesn't equal unreliable if mileage is low, and new doesn't equal reliable if the manufacturer makes junk

Truly thou art wise green gnome.


Well... it figures he's wise... he's one of those friggin polite Canadians.

With a cool hat to boot. Damn.

This. Exactly.

While all that might be true, if you read the article, it is is mentioning <b> wholesale used motorcycle prices</b> dropping in the United States, not the prices of parts, nor cars and neither that of new motorcycles.

If you don't believe these numbers, fine. I have no issues with that. If you do, then well: there's the indication of used motorcycle prices trending lower.

ABSOLUTELY, 100% CORRECT

It also comes down to how well any machine has been maintained. Garage queens aren't always a good deal when the fuel is bad, injectors are clogged, battery is dead, etc....

And this time of year, prices are always down. Good time to buy and work on a project if a heater workshop or garage is available.

been reading used car prices falling fast as well, enough to help lower the recent CPI numbers that Feds key in on for future interest rate hikes

The 'new' GTS looks just like all the other GTSs, but it thinks it's NEW.

So..

The Emporer's New GTS

I'm not disagreeing with the numbers, its nice to see some sign of correction, but with the new bike dealers still receiving less stock than they can sell I think it will still take a bit for the price of used bikes to drop appreciably. I reserve the right to be wrong on this, I quite good at that... just ask Frau Fritz.

Ah, ok. I think then we are in agreement. A look at sites such as cycle trader definitely doesn't show (yet?) that same price decrease as has already happened at the wholesale level.

I really do hope that we will see prices decrease soon, because asking prices for used bikes for almost as much as the factory price doesn't make sense and isn't sustainable.

Yeah, high prices for the prime method of entry for beginners on a budget is really bad for the sport.

I do however find it a little disappointing that we are in agreement, I was looking forward to meeting at some pub in the Niagara or Syracuse area to hammer this out over a pint.

Or perhaps via a race of some sort... Vespa Sport 90s down a steep hill or something, you know, manly scooter stuff.

I would never say no to a pint and or race of some sort, even if I lack a Vespa Sport. 😀 If need be, we could even find a way to disagree.

after looking on many many sites that list scooters for over a year until I found a Vespa that suited me, I will occur with any stats that say the selling prices are down from what they were a year ago. Some sellers appear to think their property are plated in precious metals (they rarely sell without a steep drop in the asking price. The bikes that sold were for the most part lower $$ then at first the sellers thought they could get without a long wait. , I respect others opinions but I do not feel a need to agree to disagree, those that feel a need for others to disagree with them probable need professional help."Just my opinion" I enjoy the politeness of "almost" all here to be refreshing!!!!!!!

Bad fuel is a 30 second fix with a $12 pump with a $2 battery sold separately.

Have you ever personally bought a bike with a clogged injector?
I've bought dozens and never had that issue...

No.
When I bought my 2015 sprint with under 1000 miles a few months ago, the owner gave me a brand new bottle of some sort of fuel stabilizer because it had sat so long, I still have it unopened, it ran like a champ all 65 miles home and still running great.

I do not currently have a 90 either although I was did, about a 63 model... anything you did with a Vespa 90 could in no way be confused with racing, it was that tragically slow.

However, if you had a passenger on the back and, not wanting to stall it due to the extra weight, you gave it too much welly and dumped the clutch it was perfectly capable of a really good wheelie dumping said passenger on the ground... ask me how I know.

Actually the last dead Vespa I bought had an injector that was stuck open which flooded the cylinder, seeped into the oil and was like a geyser when I took out the oil dipstick. There was another that was in the same condition some months before when a prospective buyer brought a battery jump kit, fired it up before checking the oil and bent the piston rod because of the hydro lock.
But yeah, I also had to deal with a clogged injector as the fuel lines had broken down enough to clog it up good. Bad fuel is an easy fix, but to me is an indicator of a person who has no clue how to take care of a machine and it's usually just the tip of the iceberg of troubles brought on by neglect.

And these were both low mileage Vespe?

Funny that, just made me think that the best Vespa memories for me are those of the old ones: like when we had to jump off to push our (rental) Vespa up a steep hill to keep it going....hard to imagine this with the new ones.

Sorry, nothing to do with the prices

But funny memories well worth sharing. I remember being quite please if I was able to clear a hill without fading below the speed of traffic while still maintain top gear

Yes, one had 5k, the other 8k miles. Both about 10 years old.

I guess "low miles" is a relative term... Not really what I had in mind though.
I bought my 16 year old GTS with 1,200 miles. My 11 year old Bonneville with 3.7 miles. 10 year old GS with 1,200 miles and my 7 year old GS with 1.5k miles... Those are low mileage. I've had 40+ bikes in the past handful of years, currently have 6. Never had an injector or fuel problem (on anything injected). Be more picky about what you buy! lol

I buy, fix up and sell about a dozen scoots/bikes a year. Most are dead and don't need a lot to get them going. I also work on other people's bikes. It's a good hobby and it kept some side money coming in while raising 4 kids at home. But I'm not a professional mechanic, this was just weekends and night work. I am a Plasterer, 47 years in the trade, retiring at the end of the year.

Welcome to the club🎟🌴🌞☀️🍹🍻🛖🪛⚙️🎣 🤿 🏹🐟 🚵🛵🏍🏖🏝🧗🏼‍♂️🚴🏼‍♂️🎯🔫🧉🏋🏻🏕🏔⛱
It's exhausting

quote="adri"]
I guess "low miles" is a relative term... Not really what I had in mind though.
I bought my 16 year old GTS with 1,200 miles. My 11 year old Bonneville with 3.7 miles. 10 year old GS with 1,200 miles and my 7 year old GS with 1.5k miles... Those are low mileage. I've had 40+ bikes in the past handful of years, currently have 6. Never had an injector or fuel problem (on anything injected). Be more picky about what you buy! lol
[/quote]

I'll guess fuel quality has a lot to do with how easily injectors get dirty...although, the miles of your bikes put them firmly into the category 'unused', not 'low miles' .

This post was not quite
What we were hoping to see
Try again, perhaps?