So, some of you know I'm selling a box truck.
So far I've had some interesting offers. First is an 03 Duramax dually (which I don't want but I should be able to sell for more than I have in the box truck) and now a 96 Dyna Low rider with 16,000 miles.
I've never owned a Harley but always wanted one. I've owned about 7 bikes, all asian.
So, can someone tell me why a 96 Dyna is so much more desirable than a newer one? All over CL I can find 03-09 Dynas for $6000-10,000, but the earlier ones (like this 96) are commanding the same prices.
I want one to ride - is an older HD a better bike, or does it command higher prices because its "classic?"
Here is the CL ad for the bike he wants to trade: http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/mcy/2140865823.html
They always seem to ask for the same money but never seem to sell for that. At least that is my impression.
Harley values ride the economy so 2-3 ears ago when there was a waiting list the older bikes got more valuable and people financed them and paid through the nose. I "think" they are trying to unload them for what they paid without really realizing tht you can get new ones now at a discount.
For example I got 2.5K off a new road glide, where 3 years ago it would have been 3K on top of MSRP and whatever stupid chrome they put on it.
Anniversary model? and Evo motor vs. the newer Twin cam
I had a non-low rider '96 Dyna and they're pretty decent bikes for what they are.
The Evo engines have a pretty good reputation for robustness and they're a little simpler than the TC; with proper care they go on for a long time. Mine had about 25k on it and after undoing some of the PO's "maintenance", it was a reliable and comfortable bike. In fact, out here I wouldn't mind another one...
The Harley market is a little weird, prices level off fairly quickly and seem to be based more on condition than age, probably a reflection of the fact that a lot of them are toys and thus tend to be over-polished low mileage examples.
I can get a brand new Dyna for not much more than he's asking for this 96.
Not to mention, the thousands of dollars that he has in chrome are ugly to me. Those drag pipes and the side treatment make it look like a sportster 
What I did to mine was take off the drag pipes, put a decent regular exhaust on instead (standard downpipes and a Vance & Hines with 'quiet' baffles) and sell all the additional chrome E36 M3. That easily paid for more than the exhaust.
And yes, a lot of that chrome needs taking off, pronto. Plus I'd think at 10k it's overpriced. OTOH if it's a straight swap for the box truck, it's more of a question as to what the box truck is really worth.
I'd also check if this is the correct color scheme for this anniversary model...
I'd drive the box truck to a Harley dealer and ask what they'd give me for it in a trade.
What I'd rather do is sell the box truck and use the money to buy a bike, but I offered it for trade as well just in case someone came through with an offer.
The truck is easily worth $10k or more. The problem is that its a 97 with only 95k miles. Its an oddball truck. People either want newer and will put up with more miles, or they want older because they expect it to be dirt cheap. Nobody expects a 97 with only 95k.
I have it on CL for $9900 but I've been telling people I'd take $9000. I had it on eBay twice, first time it went to $7500, second time it went to $6000. I have two guys interested for $9k cash - one is trying to get a bank loan and the other is considering it for his greenhouse/nursery delivery business. Then we have the guy with a Duramax and this guy with the Harley.
Like I said... first choice would be to get cash, then buy the bike I want, but two factors are at play here: 1) After a month, nobody has shown up with cash, and 2) a title trade in TX can slip by without paying sales tax. That's a $700 swing in favor of trading.
... But I don't want that thing he's offering. Until I get all of his junk off of it, sell it, and put on what I want its more hassle than its worth to me.
Dealers are dealer: Often they will take anything of value in trade.
I've been trying to unload a softtail for 2 years now and even the dealers won't take them. Harleys have rally taken a hit in this economy. Many luxury items have.
You don't have to have a Harley or a boat, you just want one, unfortunately I've been trying to get rid of both.
There is your answer. You don't want what he is trading. No deal.
Yeah, but its a little more complicated than that. The box truck has to GO. I have no storage for it, and to top it off the dealer where I bought it in CA never reported the sale and promptly disappeared off the planet. If I want to title it to me I have to pay $800 in tax in TX. Instead I'm just going to sell it with the title I have (since it wasn't dated thank goodness).
At this point, I'll trade darn near anything of equal value (especially something small like a motorcycle or a pickup that I can at least park legally).
I just want this box truck gone. If I happen to get a diesel pickup or motorcycle that I want its a bonus, but if its something I can register and sell at my leisure for equal value, I'll consider it.
I actually entertained trading a diamond engagement ring worth about $10k, but it would either turn out to be zirconia or my wife would want it 
What anniversary is a '96? HD started in 1903, so that's a 93rd ann'y edition? Unless he thinks it's a 5yr anny of the Dyna.
KBB estimate
Some may like yellow, but it's a poor color for HDs.
wearymicrobe wrote:
They always seem to ask for the same money but never seem to sell for that. At least that is my impression.
On eBay, look at completed auctions. That'll tell you what they REALLY sell for as opposed to what the owners are asking. I did that when looking at my M5 - the prices had cratered in the past year, and there was a real disconnect between asking prices and selling prices.
A 96 Lowrider is a very nice bike. Probably the best handling Big Twin HD ever made, so "they say." Evo's are the best. I ride an Evo, so I know. That bike is Sonny Barger's top pick bike, according to his book. Now, is that bike worth as much as a new Twinky (Twin Cam)? I dunno. Probably not. Is it worth as much as your truck? I dunno. That's up to you. Will you like it? I dunno, but if your a Jap bike rider, probably not. The ride is totally different. Like comparing a sports car to a luxury car. If you're a sports car only guy, then a Lexus isn't going to make you happy. If you can appreciate the differences, then maybe.
Dont trade for the ring. Used market is nil for it. Scrap value only. 10k apprasied value is like 2-3k resell.
Dr. Hess wrote:
Will you like it? I dunno, but if your a Jap bike rider, probably not. The ride is totally different. Like comparing a sports car to a luxury car. If you're a sports car only guy, then a Lexus isn't going to make you happy. If you can appreciate the differences, then maybe.
I can definitely appreciate something other than what I've had. I've had a couple crotch rockets (an R6 and an R1) both of which were like ferraris on two wheels, but my 240-lb butt didn't like the overly active role I had to take in it. There was no such thing as get on the bike for a nice ride, it was get on the bike and actively do the work for it.
I had a couple CBs that were just old and not really something to compare. I had those when I lived in LA and I stripped them down Cafe' style. A brain bucket and some goggles really turned the girls on. Throw in a limey accent and they would suck your wank as you rode by.
Of all my rides, the nicest and most enjoyable ride was my Shadow 600. It was too small and underpowered, but the low seat, riding position, and overall look were actually quite impressive. Its size and posture meant that longer trips were a joke, but I did do the occasional 100+ mile jaunt on it.
I want a Dyna for the reduced vibes on the highway, but I love seeing the motor shake in the frame. Basically I want halfway between a cruiser and a dresser - something that looks low and fat but I can pop on some bags and a fairing and buzz out to the coast for the weekend.
Well, then you may like the Dyna/FXR type bike. It has basically the same frame as my bike, and it is a marked improvement over the earlier frames. 70's technology versus 30's, when you compare it to, say, a Softtail. Now, the FXRT, which is a FXR ("Dyna," "rubberglide") with a faring and some bags, is a rocket. Built back in the day for high speed interstate cruising. The CHIPS used them for a while. In '86, we were staying at a motel in Cheyenne and this old guy had the room next to us. He had a shovelhead FXRT. He walked with 2 canes, had transistor radio type hearing aids in 2 shirt pockets and he was there waiting for his friends to catch up. No one would ride with him because he liked to go 800 miles a day.
Granted, that was on the Cherohala Skyway, rather than the coast. And it was about 40 degrees.
