The Old Charger

This is a rotten time of year to try to sell a motorcycle, particularly an older sports bike. My experience (I'm selling a KTM enduro on another forum) is that the Covid induced rush to buy anything and everything is now fading a bit. Dealers are still very short of new stock, and were looking for used bikes to fill the gaps in the showroom, but we have now reached the point in the year where dealers traditionally run used stock down. Motorcycling is not attractive in Winter, everything is another year older in January, and the space is suddenly needed for new 2022 bikes.

Me, I'd clean it up, drain the tank, plug the battery into an Optimate, smear ACF50 on everything except the brakes, tyres, grips and seat, and chock it up at the back of the garage and wait until Spring.

Wheel it out the week before Easter, wipe it down, fire it up and ask yourself if you want to sell it or ride it?

If you don't want to ride it anymore, what would you replace it with? Just my opinion but most modern bikes look so horrible that they need a cover over them at all times. KTMs look like squashed locusts, Triumphs as though they have already been crashed, and Yamahas like they were designed for a bet when the chief stylist was drunk, then signed off when he was hungover.

Then you've got all the impossible to fix electronic garbage, and, so help me, a f**king TV screen to tell you what gear you are in. The new Ducatis even have a 'live' lean angle..."corr 45 degrees, 46 degrees, 47scraaaaape!" 

Oh the shame of it. I remember when people paid extra for a Ducati 900 SS because it didn't have an electric start!

 

Unless you are in an urgent hurry for the cash, there's no pressure to sell the thing...I believe the values are slowly climbing now. 

Good luck with it, whatever you do. When I'm too old and feeble to ride mine, I'm getting a Royal Enfield 650 to replace it.

You're right, that if I'm going to sell then I need to remove the parts I've spent two years acquiring, and put it back to standard.  I can then sell those parts to someone who's bought a standard bike, joined the forum, and read on here what to do with it.  I confess I've enjoyed doing the research on here and making the changes, and maybe someone else can do the same.

She's looking good...  

I've enjoyed your story.

What kind of money did you get for the bike? The bike market is generally a bit flat now.