Which bike is worth more

[chief]

You couldn't find a Drifter in a Kawasaki dealership when they were new, much less an Indian dealership!  But you never know.

[greenbarn]

That's some really good advice, Reo.  I've spent the afternoon scouring CL and some other places online, and it's slim pickins.  There are only 5 Indian dealers within about 500 miles, none of them closer than around 200, and I didn't see any Drifters in their inventory, either.

You're right that I just need to find a bike I like and start there.

When I find something, you'all will be some of the first to know...

[49Reo]

Hello, Greenbarn; IMOH, if you like what you see, if it is in good condition both mechanically and aesthetically, and the price is reasonable, go for it. If the bike looks to be in good condition, no dents, scratches, rubs, other than the usual MINOR ones collected riding, the oil is clean, etc. it is likely in  good shape. When I bought my '02, it was a bit more than newer ones, but still looked new with only 5500 miles on it. I could have bought a newer one, for less money, but it had been hard used by the owner. Bottom line, judge wisely, be content with your purchase, and remember, if you buy used, you always run the chance of buying someone elses problem. If it looks and runs good, chances are it is good.

Good luck with your hunt; post pics of your new "baby" when you buy.

Regards and such,
49Reo

[49Reo]

I think you are dead wrong about the Drifter NEVER being a "collector" bike. I don't think they will ever reach the status of a Vincent, or original Indian, but they WILL be collectible at some point down the road. Already, I'm seeing early Japanese and British bikes being "collected" and restored. In fact, I'm looking for some small japanese bikes to restore now. The Drifter is unique enough it will be collectible. Remember, it has already been "collected" and put in a museum as an example of motorcyle "art"...

Personally, I've NEVER purchased a bike with "investment" in mind. I buy them to ride them.
Unfortunately, I remember when my first Harley cost $4000, same as a new Norton at the time. As a result, I am put off by the price difference in bikes of similar quality but with different brands attached. I don't buy from designer stores, bike or otherwise! So when I look at a bike I DO take initial cost into account. I just NEVER assume I will ever resale the bike. I figure almost anything can happen between purchase and resale.  AND, if the resale value is low, I'm not tempted to get rid of it prematurely... like I did my 67 Corvette...!!! 

Chief; in regards to your looking for small bikes to restore, my father has an Indian moped for sale; it is a mid-1970's model, made (I think) in Italy; Indian script logo cast into the engine covers, Indian logo on the frame; it is located in Montana; if interested, email me for the ph#

Regards and such,
49Reo

[Troll]

Exactly my point. How many 100th (or what ever special edition)anniversary H-Ds are for sale with little or no miles on them...As far as the 2001 vs 2005, except for paint,  they are the same. I don't believe there were any changes after the 2000 model year. Mileage and condition are, the real important points, here. As far as the other threads go, I love to make my own parts, always have.. can't call it custom if you bought it.

[greenbarn]

I appreciate all this feedback.  A lot of good bits of wisdom.

KsDrifter:  Thanks for that tip - I hadn't thought of an indian dealer, but I think there might be one in Columbus, about an hour away - worth checking out.

And thanks all for the collectorship discussions - very interesting the different thoughts out there.  I'm not really at this point planning on this bike being an investment, per se, but it crossed my mind I need to get an idea of what things might ADD or DETRACT value to a certain bike- buyer beware (buyer be aware).  I already know the obvious ones - condition, Condition, CONDITION, miles, etc, but I figured there are probably other factors I wasn't sure of, or maybe some I might not even be aware of.

One of these things that is still unclear to me is year - NADA says a 2005 1500 is worth almost 2G more than a 2001 (5500 vs 3760).  I'm thinking (considering similar condition and mileage), that the 4 years IS NOT worth that much more to me, and if I can get the older bike a whole bunch cheaper then it's a lot better deal???   I mean I'm buying it to ride it, not necessarily for resale down the road.  Is that dumb?   On the other hand, if the two bikes are both the same price, all else being equal, should probably buy the 05??

[chief]

I think you are dead wrong about the Drifter NEVER being a "collector" bike. I don't think they will ever reach the status of a Vincent, or original Indian, but they WILL be collectible at some point down the road. Already, I'm seeing early Japanese and British bikes being "collected" and restored. In fact, I'm looking for some small japanese bikes to restore now. The Drifter is unique enough it will be collectible. Remember, it has already been "collected" and put in a museum as an example of motorcyle "art"...

Personally, I've NEVER purchased a bike with "investment" in mind. I buy them to ride them.
Unfortunately, I remember when my first Harley cost $4000, same as a new Norton at the time. As a result, I am put off by the price difference in bikes of similar quality but with different brands attached. I don't buy from designer stores, bike or otherwise! So when I look at a bike I DO take initial cost into account. I just NEVER assume I will ever resale the bike. I figure almost anything can happen between purchase and resale.  AND, if the resale value is low, I'm not tempted to get rid of it prematurely... like I did my 67 Corvette...!!! 

[Troll]

Ya know, it's a funny thing about motorcycles...some people look at them as an investment and others don't. I sometimes think of how much I spent on keeping my (now in the past) Harleys running, i.e. how many times I bought them, and what they were actually worth...The Drifter I bought was somebody else's cast off, and now it's my pride and joy. I was just thinking about how nice it would be to keep it perfect, but then I would have to stop riding it...not an option.

[KsDrifter]

Of course, a bike with 25000 should be bought for a little less than 10000, though, right??

Absolutely!

You may already be doing this, but another venue to watch for Drifters at is Indian dealers. A lot of folks buy a Drifter because they want an Indian. When they find "the one" they trade the Drifter to the dealer. The p.o. of mine(my boss, lol!) found mine at a local Indian dealer. Last summer we went on a dice run sponsored by an Indian dealer and they had a couple Drifter trade-ins in stock.

[greenbarn]

I agree with about everything you're saying.  I guess by "mods" I'm talking about accessories I already wanted or could use like bags, windshield, pipes, extra seat, if it's stuff you wanted anyways.  I've seen too many of what you called "hack jobs" listed for sale, either with horrendous (to my eye) paint jobs, or decals, or whatever.

I saw one on CL over the winter where the owner "took off the brakes and turn signals" because he thought they looked better.  Thought I'd steer another direction from that one...

Thanks for the objective guidelines on mileage - I appreciate that.  20-30K sounds like a good guideline.  Of course, a bike with 25000 should be bought for a little less than 10000, though, right??   

[KsDrifter]

Just my opinion, but I don't think Drifters will ever be a collectable scoot, very few, if any, metric cruisers will ever fall into that category.

IMHO, go by NADA, again back to the collectability issue.

I would agree that a modded bike may be worth a little more if done correctly, but too many times the p.o. will do a hack job and then ask full retail. Walk away from those.

To me, original paint or repaint doesn't figure into cost. However, the quality of the finish does.  IMHO, a high quality professionally painted bike will be worth more than a faded, scratched, and beat up factory paint job. With that said, just because someone paid big bucks for a custom one-off flame job(insert equivalent here)doesn't make the bike worth more.

Personally, I wouldn't bat an eye about purchasing 20,000 mile, '00 and up Kawi v-twin, they make one of the most reliable v-twins you can get. Some '99 and earlier Vulcans had some oil gear issues that needed to be dealt with at about 35,000 miles. With proper maintenance a '00 and newer kawi v-twin can go well over the 100k mark. My personal cut-off when shopping for scoots, is 30,000(depending on model)not because the miles are too high, but becasue I have no idea of the maintenance history. A properly maintained scoot will enjoy a long life.

[greenbarn]

I thought about that - obviously it's true for antique-class items (64 1/2 mustang, 53 vette, etc.).  While the drifter has already attained collector-status, do you think the 99-00 are worth more right now than say a 01-02 with identical miles, condition, etc??  I was thinking perhaps they would be (already) but I have not noticed retail asking prices reflecting that necessarily.  Part of it, though, is that there just aren't enough on the market in any location to accurately compare prices.

[marshalldoll]

Always remember originality is worth the most. The 99 & 2000 are the only year for the blacked out version of the drifter so in years to come they will be rarer and harder to find. I have dealt in antiques and believe me originality always brings the most money.
Dan

[greenbarn]

Upon bike shopping, I'd like to get some opinions on what types of things to value more and how much.

Obviously, of two identical 1500's in identical condition, same year, one with 25,000 miles, one with 5,000 miles - the one with lower miles is worth more.

Obviously, of two idential 800's, same year, both 10,000 miles, one in "EC", one "FC", the better condition is worth more.

But here's my quandry:  With all else equal, which is worth more, now and in let's say 10 years??
---1999 or maybe 2005?  Is older or newer worth much more or less??  Should one just go by NADA?  Is the older worth more later, due to collectability???

---stock or mods??  My thinking the mods (IF you like them, and if they are done right) are worth a little more.

---original finish or repainted??   does this make a difference?  Personally, I have a paint scheme in mind and depending on what I find I might end up painting my bike, but on the other hand I've seen some pretty bad paint.

---mileage?  Obviously, less is better, but  how high is too high?  I've seen some bikes with 50,000 miles for sale, and a bunch of them have 5,000.  Is 20,000 too many miles to consider? seems like a lot.