Biking Season

PCeeeee

I'm shopping for a bike having completed my IBT 😀 .

Does the time of year make a big difference to choice/price? I suppose what I'm asking is there a good and a bad time of year to buy?

zubair

December and January are cheaper. Now is probably the worst time for buyers but it's the best time to get started so given you've just completed the IBT I'd say buy a bike now and when it comes to selling and upgrading in the future, sell in the summer, buy in the winter.

Interceptor

PCeeeee wrote: »

I'm shopping for a bike having completed my IBT �� .

Does the time of year make a big difference to choice/price? I suppose what I'm asking is there a good and a bad time of year to buy?

It really depends what you are buying. New bikes don't seasonally rise and fall in price and rare bikes command good prices all year round.

Secondhand bikes vary in price but you aren't going to save a fortune by waiting until December. You can find desperate sellers any time of the year and haggle a bargain but then again you get what you pay for... What bike are you thinking of and whats your budget?

PCeeeee

Interceptor wrote: »

It really depends what you are buying. New bikes don't seasonally rise and fall in price and rare bikes command good prices all year round.

Secondhand bikes vary in price but you aren't going to save a fortune by waiting until December. You can find desperate sellers any time of the year and haggle a bargain but then again you get what you pay for... What bike are you thinking of and whats your budget?

Really fancied a v strom 650 before ever sitting on a bike. I suppose a Versys as well. Same kinda style.

But also rode cbf600 for IBT and was happy with that. So I'd be ok if one came up handy. Really want abs tho.

Budget started off at 2k which is too low I see.

I'm not going to wait but was just wondering was there a more limited selection this time of year

Mjolnir

The "season" as people call it is generally the time where you have the best choice but prices are higher.
Interceptor is both right and wrong while you will find people desperate to sell anytime, during the winter months bikes that haven't sold are at a much lower price point.
I watch the second hand market every week, if you monitor DD, adverts, and fb market place you may end up finding a steal if you have the cash and are ready to jump.

lalababa

At the lower price range & low cc range , I find some winter prices can be almost half of summer prices. The amount of adverts shoot up from April though.

PCeeeee

Mjolnir wrote: »

The "season" as people call it is generally the time where you have the best choice but prices are higher.
Interceptor is both right and wrong while you will find people desperate to sell anytime, during the winter months bikes that haven't sold are at a much lower price point.
I watch the second hand market every week, if you monitor DD, adverts, and fb market place you may end up finding a steal if you have the cash and are ready to jump.

That's the plan. I'm ready...

Mjolnir

PCeeeee wrote: »

That's the plan. I'm ready...

Make offers on a few bikes see what happens.
I was lucky and got a great bike for an absolute steal, even with vrt and planned mods it'll have cost less than the similar ones not in as good condition for sale.
Check the uk, bikes are a bit cheaper vrt costs basically nothing and is handy enough especially while Brexit hasn't happened as such yet but the sterling isn't too bad.

Interceptor

Mjolnir wrote: »

I watch the second hand market every week, if you monitor DD, adverts, and fb market place you may end up finding a steal if you have the cash and are ready to jump.

I also watch the market and have seen the same bikes on DD and Adverts month after month because they aren't priced right and conversely I've seen bikes sell in minutes because they are priced properly or low. Some dealers make you wonder if they want to sell bikes at all.

OP, I don't know what your experience level is and I don't want to assume anything but be mindful that a well-priced bike with worn consumables could cost another €600-€800 at its first service. Tyres, chain/sprockets and brakes are all expensive items to maintain and many sellers will leave these if they can get away with it. This applies at all times of the year so have an experienced bike enthusiast or mechanic review any potential purchases. While the V-strom 650 and Versys are both fine bikes, make sure they have been meticulously serviced regardless of the mileage.

Always buy the cleanest, highest-spec, lowest mileage bike for the best price within your budget. Compromising on the quality of the bike because you have 'buyers horn' will catch up with you in the end.

See you on the road!

Mjolnir

Interceptor wrote: »

I also watch the market and have seen the same bikes on DD and Adverts month after month because they aren't priced right and conversely I've seen bikes sell in minutes because they are priced properly or low. Some dealers make you wonder if they want to sell bikes at all.

OP, I don't know what your experience level is and I don't want to assume anything but be mindful that a well-priced bike with worn consumables could cost another €600-€800 at its first service. Tyres, chain/sprockets and brakes are all expensive items to maintain and many sellers will leave these if they can get away with it. This applies at all times of the year so have an experienced bike enthusiast or mechanic review any potential purchases. While the V-strom 650 and Versys are both fine bikes, make sure they have been meticulously serviced regardless of the mileage.

Always buy the cleanest, highest-spec, lowest mileage bike for the best price within your budget. Compromising on the quality of the bike because you have 'buyers horn' will catch up with you in the end.

See you on the road!

My own bike had new tires, relatively new chain and sprocket new pads, oil change etc and was priced for a quick sale still got a better deal.

I do agree extreme ends of the pricing scale are laughable I've seen bikes constantly on for nearly two years because they aren't worth what the owner is asking.

There's a 99/00 cbr600 f4 in a dealer while it only has 10k miles it's priced in the range of a 1000rr a 06/07 f4i, or a 05+ 600rr, not sure if they actually want to sell it but like all motor dealers in Ireland add "dealers tax".

I'd agree with avoiding buying for the sake of buying also I did that and the bike tried to kill me and I lost my ass on it.

zubair

PCeeeee wrote: »

Really fancied a v strom 650 before ever sitting on a bike. I suppose a Versys as well. Same kinda style.

But also rode cbf600 for IBT and was happy with that. So I'd be ok if one came up handy. Really want abs tho.

Budget started off at 2k which is too low I see.

I'm not going to wait but was just wondering was there a more limited selection this time of year

Cbf is a great starter bike and is category A, the other 2 are category A2.

Hotblack Desiato

In Ireland there are four biking seasons, compared to much of the world we should count ourselves lucky.

Some US riders on a list I'm on have it bad both ways - too icy in winter and heatwaves making it too hot in summer... or all the good roads get closed down due to melting tarmac or wildfire smoke.