Buying a used Harley from a secondhand dealership is not as cool as buying a brand-new ride. It is definitely much cooler. Not to pull your chain or anything, but used Harleys are the bomb. However, few people have the sense to believe and actually practice this when buying their big boy rides. There are definitely some good things about buying a used Harley and you can benefit from knowing these the next time you purchase a new ride.
An advantage in buying a used Harley is the assurance that used Harleys for resale are well-kept and cared for by their previous owners. Possession and ownership of a Harley can be considered as luxury and a status symbol. For this reason, it can be expected that most Harley owners would even spend more money in the maintenance of a Harley than in its purchase.
Although Harleys reign on the road and are more popular than their other counterparts, they are still machines. Like all machines, Harleys depreciate in value. A buyer of a used Harley would pay only half or even less of the cost the former owner paid for the bike when it was bought brand-new. This holds true even if the bike is only a year old -- what more if it is two years old or more?
Aside from the lower costs compared to a new bike, used Harleys also offer big savings in terms of modifications and performance improvement. Think about this -- rarely do riders leave their Harleys in their original state. They add accessories and update motorcycle parts to improve the quality of their ride. These add-ons also cost serious cash with prices ranging from a few hundred dollars to thousands. Fortunately, these add-ons are not easily removed without a major overhaul. Why fortunate? This means that a used Harley is sold with all the additions and added features intact. A buyer is entitled to a savings of a thousand dollars or more in accessories by purchasing a used bike.
An aesthetic improvement like changing the seats or using chrome parts alone can rack up to a several hundred bucks -- topnotch quality would even entail a thousand dollar tag minus the labor involved in the process. By buying a used Harley, you save on the price of the bike and rack up savings on the accessories and labor fees.
Likewise, performance improvement modifications like updating ignitions or cams or carburetors cost just as much or even more. Unlike accessorizing, performance improvement is an investment which the most discerning or riders take seriously. Most of the time, the beauty and power of a modified Harley is more than that of the original. Thus, by buying a used Harley, you get a prime-quality ride for the fraction of the cost of a new bike and the modifications combined. Now, that's what you call one sweet ride.
Used Harley or not, there is really no way other people can tell. Used or not, a Harley is still a Harley and no one could contest this. Since there is really no visible difference, there is only one way to determine which is the best Harley -- by the size of its rider's wallet. Definitely, with all these savings, the owner of the used Harley wins.
