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[EZRIDN]

Was nosing around checking prices of vehicles & bikes....pulled up Kelley Blue Book prices on my $30k+ investment....   

2003 Harley-Davidson FLHRSEI2 Screamin' Eagle Road King
Trade-in value: 
$10,050*
*Price Includes: Cruise Control

Suggested Retail Value - Excellent Condition:
$13,605*
*Price Includes: Cruise Control


Granted that these are baseline prices and does not include any OCD add-ons.....I doubt the overall price will move up that much....considering what I put in it.

I just feel so "used" now.     

(I wonder when the "collectability" factor of the annniversary models will kick in? - I kept all the stock parts)

[VaEagle]

Just my .02 but I don't think a motorcycle is a good "money investment", especially in the short term. Nine or 10 years is not a long time for collectables.
It's all a matter of supply and demand and H-D really didn't limit the anniversary models (didn't they have a 14 month production run for 2003?) so everyone who wanted an anniversary model got one.
As a buyer with limited funds, like most Harley purchasers they would think about "why would they pay new prices for a 9 year old bike with less features and no warranty?"
You would have to find a buyer who wants a collectable to add to his collection or someone who is just in love with that color and style.

You mentioned that you had all the stock parts, that might appeal to a collector in about 20 or more years, by then many of the 2003 models will have been wrecked, rusted out or highly modified. Then you could find a collector who would love to "find" a near mint 2003 to restore.

To be a true collectable there needs to be a small run of an item, just imagine if H-D only made 100 anniversary bikes in 2003. Then the demand would be much higher.
This is one area that I fell H-D has hurt the "investment" in a CVO since the early days they had small productions of one or two models and for only two years in a row. Look at it now when a CVO is in 3 or 4 models and 3 colors each. You also have the  CVO Ultra which has been produced for many years in a row.

[grayghost731]

Just my .02 but I don't think a motorcycle is a good "money investment", especially in the short term. Nine or 10 years is not a long time for collectables.
It's all a matter of supply and demand and H-D really didn't limit the anniversary models (didn't they have a 14 month production run for 2003?) so everyone who wanted an anniversary model got one.
As a buyer with limited funds, like most Harley purchasers they would think about "why would they pay new prices for a 9 year old bike with less features and no warranty?"
You would have to find a buyer who wants a collectable to add to his collection or someone who is just in love with that color and style.

You mentioned that you had all the stock parts, that might appeal to a collector in about 20 or more years, by then many of the 2003 models will have been wrecked, rusted out or highly modified. Then you could find a collector who would love to "find" a near mint 2003 to restore.

To be a true collectable there needs to be a small run of an item, just imagine if H-D only made 100 anniversary bikes in 2003. Then the demand would be much higher.
This is one area that I fell H-D has hurt the "investment" in a CVO since the early days they had small productions of one or two models and for only two years in a row. Look at it now when a CVO is in 3 or 4 models and 3 colors each. You also have the  CVO Ultra which has been produced for many years in a row.

Real good points     

[EZRIDN]

Yeah, I agree with what you said VaEagle.   My term "investment" was more satirical in nature.  I'm not looking to sell anytime soon but, I just was not quite prepared for the suggested current prices that I saw.  Appears to be accelerated depreciation going on these days...all things considered (bike is pristine condition). 

I got to thinking about our insurance coverages for the fleet of vehicles/toys that we have which was my sole reason for checking current values.   As for my '31 Chevy, should anything happen to it, we would probably have to battle it out with the insurance company going off of the professional/certified appraised value....which they have a copy of/on file.   I may try to get a professional appraisal for the '03 SERK to bring up the insurable/replacement value on it....just in case. 

EZ

[Midnight Rider]

The days of buying a HD and riding it for two years, then selling it for what you paid for it are long gone.  It's depreciating asset, just like your family car.  Any extras you put on the bike do not increase the value,  unless you find a buyer that just loves what you've done and can't live without it.  Otherwise, you will be lucky to get 10 cents on the dollar.  Kelly Blue Book is what you're going to get, unless you luck up on a particular buyer.

[muddypaws]

A 10 year old bike worth half of what you paid in my opinion is a great deal. I keep my bikes for three years and it cost me about $5000 a year in depreciation and I'm OK with that. The bikes have around 50,000 miles when I trade.

[Twolanerider]

(I wonder when the "collectability" factor of the annniversary models will kick in? - I kept all the stock parts)

Not going to.  Especially for the 03s.  There were so many of them.  The 02s might have a little specialty cachet (especially the red ones) due to limited numbers.  But even them not so much.  At the end of the day is just a decade old motorcycle that will continue to get older.  Like it or not that's what we got.

[Boxman88]

We buy them to ride them. They are not one of a kind or anything like that. Enjoy the ride and don't worry what it's worth. If we did we wouldn't buy anything.

[moonpie]

Been riding Harleys for 45 years.  When I got my first CVO (03 SERK), I assumed that the depreciation on it, like the depreciation on all my other bikes, was the cost for the enjoyment of riding them.