The value of used RT's

I know asking and getting are two different things but this ad caught my attention. A 12 year old oilhead rt.

http://marketplace.bmwmoa.org/classified/2004-r1150rt-10kmiles-excellent-condition-listing-2013.aspx

Yes, low miles but if you ride it much it won't be low miles anymore.

The seller will be sitting on that one for a long time.

"Almost like new at over half the price."

My '06 cost less than half price with nearly the same mileage at five years old. Seller probably is not in a hurry, it took this long to realize the bike was not being ridden.

"Almost like new at over half the price."

 

My '06 cost less than half price with nearly the same mileage at five years old. Seller probably is not in a hurry, it took this long to realize the bike was not being ridden.

Maybe his wife said since you are not riding it, sell it and he said OK I will list it??????

the miles are so low because it has the stock seat. Hah, hah.

seriously, i bought a bike K1200rs) that was low mileage like this a few years ago and experienced some seal leakage problems which can be expected on an ultra low mile bike unless the owner rode it 10 miles a week or so.

with the caveats, black is very rare and desirable on an RT. Excepting the seat, he has nice options. Many people did not take to the then new, angular styling for 2005. so, i think there will be a buyer for this one.

the miles are so low because it has the stock seat. Hah, hah.

 

seriously, i bought a bike K1200rs) that was low mileage like this a few years ago and experienced some seal leakage problems which can be expected on an ultra low mile bike unless the owner rode it 10 miles a week or so.

 

with the caveats, black is very rare and desirable on an RT. Excepting the seat, he has nice options. Many people did not take to the then new, angular styling for 2005. so, i think there will be a buyer for this one.

Maybe you are right. Dunno But this isn't a collectible vintage so maybe I'm the only one who would not pay top dollar for a black bike.

I do not think it will bring all of that money that he wants but it should bring a premium.

no bags no top case...

shipping would kill the deal

I bought my '06 when it was four years old with 5800 on the clock for $10k.

He's not serious about selling it.

I don't know, a used mc with that few miles and 12 years old is really hard to put an actually price or value on. Take my pristine and 100% updated '93 R1100RSL with barely 7K original miles all put on by me for example. I would ask at least 7.5K and not bat an eye. It's complete with like new Russel saddles and all updates like new Spiegler brake lines, Bob's BMW bar backs, new front brake master cylinder assembly, Cee Bailey wind screen, HES sensor wiring replaced with teflon coated, and like new Conti Attack tires. All maintenance completely up to date including trans splines inspection and lubrication. This bike is actually better than new without a blemish on it. So, how do you put a price on it? Simple, it is a niche machine and worth what a potential buyer sees as its worth. Compared to a new RS at way more than twice the price I think my '93 at 7.5K is an absolute bargain and you won't loose big bucks the day you take possession like you will on a new RS that doesn't even have telelever front suspension.

So, maybe you should look upon this pristine '04RT in a more realistic light and it is mega bucks less than 23K for a new RT which imo resembles a pregnant bumble bee.

I'm just sayin'..... Oh, and if anybody ever offers me less than 7.5K I will up the price to that person by at least $500 just for insulting my intelligence. How's that for an attitude? Forgot to mention the wideband sensor completely eliminated this models low RPM surge tendency. Fuel injector cleaning and testing helped as well. So sorry but no luggage as that was an option on this model.

I paid $6750 for my 04 RT with 14k miles last February. I was happy with the deal!

It says 2 hard bags in the ad. Mike

I've never understood how any 12 year old motorcycle can be "better than new".

But that is just me and I'm frugal. (Cheap????)

Asking and getting are two different things.

It's a buyers market. Lots of good bikes at very reasonable prices. Partly because the newer ones are so much better. When the wethead GS machines came out, the previous generation bikes dropped in value as many were traded in on the newest model.

OF course looks are very subjective and some place a value on that. But to compare a 04 1100 RT to a 2016, RT there is certainly no question which is the better motorcycle by any measure.

I've owned 5 oilhead RT's. I like the looks. They are not superior to or equal in any way to the newest model.

"better" is a very relative term. since it is subjective, i am sure you make room for the possibility that some folks may consider the older ones "better" for their purposes. one example is what the airhead guys slogan used to be "simple by design". the 2004 is comparatively simple and can be diagnosed and worked on by many a competent wrench without resorting to special BMW garage only diagnostic tools not available to the general public. also, maybe there are many who do not see the value in $20k plus for a new one. all opinions as long as they are not judgments on the opinions of other members are valuable.

One questionable example of newer-is-better is the brakes. The simple brakes on my old 2000 RT were the best brakes of any RT I've owned, with great touch. What possessed BMW to "Improve" them on the later oilheads and first hexheads? My 2005 RT's brakes were the worst -- not because they didn't stop the bike but because they had poor feel and were extremely (unnecessarily) complex and expensive. A 2004's brakes may fit in that category. I'd have to say that my 2000 RT brakes had a better feel than my 2016 RT brakes, with the 2013 camhead RT coming in close second. The brakes on my old 1985 RT were a different story completely...

I didn't mean to imply that others opinions were anything other than different than mine.

I've owned a K 1100 LT, R 1100 R, R 1100 GS, R 1100 RT's (several),R 1200 GS, F 800 GS and my current ride a F 700 GS. My wife says is a fickle and don't keep a bike very long.

Most of them have been older bikes as you can tell from the model.

Like the beauty of a bike, "better" is in the eye of the beholder.

One wonders why BMW owners continue to buy new BMW models if the newer ones are not, in some objective way, better than their old one. I understand the "simple" concept, just like I understand I could wrench all of my oilheads. The newer bikes are more complicated systems and certainly more computer controlled.

Personally, I think fly by wire technology, that allows for real cruise controlvs throttle lock devices, are a big step up in every way imaginable. Traction control, on the fly suspension adjustments, adaptive headlights that shine the light around the corner at night are a few more improvements that make the new bikes "better" than the old.

I also hope that owners continue to buy new Beemers so I have a chance of owning them when they are used.

I enjoy what I ride, hope everyone else feels the same way.

Hi Bud, There might be those that view criuse, TC, and ES as mere whistles and bells that do not equate to enhanced value or functional improvement in areas that matter to many owners like better reliability and ease of maintenance both physical and economic. Also, simple to many of us equals better. Just how it is.

Personally I would like to see a new RT offered with all these whistles and bells including throttle by wire deleted. I don't like gizmos on my motorcycle. It would also be nice to see BMW adopt the industry standard OBD2 diagnostics system on their motorcycles like Yamaha has done with their new FJR1300 sport tourer. Of course that would mean less after the sale profits for Bring More Wallet corporate and we certainly can't have that.

It would also be nice to see BMW adopt the industry standard OBD2 diagnostics system on their motorcycles

This is long overdue. It should save them some money on sharing sensors etc with the auto line.

Hi Bud, There might be those that view criuse, TC, and ES as mere whistles and bells that do not equate to enhanced value or functional improvement in areas that matter to many owners like better reliability and ease of maintenance both physical and economic. Also, simple to many of us equals better. Just how it is.

 

Personally I would like to see a new RT offered with all these whistles and bells including throttle by wire deleted. I don't like gizmos on my motorcycle. It would also be nice to see BMW adopt the industry standard OBD2 diagnostics system on their motorcycles like Yamaha has done with their new FJR1300 sport tourer. Of course that would mean less after the sale profits for Bring More Wallet corporate and we certainly can't have that.

 

James, I'm sure that is true for many owners. I remember being at a MOA Rally in Oregon. I camped with the "Black Sheep" who are a bunch of /5 guys. They told me the /5 was the last "real BMW motorcycle" ever built and they would never own anything more modern. As my sailing friends say "Whatever floats your boat"

I purchased an 04RT six years ago it had 17,000 miles on it and I paid $7,000 , it was Titan gray but I always liked the black special edition , as a matter of fact I had bides on two black 04RT's but lost . I think this is a reasonable price only $800 more than I paid for mine and has 7,000 fewer miles. Just my opinion.

Hi Bob, I would agree, 7K for your 04 when you bought it with those miles is a good thing. It my not be loaded with gizmos but it is a high quality easy to maintain motorcycle.

I payed $7K for my '93 RSL with an honest to god 1 mile on the odometer and I would do it again in a minute even though I have had some age related issues. Lucky for me I could do all the work myself which is a problem I have with the new beemers. Oh, now the RSL has a whopping 7,020 miles and is completely updated and looks like she just rolled of the assembly line. At the time all new BMW's left the factory with 1 mile on the odo.

Hmmm..come to think of it my '10 FJR only had 1200 miles when I bought it last July for 8.5K and I would do that again as well. A good example of gizmos to help sell new bikes is the new FJR with a 6 speed transmission up from 5 speed. I can't imagine why anyone would want 6 speeds on a 145HP inline 4 motorcycle that red lines at 9K RPM. What practical purpose does that serve? Other than to sell new bikes.

These electronic suspension equipped bikes pretty much insure that when it's time to replace the shocks one will have no choice but to buy an OEM unit. There is a method to BMW and other manufactures madness no doubt. Personally, I choose not to participate. So, long and short is for whom are the new bikes designed to benefit and are they really better than their predecessors especially for the end user? I can think of one aspect where the newer bikes are superior and that is in the area of superior fuel system management. Nothing worse than a motorcycle that surges at low RPM.