Gas Prices...

[Mikie M.]

I've had my 2011 Blur SS for sale for the past several weeks with the price as low as two-thousand dollars with no takers. You would think that I would have had more activity on a scooter that had sold new for just over forty-one hundred dollars, but in the middle of winter during a very sluggish economy I shouldn't be all that surprised. As the weather warms I should see much more interest.
What is troubling, however, and the reason for this post is the steady rise in our country's oil prices. As of this morning crude oil is selling at ninety-one dollars a barrel and going higher. I read a prediction recently that by the year 2012 pump prices for gasoline may be five dollars for a gallon of gas in the U.S. I'm no expert here by any means and you can take my opinion with a grain of salt, but my gut tells me that we may see a time when our scooters are worth their weight in gold, literally.
I have just now increased the price of my Blur. A month from now it may not be for sale at all. We'll just have to see how this deal plays out.

[Roose Hurro]

Ummm... a new bike, and you're selling it already?

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[killbilly]

Not that unusual. I've thought about selling mine just to pay for other mods and stuff on my other bike.

[JHScoot]

well i hope good bargains on scooters don't go away because of higher gas prices. especially in the used market which i may be shopping later this year

i mean i'll pay a fair price, but no way am i going to fall for the whole "save money on gas pay me MORE" routine from a seller

i drive a hard bargain, yeah


EDIT: oh wait. i forget, i have a scooter, too. MSRP was $2050 i paid $1350 so in 2012 i can just tell someone "I PAID OVER $2500 for this scooter less then two years ago but will let you have it for.....$1500 today!

i paid $1600OTD

chi-ching

[JHScoot]

oh but hey guys for those of you "in the know" do private party used scoots up for sale usually stay "buyers market" oriented when new scooter sales are healthy, or am i gonna have to pay someone a scooters "weight in gold?"



don't make me go Chinese scoot, now. oh hell no

[Mikie M.]

That was the point of my observation. Scooters prices go up as the price of gas goes up. Both new and used scooters.
Above four bucks a gallon and it's a sellers market again so if your in the market for a new or used scooter, and have the money, now may be the best time to buy. I personally am getting out of the scooter business because I bought a bike just like this one.

[JHScoot]

wow. that is an awesome looking machine. i am sure as awesome as it looks. congrats on that

and you know, i would like to have a 250cc scoot or something like it, and while i do have the money for at least a used one (someone has a nice 2005 Kymco People 250 on sale nearby for $1500 i could grab for less, probably) i really don't need one. thing is, i have debt i am paying down. so most of my "extra" cash is going there. every time i see a scoot here and there for a couple grand i think "yeah!" but my obligations to pay off my creditors take precedent in my mind, and in reality

its not a HUGE amount of debt, but substantial enough to keep me from dropping a couple of grand on something....i already have. a scooter. so, i'll just soldier on. i am always willing to pay MSRP for a new scoot, +tax and fees. but not a penny more, really, for inflated dealer fees, prep, etc

we will see

[Mikie M.]

Thank you.
I know this sounds a bit doom and gloomy, but owning a scooter or a motorcycle, may be a good thing to have one of these days. Either to get around Dodge, or to get the hell out of.

[killbilly]

Thank you.
I know this sounds a bit doom and gloomy, but owning a scooter or a motorcycle, may be a good thing to have one of these days. Either to get around Dodge, or to get the hell out of.

Every time someone posts a picture of those 1050 Tigers, I die a little.

I keep looking at my Versys and saying, "It's fast enough and it's paid for. It's fast enough and it's paid for. It's fast enough..."

I get the same feeling whenever I see the new Ducati Multistrada Sport, too.

[fobbish]

Some people will buy a scooter as a gift for themselves or someone else before Christmas comes around, but in general, I think people need some time to recover from holiday spending before splurging on something like a scooter again. Give it some time.

Gas prices are high, but it'll be another century before scooters are considered a common mode of transport. I'll be happy if more Americans just switch to compact cars and fuel efficient sedans instead of SUVs.

[Dooglas]

I am always willing to pay MSRP for a new scoot, +tax and fees. but not a penny more, really, for inflated dealer fees, prep, etc

When you are talking new rather than used - you have to remember that shipping, set-up, registration, sales tax, etc are real costs to the dealer. The only way he "waives" some of those costs is to sell you the scooter below MSRP. (Not that some dealers won't do that to make a sale in tough times, they will - but maybe you don't want to buy from a dealer that is selling his last 3 scoots because he is going out of business either)

[Cheshire]

That Tiger is a nice bike. I'm going to have to be careful going to the dealer come spring...the new Tiger 800XC comes out, and right now they have a used Kawa KLX250SF AND a used Ninja 250. The used Bonnie (already set up with what I would put on it) is already enough to mess with me!

Still enjoying the stuffing out of the Buddy, though. Today was a really good riding day.
It's in the for sale section only because I'm wanting a bigger engine. If it moved and I could come up with the difference, I'd take that Blur. As soon as the season shifts to spring the market's tune will change...especially if gas stays around or above $3. (It's $3.10 here today.)

[Mikie M.]

It surely is, Cheshire. I've seen some pictures of the XC, and read a couple of reports, and it looks to be a great bike. It's built for a more off-road environment than the 1050 which has evolved more toward the street. I like those spoked wheels and fatter tires.
PM me in the Spring and see if I still have the Blur.

[JHScoot]

I am always willing to pay MSRP for a new scoot, +tax and fees. but not a penny more, really, for inflated dealer fees, prep, etc

When you are talking new rather than used - you have to remember that shipping, set-up, registration, sales tax, etc are real costs to the dealer. The only way he "waives" some of those costs is to sell you the scooter below MSRP. (Not that some dealers won't do that to make a sale in tough times, they will - but maybe you don't want to buy from a dealer that is selling his last 3 scoots because he is going out of business either)

yeah, tax, reg, doc fees, i'll go for that. but i just feel sometimes they use the freight and prep to gouge customers. when i shopped around it was $4300 for a Yamaha Vino at one dealer, and $4600 for a Zuma. I got a lecture about a Kymco coming "all the way from Taiwan," although I believe Kymco works freight into the cost of the MSRP already. and i remember reading a forum somewhere and a guy who used to manage dealerships said the major players such as Yamaha and Honda make sure their dealers make money on every scooter they sell, no matter how much they sell it for. kickbacks, compensation for using floorspace, freight and prep reimbursement, etc. now, this is just what i recall reading, but the guy seemed to know his stuff, and a few others in "the business" agreed

don't charge me $500 dollars for prep....i'll pick it up in the box and have it prep'd for less then half that

also don't charge me twice for freight if the scoot comes from Kymco or some other brand which works freight into the MSRP. i must admit i don't know anything about the scooter business, i just don't want to feel ripped off

[killbilly]

It surely is, Cheshire. I've seen some pictures of the XC, and read a couple of reports, and it looks to be a great bike. It's built for a more off-road environment than the 1050 which has evolved more toward the street. I like those spoked wheels and fatter tires.
PM me in the Spring and see if I still have the Blur.

See, I think Triumph dropped the ball on the styling for the new 800 and XC. I don't like the way either bike looks at all.

What I wanted (and damn them for not checking with ME first) was a slightly-scaled down version of the 1050 - sort of analogous to the Speed Triple/Street Triple relationship.

If I had 20K burning a hole in my pocket for a bike, though, I'd be hard pressed not to buy the Multistrada S.

Watch. There's gonna be a flood of Tiger 1050s on the market in the next 14 months. Just may have to get one then.

[Stormswift]

Reality is that regardless of how much I would love an idea of riding to work in order for me to ride to work I would need to bump my insurance and that would eat up any saving there may be from the cost of gasoline. Also, when it gets over 100 degrees here I have to use air conditioned car. I have to look professional when I get to work , It is not a matter of being snobbish. In my previous job I could dress in a more relaxed fashion and I did. This time I have to be a bit more formal and that is OK too. It is just not going to work well with riding in a 100+ degree heat and 90 % humidity.

[ericalm]

That was the point of my observation. Scooters prices go up as the price of gas goes up. Both new and used scooters.
Above four bucks a gallon and it's a sellers market again so if your in the market for a new or used scooter, and have the money, now may be the best time to buy.

I'm starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to the "high gas prices = high scooter sales" topic, but… Just because that happened in 2008, doesn't necessarily mean it will happen if gas goes up again in 2011/12. Unlike 2008, we've had high levels of unemployment, low consumer spending, low savings, widespread loss of income, and wide credit problems.

Also, one of the reasons prices went so high in 2008 was low supplies. Most scooter companies in the US are sitting warehouses full of scooters. There are also warehouses full of repos. The used market has been horribly depressed due, in part, to new scooters being sold off so cheap.

Finally, if anyone learned a lesson from the 2008 gas price spike, it should be that high gas prices don't persist. Prices aren't set by supply and demand, they're set by Wall St., OPEC and others. Spending $1K+ to save on gas may not make financial sense for most people. Many of those who rushed to buy scooters in '08 discovered that it's easier to recoup that money on paper than in real life.

I'm not saying prices and sales won't go up if gas prices rise. In my opinion, though, it's highly unlikely we'll see anything like what we did a couple years ago. I definitely wouldn't gamble on such a thing.

[Dooglas]

don't charge me twice for freight if the scoot comes from Kymco or some other brand which works freight into the MSRP.

I believe all foreign manufacturers include shipping from the factory to the US point-of-entry or warehouse location within their MSRP. They couldn't very well include shipping to your dealer within that figure because it depends on the location of the dealer. That is the shipping figure your dealer includes in the OTD price to you.

[TVB]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to the "high gas prices = high scooter sales" topic, but… Just because that happened in 2008, doesn't necessarily mean it will happen if gas goes up again in 2011/12.

People also become desensitized to high prices after the initial exposures. The first time gas hit $3/gallon there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, but when it happened again last week or whenever, hardly anybody even blinked. Next time it hits $4 that'll make the news because it hasn't happened half a dozen times already like $3 gas has, but don't assume it will be the lead story that night.

[michelle_7728]

Personally, I'd keep the Blur. Nice as your new bike is, the Blur probably beats it hand down in gas consumption...and it's probably fun as heck to ride or you wouldn't have bought it, right? It's nice to rotate the riding over multiple scooters/motorcycles if you have the opportunity.

I have 3 scooters and would be hard pressed to choose one to sell if I had to sell one. Each has it's special fun factor, and the mpg definitely factors in there...not to mention being able to park darned near anywhere (sidewalk, next to a cart return, etc.)

[Mikie M.]

Well, my crystal ball is just as hazy as the next guy's, but I think something has to give, and soon. In the last couple of months I've been to Honda, Yamaha, Triumph, and multi-brand motorcycle dealerships all around the area where I live and each time I was the only person on the showroom floor. Sales are flat.
Scooter only dealers are idle. Tulsa Scooter closed after many years in business. Others around the country have closed, or are about to.
Suzuki did not put out a scooter in 2010. Honda isn't building a Goldwing for 2011 although admittedly this may be due to their relocation from Ohio back to Japan. Two nearby Yamaha dealers are only bringing in one TMax each to put out on the floor. Times are tough for all the major manufacturers including our own favorite brand, PGO.
Ericalm may be partly right. This time around, should gas prices soar, we may see quality scooters and motorcycles sales continue to stagnate but see the cheaper, much lower quality Asian bikes dominating the market.
And the Blur should get about a third better mpg than the Tiger.

[killbilly]

I suspect Mikie and I may slightly be in the same boat. I love riding my Blur but the utility is limited, especially compared to my other bike. It's freeway-capable, but I would not be content riding the thing 250 miles* from Austin to Dallas, for example.

I could put it another way and also say that I don't love riding the Blur as much as I do the Kawasaki.

All of THAT being said, I may change my mind when the weather warms up. Austin is a fairly scooter-friendly town. If I do decide to sell the Blur, I'll do it in March-April when things get really nice here.

*that's the backroad route on highway 281. definitely wouldn't do it on I-35.

[BuddyRaton]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to the "high gas prices = high scooter sales" topic,

Broken record? Is vinyl making another comeback!!?? Much like tiedyed...I never knew it went out of style!

[ericalm]

I'm starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to the "high gas prices = high scooter sales" topic,

Broken record? Is vinyl making another comeback!!?? Much like tiedyed...I never knew it went out of style!

Indeed. Every few years, there are stories about new vinyl collectors and cool new bands releasing stuff on vinyl. Me, I just hang on to the remainder of a once impressive collection, now reduced to the ones I can't bear to part with.

[Mikie M.]

I'm old enough to remember when they were made out of wood.
Ah, those carefree days as a child when I would spend an evening with the family sitting around the phonograph in the cave, by the fire.
Our first phonograh was a used SP Model 3. The SP stood for Super Pterodactyl, and Dad got it while on a hunting trip. It worked by having a family member turn the record while someone else held the Pterodactyl's beak to the wood. Sometimes the animal would become a little cranky, especially on the longer songs, or when it was hungry, so Dad would give it a swift smack on the foot with his club, which usually took care of the problem. Foot smacking also increased the volume.
Where did the sound come from you ask? Why, out of the Pterodactyl's ass, of course.

[ericalm]

I'm old enough to remember when they were made out of wood.
Ah, those carefree days as a child when I would spend an evening with the family sitting around the phonograph in the cave, by the fire.
Our first phonograh was a used SP Model 3. The SP stood for Super Pterodactyl, and Dad got it while on a hunting trip. It worked by having a family member turn the record while someone else held the Pterodactyl's beak to the wood. Sometimes the animal would become a little cranky, especially on the longer songs, or when it was hungry, so Dad would give it a swift smack on the foot with his club, which usually took care of the problem. Foot smacking also increased the volume.
Where did the sound come from you ask? Why, out of the Pterodactyl's ass, of course.

You could also get a rack or ribs as big as your car in those days.
I call new scooterists' misguided attempts to stop by putting their feet down or out as "Fred Flintstone stops."

[Mikie M.]

Indeed. We would also watch TV.
My favorite show was "The Rockford Files".

[jrsjr]

I'm old enough to remember when they were made out of wood.
Ah, those carefree days as a child when I would spend an evening with the family sitting around the phonograph in the cave, by the fire.
Our first phonograh was a used SP Model 3. The SP stood for Super Pterodactyl, and Dad got it while on a hunting trip. It worked by having a family member turn the record while someone else held the Pterodactyl's beak to the wood. Sometimes the animal would become a little cranky, especially on the longer songs, or when it was hungry, so Dad would give it a swift smack on the foot with his club, which usually took care of the problem. Foot smacking also increased the volume.
Where did the sound come from you ask? Why, out of the Pterodactyl's ass, of course.

You could also get a rack or ribs as big as your car in those days.
I call new scooterists' misguided attempts to stop by putting their feet down or out as "Fred Flintstone stops."

Hahaha! We couldn't afford a Super Pterodactyl Model 3, but I certainly do remember doing the "Fred Flintstone" on an old bike that had drum brakes after they got water inside them. It was only funny after I finally managed to get stopped. IIRC that incident was what inspired the line "Do the Fred" in the song I'm Going Home by Pterodactyl as performed by Alvin Lee and 10 Centuries After at the Stone Gourd Mud Fest.

[BuddyRaton]

I'm old enough to remember when they were made out of wood.
Ah, those carefree days as a child when I would spend an evening with the family sitting around the phonograph in the cave, by the fire.
Our first phonograh was a used SP Model 3. The SP stood for Super Pterodactyl, and Dad got it while on a hunting trip. It worked by having a family member turn the record while someone else held the Pterodactyl's beak to the wood. Sometimes the animal would become a little cranky, especially on the longer songs, or when it was hungry, so Dad would give it a swift smack on the foot with his club, which usually took care of the problem. Foot smacking also increased the volume.
Where did the sound come from you ask? Why, out of the Pterodactyl's ass, of course.

You had fire? Damn elitist!