Should you buy a new motorcycle or repair your old motorcycle?

Should you buy a new motorcycle or repair your old motorcycle?

Should you buy a new motorcycle or repair your old motorcycle?

Maybe a brand new model just released that makes you think about shelling out some serious coin for a new ride. Other times they might be upgrades to a bike you already own. But is it worth squeezing the juice, as they say? Are new motorcycles really that much better than a two-year-old motorcycle, a five-year-old motorcycle, or even a 10-year-old car? Can you upgrade an old bike to be just as good as a brand new one?

At some point, I think this depends on the skill of the pilot. As for high performance motorcycles, I feel like most of us (certainly myself) can't actually ride a motorcycle to its full potential, so does upgrading make sense if your skills aren't at their maximum level?

The type of car we are talking about is also important. The old versus new argument makes more sense in some genres than in others. One of the best cases to make to maintain your car and upgrade it instead of replacing it with a new one is the cruiser market. I personally went through this exercise myself and decided not to buy a new Harley-Davidson. In fact, since I currently own three Harley-Davidsons, I don't know if I'll ever buy another new one.

I really like the Motor Company's latest powertrain offering, the Milwaukee-Eight. Or, I should say, I like the possibility of what can be. The M8 engine in stock configuration has about the same horsepower as its predecessor, the 103ci Twin Cam, with a rather paltry 75 rear wheel horsepower, but the M8 separates itself when you start adding hot rod parts . A simple drop-in cam with matching intake, exhaust, and tuner will easily push you over 100 horsepower. You'll need a big-bore kit to get those numbers out of an old Twin Cam. Additionally, the M8, with its four-valve heads, responds very well as you progress with the build. Street engines producing 135 horsepower are quite common.

Sounds good. So why did I decide not to buy a new one? I started having a problem when I thought about spending $17.000 on a new Softail with a Milwaukee-Eight and immediately dumping $5.000 into the engine. This does not include any other updates or additions I may want to make.

This brings me to where I am now, building a 32-year-old Harley. I've decided to upgrade the new HD and do a frame-off restoration of my 1989 FXRS-SP that I bought for $5.000 a few years ago. Without getting into the weeds of the build, I'm putting a 124cc S&S Twin Cam engine, a six-speed transmission, Performance Machine four-piston brakes, new suspension, wheel bearing conversions from old Timkens to sealed bearings... you get the idea. Ultimately, I'll have a bike that outperforms any late-model stock Harley and most modified versions, and I'll have less money. And the cool factor is much higher than on newer bikes. (Spare me any indignation over getting cool-factor points at the local coffee shop or bike night. At some point, everyone on a motorcycle does it at least a little for the cool factor.)

Old versus new, other types of bikes

I feel like the same argument can be made in the dirty segment as well. I'm definitely still a beginner here and honestly of all the types of new bikes I'm likely to buy, a motocross bike is at the top of the list. But then again, what is there to gain from breaking the bank on a new KTM 500 EXC-F when I probably can't tap into the full potential of my trusty 450 Kawasaki KLX2008R? Yes, the lighter, more powerful, fuel-injected orange weapon takes a toll on my wallet, but will my driving experience be that much better? I could make a few upgrades on the trusty green tractor and have plenty of cash to use for more experiential things, like traveling to places I've never driven before, buying new equipment, or having some extra “refreshment” money.

Or maybe there's a better idea: Get a used, applauded two-stroke on Facebook Marketplace and do a frame-off build. Again, the money spent would have been less, I would have had the fun of building the bike and again with the cool factor. We can all agree there's a two-stroke cool factor, right?

Of course there are exceptions to every rule. I guess if you're a professional motorcyclist or competitive road racer you could argue that having the latest technological advances is necessary to keep up with the rest of the field. 

Our duo of Zack and Ari had a very interesting result testing a brand new Ducati Panigale V4 S with all the bells and whistles against a refreshed 1000 Suzuki GSX-R2005. In their particular case, you'd have a nice pile of cash left over after investing in the 15-year-old Suzuki plus upgrades instead of spending big bucks on the Italian stallion.

The cool factor, in this case, might actually go to the more expensive and sexy Italian. Can't win them all, I guess.

At the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder… er, checkbook holder. If you trade in your motorcycle every year or two for the latest model two-wheeler with all the farkles, that's great. All I'm suggesting is that you give older bikes a chance.

I'm not saying everyone should try to score Panheads and Shovelheads and expect them to perform like a modern machine. But marking up a 10 or 15 year old car or keeping your trusty old workhorse looking its best by sprucing it up with some upgraded suspension, maybe doing a little engine work or freshening up the paint will do two things: It will give you the feeling of results that they come from working on your car and will earn you all the cool points at your local coffee shop.

And let's face it, we're all in this to be cool on some level.

Shipping times are approximately 7 working days , shipping is via negotiable express shipping.

Our international couriers may experience slight delays due to the current situation, in any case our assistance team will always be at your complete disposal for any eventuality

• EMAIL ➡️ Digitalnowinternational@gmail.com