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Author Topic: Any regrets or buyers remorse?  (Read 6660 times)

dkw12002

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #15 on: July 02, 2013, 12:00:19 AM »

Kelly Blue Book has the trade-in for the DS. For my zip code, the 2012 ZF9 has a trade-in value of $6400 and a retail value of $9145. The 2011 DS trade in value is $3795 and the retail value is $5510, so they seem to lose about half their value (worth 52.5% of orig. value) in 2 years. Not really all that good, actually compared to say a Ninja 250r which sold in 2011 for $4000 new and has a trade-in value of $2245 and a retail value of $3300 (worth 82.5% of original value).
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BrianTRice@gmail.com

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #16 on: July 02, 2013, 02:23:54 AM »

I have a 2013 Zero DS and no regrets. I consider it a good investment as a second motorcycle (I own no cars). My insurance is a bit higher than I would like, but my gas consumption is effectively zero unless I take a vacation or weekend trip on the gas bike, and the low/zero maintenance on my daily commuter means that even my gas bike's maintenance cycles are much longer now, which effectively makes it cheaper.

Sure, I'll have to own it for years for the investment to pay off properly, but in any given day I rarely travel beyond its range (or need more than the storage capacity of the OEM panniers), so it's super convenient and honestly makes my two motorcycles easier to maintain than even one gas motorcycle.
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Current: 2020 DSR, 2012 Suzuki V-Strom
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dkw12002

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #17 on: July 02, 2013, 03:16:18 AM »

What has been happening with the rapid advances in performance  with e-motorcycles is that even though you might take a hit by selling or trading-in your 1,2, or 3 year-old electric bike, the new specs are so spectacularly better that you bite the bullet anyway. Would you really want a 2010 Zero now?? Realistically you can't look at an electric motorcycle as an investment compared to ICE bikes like say a Ninja 300 or a BV350 or other higher mileage, relatively low-priced ICE where you can buy 2-3 of them including maintenance and gas and still be ahead. A 3-year service contract on my Gixxer 1000 was $1549, that includes all the oil changes, valve adjustments, spark plugs, etc, so the difference is fuel cause a new 2013 Gixxer costs about the same as the 2013 8.5 model S. I think resale value of the Gixxer will be better, but at least those two bikes might match up to be similar in costs. Performance is something else again. Clearly the Gixxer outperforms the Zero. However, for many people the Zero is an almost perfect bike because of the convenience of not having to fuel up, cheaper fuel, light weight, plenty fast enough, and more than enough range for them. You just have to look at what's important to you and really it is hard to put a price tag on that. There are better investments than an electric motorcycle for commuting and worse, but that seldom turns out to be very important. Not many people only have a car, and for those who do have a car, adding a motorcycle doesn't save you money, so right off the bat you are not making a good investment when buying a bike, any bike, so these arguments are mostly trying to somehow justify your (over) spending. I don't even try, having spent just under $100,000 on motorcyles the past 3 years.
« Last Edit: July 02, 2013, 03:20:12 AM by dkw12002 »
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Richard230

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #18 on: July 02, 2013, 03:33:06 AM »

Good analysis, dkw12002.  I agree with your comments.   :)
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Richard's motorcycle collection:  2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2009 BMW F650GS, 2020 KTM 390 Duke, 2002 Yamaha FZ1 (FZS1000N) and a 1978 Honda Kick 'N Go Senior.

spelunker

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Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #19 on: July 02, 2013, 04:58:10 AM »

These bikes are very expensive and have limited use.
Anyone wish they hadn't bought or waited until they were cheaper?

I am intrigued but money is tight and it will take a long time to recoup the investment. It is too soon to tell what resale will be like and as a result my preferred lending institution  will  not loan on them.

Thoughts?

Limited use?  Range is limited, yes, but how is use limited?  Just curious.

Range mostly followed by weather I suppose. I live in Oregon and it rains a lot. I have been told it shouldn't be a problem but water and electricity do not mix, as the recall on the battery packs in the Older FX and SU testify to. It sounds like Zero is taking care of issues though.

I don't know if I would worry about the weather (except or maybe ice and lightning). I was riding home from work a couple of months ago and got caught in a thunderstorm that went severe after I rode out of the worst of it. The bike never flinched!
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ZeroSinMA

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #20 on: July 02, 2013, 05:53:06 AM »

No regrets whatsoever. Both my 2011 S and 2012 S have run flawlessly. I feel really bad for the guys here who have issues. Zero makes the occasional lemon I suppose. Maybe improve on unit testing before final assembly?

I'm not particularly kind to my Zeros. Ride in the pouring rain, the cold, the heat. Yesterday was so hot I had to ride with my helmet open at 90+ degrees, up steep hills for 15 minutes but no over-heating. Accelerate full throttle to 50MPH out of every stop without a sound. Me first! Bwah ha ha! Never had an issue. My only regret is I have yet to get a 2013 FX so I can have as much fun as Trikester off road as on.
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nicktulloh

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #21 on: July 02, 2013, 07:49:49 AM »

No regrets. I didn't buy my '12 DS ZF9 as an investment. It was delivered with low tire pressures and weird suspension settings - that's just bad basic prep and has nothing to do with it being electric.

The stock tires are crap - Avons transformed the ride and handling.

Planning on a ride to the top of Mt. Washington next week when there's a break in the weather.



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WindRider

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #22 on: July 02, 2013, 09:38:14 AM »

No regrets at all.   I bought at a good price and got the Cash for Carbon deal as well so Zero gave a really sweet deal.   

The cost of ownership can not be beat and NEVER buying gas or spending all weekend adjusting a complex valve train or rebuilding a clutch has a lot of advantages.

I bought mine knowing that the 2013s would be way better but my 2012 is as good as it ever was and I am still happy with it's capabilities.   The 2014 models will no doubt be even better, but if I can keep this one for 3-5 years it will be pretty much free by then in terms of total cost of ownership so whatever I get for it when I sell it will just be a bonus.... when I trade it for the 2017 FX 22KW version!
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Le Z Turbo

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #23 on: July 02, 2013, 01:09:52 PM »

....... I've had three issues so far that the dealer fixed as quickly as they got their hands on the parts......
Hi,
as a future new 2013DS owner (in one week in fact !) could you tell me what were your 3 issues ? Would be great so I can check mine and know already what to look for ?
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spelunker

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Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #24 on: July 02, 2013, 09:43:37 PM »

First, was a defective fuse holder that prevented the charger from connecting, next was the clicking sound, and third was a blown rear shock. All taken care of promptly.
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Le Z Turbo

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #25 on: July 03, 2013, 05:11:36 AM »

Thanks a lot !!!
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EastSider

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #26 on: July 03, 2013, 09:51:24 AM »

No regrets here either. My 2013 11.4 DS is the first bike I've owned, and I bought it solely because it is electric. No problems whatsoever. I had never considered buying an ICE bike because of maintenance hassles, noise, exhaust fumes, C emissions, etc. For where I live and ride, my DS is the perfect bike, charged from solar rooftop PV. I had to buy it so our rooftop solar would pay for itself sooner ;)

EastSider
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protomech

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #27 on: July 03, 2013, 11:49:48 AM »

I don't regret buying my 2012 .. it's been a fantastic bike to ride, when it is working properly. I do regret the various glitches that have kept me off it for multiple months.
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ZeroSinMA

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #28 on: July 05, 2013, 05:05:22 AM »


The stock tires are crap - Avons transformed the ride and handling.


Which Avon tires did you get? I'm looking at Avon AM24 Gripster and AM43 Distanza for my 2012 S. 
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nicktulloh

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Re: Any regrets or buyers remorse?
« Reply #29 on: July 05, 2013, 08:39:15 AM »

AM26 from BikeBandit. <$200 shipped
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