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[oobflyer]

I've been on both side of this issue. I've found used bikes with low miles for a very good price and I've purchased new bikes - only to lose money when I sold them later.  It really just depends on your personal situation (needs, finances, etc.)

I agree that electric bikes depreciate more quickly - simply because of the fast pace of EV innovation. It is analogous to buying a new computer every 4 or 5 years - they become obsolete too quickly - but you need the new one with the bigger hard drive and faster processor, and if you keep waiting for the next big breakthrough - you might never feel that the time is right....

I bought a 2012 ZF9 when it first became available - thinking that it would be a long time before the next big breakthrough... boy was I wrong! I love my bike, but the battery capacity increased from 9 kWh to 11 kWh in one year, then from 11 kWh to 14 kWh the next! Yes, it's hard to imagine that this pace can continue from year to year, but who knows?

I have a great idea! - why don't you buy my 2012 at the end of this year so I can buy a 2015? 

[Burton]

Is that based on reliability or normal routine maintenance?   Not a mechanical kind of guy. I don't want to work on a bike just ride it. I assumed a new BMW cruiser wouldn't need any routine tinkering.

That was based on everything in the manual, shocks, tires, brakes, chains/sprockets, fuel cost , valves, oil, filters, you name it I do it on my little 250. They really are easy bikes to work on and this is coming from someone who never worked on a bike before this one.

The little ninja 250 pregen came down to about $0.1133 per mile and at 96k miles you have to fork out 500 for a new engine or buy another bike.
The 2013S came to about $0.0319 per mile no clue what modern BMW would cost per mile but someone wrote up a nice article here http://www.epinions.com/content_4146897028?sb=1

Here is a thread on BMW owners talking about Cost of ownership http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?38157-Annual-Maintenance-Costs

[Pprior]

One other concern:  the zero models don't have abs - never had that on my old bike obviously but safety is of course more important now in my older years.  Is this missing feature a real concern. And do you see zero adding such a feature in the near future?

[Richard230]

I believe that Zero will be forced to add ABS to their 2015 models in order to market them in Europe.  So I would expect this feature to show up on all of their bikes next year.

It seems like every time I visit my BMW dealer for servicing, it costs me an average of $600.  My very basic and non-computerized, Triumph set me back $850 for its 24K mile servicing.  If you let the dealer perform IC motorcycle maintenance, instead of doing the work yourself, it is going to be quite expensive.     That is what I really like about the Zero.  Periodic maintenance costs are nil.  I rode my 2012 Zero S for two years and 8,300 miles and never spent a dime in the dealer's service department - which made me feel a little guilty.   

[Pprior]

Well I definitely won't be doing service myself. It sounds like a 2015 zero will be in my future. Bummed I will have to wait another year but it sounds like that makes the best sense

[WindRider]

If you are a spendthrift and COO (Cost Of Ownership) is a concern run away from BMW.    It is easy to accidentally spend $3,000 on some random BMW maintenance happening and everything with that beautiful little round logo on it costs a lot of money.   They are great bikes to ride but they are not inexpensive to own and if you don't spin your own wrenches you will pay dearly for your dealer to do it at a premium.   Hans does not work cheap.

Once you get over the initial purchase price of a Zero COO is extremely low and that will appeal to your spendthrift nature.   Routine maintenance almost doesn't exist and the main costs are consumable items like tires, belts, and brake pads.   I rode a 2012 DS for 6,500 miles and it only cost me a tire and the tire was low cost.    The cost of rolling a Zero is much much lower / mile than any ICE if you discount purchase price.   If you want a good purchase price on a Zero don't buy the latest greatest one, buy used or a last year model right when the new year models are introduced.   That is the way that I have bought both of my Zeros and I got great buys on them both times.

[Pprior]

Where did you find used models?  Maybe I buy a used one now and then a 15 or 16 in a couple years.  I'm in ohio and I doubt very many available locally. As I said its a three hour drive just to get to a dealer

[Richard230]

My dealer has a 2012 DS on the showroom floor, but they are located in Daly City, CA (at the SF south city limit).  No doubt they would be happy to sell it and ship it to you.  (I would negotiate on the price, though.  Or perhaps you could pay their price in exchange for free shipping.) This photo is from last Wednesday.

[peter]

Pprior - here's another perspective

If you're not going to work on the bike yourself, and the nearest dealer is ~ 3hours away, do you have a way of getting the bike to your dealer, and do you have the 6 hours needed for the round trip if something goes wrong (and 2*6 if the bike has to stay at the dealers, obviously)? Otherwise, if something goes wrong with the Zero - even under warranty - you've got to deal with the costs of transporting the bike to the dealer. If you're unlucky with your Zero you'll have reliability issues - that's my personal experience with a 2012 XU, and it's influencing my comment. In theory, the cost of running a Zero should be appreciably less than an ICE bike. In practice, it might not turn out that way.

As for ABS, motorcycle brakes have improved a lot since the mid-80s. Even the itty-bitty front brake on an XU is better than your old Honda's brakes. Tire choice is more likely to be an issue if you're worried about stopping.

If you believe in the concept of electric motorcycles, then consider a Zero. If you want a bike for transport, don't want to work on it yourself, and are worried about costs and depreciation, find a second hand ICE bike that's been well maintained, and get that. If you can do a bit of wrenching yourself, or can find a bunch of airhead folks locally - the advice given in the epinions piece that Burton links to is worth considering
<Find a used airhead and learn to repair it yourself. It'll keep it's resale value and you’ll spend a lot less on parts and repairs over time.>

Peter