I have 6 bikes , 3 cars and let me just say none of them come close to the cost of my ex wife.

Talk about knowing your audience and being acutely aware of the current state of the world, kudos to you! Yes, I love to fantasize about the Ducatis and the like, but in the end I love my Yamahas and Suzukis and that's the content I like to see. Thanks!

I sent this straight to my 23 year old son!! I have a 2008 Honda Rebel 250 and a Honda 300L Rally!

I love Riding my big bike but had most fun and nonsens on my scooter 😂

Like my grandma always said, “if you can’t pay cash, you can’t afford it”. Also, “those who understand interest, earn it; those who don’t, pay it”.

I have never bought a new bike; nothing against people buying new or spending $30k on a bike, but there are too many options used under $5k, for my needs that is. $800 xr250 gave me all the smiles I needed on the dirt. $3,500 sv650 gave me all the speed I needed (sure, not fast enough for many out there). $3,500 vstrom to cover miles and see the country. And many in between that I enjoyed just as much. But the most fun I ever had on a bike was with my honda cub c-90. Interstate, off road, cruising, the bike did it all.

Absolutely correct. Of about a dozen over 40 years, I don't think I ever had to fix a Japanese bike. The Triumphs, BMWs, HDs, oh yes....

I could not agree more with your comments. I almost made that mistake. My local harley dealer saved me by REFUSING my offer on a new softail standard. I immediately went to a yamaha dealer and bought a yamaha bolt saving 15K in the process. Certainly not the same bike but one that will last a long time and will keep me happy riding it.

Been there, done that. Hate when I reflect on how much money that I have wasted in the past. This is an awesome video

Bang on. Ride what you can afford and enjoy it!

Perfect advice. I felt so bad seeing a guy at the HD dealer with his family, wife, two kids, crunching the numbers for a monthly payment he could afford while being crushed by the dealership's crazy interest rates and fees. Its always fun to have to explain to salesmen at dealership that only car about the out of the door cash cost. These are toys, if you can't buy them cash, you probably should not be buying it.

I was surprised you did not mention Royal Enfield in the whole video (images in the end) that’s a great value brand and their 350 cc range is great for beginners too.

Guilty as charged, but wiser for it. Such are the lessons life gives...the lessons come after the experience as opposed to the other way around. Thanks for another great video!

I love pink slip's,My 2002 VTX 1800r & I also have a 2002 Honda Shadow 1100 are still operational & reliable,Love motorcycles,riding for 42 yrs,Spazz in Cali.

For me, if the bike is costly enough for you to worry about parking safety at where you live, it's too much. Should send the money on getting a better place to live. Not saying you don't deserve a good bike, more like you deserve a safer place to live. Next is to understand how much you ride. I realize after I got my Honda I don't have as much time to ride as I thought. Might have been able to get away with buying Chinese bike. I averaged 4000km a year 😢 Also, pay cash.

I got my motorcycle in SoCal to get to work and do with less fuel use. So used reliable ctx700 was a winner at 4k and 9,000 miles. Insurance was $250/yr. 58mpg

Good advice, my only difference of opinion is if you can borrow for less than prime and less than your cash is earning invested, borrow every time. There are deals out there even in this period of inflation. I think BMW currently is offering 1.9% even .09% on select models.

Even riding 14k miles per year, I went with a 471cc Honda that currently sits @ 66k miles for $6,200 out the door. I could afford any bike, but I like the cheapest daily commuter.

At age 65 going through my third divorce, I decided to get back into riding after a 12 year hiatus. I test rode a new Harley Dyna and had to have it. I fell for all the BS Harley add ons like extended warranty and prepaid service and ended up spending $24,000 for a crappy bike. I got rid of it 2 years later and bought a few more reasonably priced bikes like a CB500X and a VStrom. Now at 72 I'm content with my two Triumphs: a 2020 t120 and a 2022 Tiger 850 sport.

I keep looking at beautiful fancy new bikes but my paid for '16 Versys 1000 does everything I need. My dream bike is a Goldwing but at 25 to 30K its going to stay a dream for a long time.

(How's Brooke doing?) Too late to help me-I'm in my 7th decade and have made all those mistakes already. (But I've never bought a Harley-driven a dozen or so but stayed with Japanese.) Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

Good advice! As an older guy (now 66) I purchased my second bike new in 1975. Didn´t have the cash so had it financed and that was dumb. My excuse is that I was 17 and had just started earning my own money. Had to have my dad to help out in the end as I got wiser and went back to school to get a more decent shot at life. After that all my bikes have been bought used, with whatever I could scrape together at the time. My current is a Vulcan which I bought used in 2012. And I will get about the same than what I paid when or if I sell it. Propably buying one more bike in this life, as I´m getting older and soon retire this one might be new. I´m circling in on Honda, NX500 or NC750X as I want better touring capability for my leisure days. But might also stay with my Vulcan, it is ok to tour with as long as I keep the daily distances shorter. Good to tell it straight like it is, there is something to learn here for most motorcycle KZfaqrs. Well done!

I have had a dozen new motorcycles in the past 50 years. I currently have a BMW K1600GTL and a Harley Davidson. I work 60-70 hours a week and the twice yearly riding vacations and monthly weekend getaway do more to relieve stress than a bottle of Xanax.

I saved up for a 2022 T7 but got sick and settled for a 2000 Transalp. Thank God i was raised a frugal Dutchie, never been in debt. Geld dat stom is, maakt recht wat krom is/Money that is stupid straightens what is crooked(wrong). Great content, especially for the younger crowd.

Great topic!!! Your best video so far in my opinion.

The most fun i ever have is on my 1983 Honda XL600 which i bought for $500 14 yrs ago. It still runs and does power wheelies in 5th gear all day. 💪

Best KZfaq video that I have seen in a long time. Keep up the good work.

Great advice . I purchased my 2010 Raider new in 11 ,saving a bundle and I still love it . Got a bit silly though with my street / trail choice (KTM 690 enduro ) after finding my KLX 250 a bit weak . KTM was new 16 , it now has 14000 km and I still love it . Buy what you like , just keep it a long time !

Thanks for the very sound advice!

Hi, I like your content, I live in toronto, and ive been riding for 45 years on the street. I only buy used motorcycles now because I changed them every couple of years. I've never lost much on a used bike sometimes even profited. My dilemma is always seeing a bike I wanna try out on the horizon. I've tried most styles and types of bikes, And right now I have a vfr 800 2014, r1 1999, and i picked up a 2015 klr about a year ago. Out of all the sport, cruisers and adventure bikes i've owned. At 62 years old I can't believe how much fun I'm having on the klr. After not riding trails since the motorcycle license, I love having the opportunity, on the big comfy ugly dual-purpose. Life is full of surprises.

We all need to hear this again and again. Thanks Again.

Videos like this one are the reason I have been a subscriber to your channel. Honest content and real world advice. Yes, I financed my Indian at 7% APR. But can afford it and still be very comfortable financially. I'll likely pay it off within 2 years anyway, but that is the position I am in. Not everyone is at the same point in their life.

Excellent video!

Good advice, great observations. I noticed about the cars, too. LOL. Liked👍

I financed bikes when I was in the military, had a part time job and few expenses. I went without for many years while raising kids. When the debt from the kids was mostly paid off, I got back into motorcycling. I made a few mistakes, but those are easier to recover from when no debt is involved. I'm down to 2 bikes now, a Yamaha V-Star 950 and a Royal Enfield Himalayan. My best tip is to become legally able to ride and make some friends that are into bikes and will let you ride a bit. By all means, start off with smaller financial commitments.

Well said.

Great advice! I've worked for 3 different motorcycle dealerships and most of the customers who buy new machines finance, and when troubles come, as it always does, the 'toy' is first to go, too bad, so sad. I've picked up some great used bikes this way and always paid cash. Paul J.

Excellent!

Well said Mr. Spokes, well said.

And add in yearly insurance. Get a quote before buying the bike. And remember, your credit score is a factor in determining your insurance premiums. Thus, a person pays double the insurance if he has less than a 600 credit score compared to an 800+ credit score. Why? Because there's a relationship between credit scores and number of claims.

I love your logic. This should be mandatory for anyone getting their motorcycle license. I still get tempted all the time.

This is why I bought my 2019 Super Tenere ES in 2020 as a new in the box. Paid $16,500 Canadian. It came with centerstand, side cases, driving modes, ABS, TCS, electronic suspension, and Yamaha reliability. I will have 100,000km by the end of this season with no problems. It will do everything the $35,000 ADV bikes will do for a fraction of the cost and I spend no time getting it fixed. Everybody ride safe.

I owned Harleys from 2008 to 2018, time when Harleys were still pretty affordable for the middle classes like myself. During the pandemic motorcycle prices went through the roof, and my paychecks went down the drain. So now I ride a 2023 Honda NC 750.

Remember folks, never finance a toy 👍

He is saying only the truth. Not trashing you if you're poor and can't afford a bike so you don't buy it. A sucky situation, not necessarily your fault. But yes trashing you if you buy what you cannot afford when there are more important things you need money for.

One word: wisdom! Best regards from Brazil. 👍

Thanks for the video my friend; they are always good & interesting. I have my 5 dream motorcycles in my shop. Most of them are older, but in great mechanical shape. The other 2 that are newer doesn't have all of the latest high tech SHIT on them. And that is why they are dream bikes & not nightmare bikes; at least for me!!!!! Have a good day my Canadian friend!!! Cheers!!! Illinois, USA

I bought my dream car in 2007, just before the crisis hit. I financed 23k out of 28k (€) and boy did I suffer to pay that loan. While I did enjoy owning the car, I didn’t enjoy driving it, because I didn’t have the money to go anywhere. Not going to make the same mistake again. And for those of you out there: remember that you want to RIDE your bikes, save some money for that too.

Having raced many bikes, I’ve always had the opinion that bikes should be disposable, that is, be prepared to either write it off or have it destroyed in some way and not sweat it. When I see bikes for $35k or more I just cringe at the financial investment.

I’d love to have a road glide or that new low rider ST. I have a Vstar 1300 , added some nice bags , a good windscreen, and a much better looking intake. Runs great, no issues for 4 years of ownership. I can’t complain. Love a new bike but I can’t justify the prices they’re asking

Great advice.

Truth bomb!. Dream bike is in the garage, 2020 T7. If only I would have kept my WR250R.

Whatever you can pay cash for. Ride it while you save for the next one.

Great advice! I've been made fun of for years for being fiscally conservative. I've been called tightwad, cheapskate, and other stupid names because I bought used cars and kept them forever, didn't eat out, don't have a fancy house, and many other things. We lived like we had no money for 12 years paying down our house note. I had a goal of paying the house off so I could have nice things later on with no guilt or worry. Since April 2019, we've been able to pay cash for two new vehicles, fix up the house, buy a couple used motorcycles, and send two kids to private school. This was done on a modest income. We're still pretty frugal, but we buy things we need or have wanted for a while without worry. I know people who I wish would listen to me. They always have no money, but they make more money than my wife and I make. They are always buying stuff they don't need and eating out all the time. People need to be satisfied with what they have and quit letting others decide their purchases.

You speak pure facts. As someone who has spent well over 250k on toys, bikes, atv's, utv's and watercraft I can honestly say the new one I bought to replace something only a year old didn't give me more enjoyment from the experience. Luckily for me I didn't also get swindled into a 30k dollar wedding...twice...lol. Ride on brother.

yep, i got lucky and after 28 bikes, found what I like the most. I would like to add a cruiser though, but can't justify it sitting more and paying the insurance on it.

100% true, I own the 2023 Africa twin adv es manual with 9877kms, and I want to downgrade to a tenere 700, tested the gs1250 adv and tiger 1200 gt last year, love their endless torque, expensive amazing bikes, but I noticed that I don't need all the electronics, weight, etc.

My R15V4 cost me 3590 CAN dollars. It isn't expensive but still fun to ride. In India there is a lot of traffic jam, and people come from everywhere so I'm fine with beginning on a 155cc.

It always amazes me people who buy a car or bike which is a depreciating item under finance over 5 years. Their total cost ends up about 25% above their purchase price and the bike or car ends up about 40% to 50% of it’s original purchase price. Then throw in expensive dealer servicing costs to maintain your warranty, insurance, then go and do it all over again to have the latest and greatest.

Couldn’t have said it better!!

I agree, looking back over the years if I had all of the money 💰 I wasted on vehicles I would be a millionaire (1 or 2 million) today. Just considering the vehicle payment alone is the biggest mistake. Insurance, maintenance and unexpected expenses are part of the equation.

Buy used. I just bought my commuter bike for $2,300 (2007 BMW F800ST with 11K miles) cash. Insurance $140 per year. 55 MPG. Free parking. I do my own maintenance, and so it costs me maybe $250 a year, all-in. Very cheap daily transportation.

What I can afford is one thing. What I need is another. I have 4 bikes that are from 5 years old to 30 years old! They look like new and ruuns like a swiaa watch! Lol! They were quite reasonable and had low milage. What I have saved by just getting these bikes is a lot and I am using that as extra trips to beahes and other fun stuff. Happy as can be!🤣🤣

Aww man this is the most genuine thing i've ever seen. Thank you different spokes! I never regretted subscribing from you.

I paid $1,400 for new Yamaha 650 when I was young, BEST bike I ever owned.

Good advice. I am blessed where I finally have plenty of disposable income to splurge on toys and vacations to enjoy them. Wasn't like that for sure in my younger days.

6:53 I do not agree. I have a '97 Yamaha YZF600R bought for Christmas with 8,000 miles on it. It is the best bike I ever had. Carburated but starts without the choke, and I commute on the highway in 3rd gear crusing at 80MPH. I paid next to nothing for it and it will be my FOREVER bike! 💙

All good points. It’s a good habit to be patient before making a big purchase. Try to visualize if you might have buyer’s remorse in the future. Also, one Life Pro Tip that my financial advisor pointed out: Sometimes it can be cheaper to finance instead of taking out a large chunk of money from such investments as RRSP’s. The extra taxes that you might pay from bumping yourself into a higher tax bracket might be more than the cost of financing. Always good to do the math first. 👍

You're right. It's hard out there. Brand new bikes are so damn expensive. Even the lower displacement categories isn't cheap anymore. I've realized this after owning a brand new KTM to which i sold off to buy something that made more sense for me to own and maintain. It's mad expensive to buy something nice on two wheels nowadays. It's so ridiculous. Compromises have to be made for sure

Excellent video. I straight shared it with my daughter (she started with anYamaha MT125, which she likes a lot. Now she is about to get her open license here in Germany. Sensibly she would choose an MT07, but she dreams about an MT09 or even bigger. Sadly, as she is in an apprenticeship now, money is tight for this dream. To me, being her mother, the only option right now would be to save up for the MT07. On the plus side, she can do her own maintenance (she is trained as a car mechanic right now). So this might play very much in her favour. We will see...

I bought '23 my Indian Chieftain for $18k out the door.. It was a repo with 1328 miles on it, a new one is $28k out the door.

Excellent video, and this is not only for bikes. It can be applied to almost every sphere of life. Dream bike is Indian Scout(the new lineup). Currently driving Triumph Trident 660 for the last 3 years. But would like to get a cruiser to try out, and unfortunately new Indian lineup is looking good.

I have a XR150. in my stable, it's a great fun bike and at the price not a big hit, so I can still afford to keep my old 73 Honda 350 Four. You can buy a couple of old bikes for the price of any new big bike.

If I can't comfortably buy it in cash I don't need it. It's that easy.

I bought my gen 2 klr after they was discontinued, it was a brand new bike (camo) for $5300 out the door....no plans on getting rid of it anytime soon

Short king here, first bike is a used yamaha xt 250. Great for learning on, cheap and does most anything.

Big secret. The smallest, cheapest motorcycle is more fun than the biggest, most expensive car.

I guess I could technically “afford” just about any mass production motorcycle. (Meaning I could pay cash for it) But, I bought my first new motorcycle last year since 1987. (A Honda CBR600 Hurricane) So what did I finally buy? A 2023 Kawasaki KLR650s, but with ABS since I wanted to splurge. Sure is a great bike, I already did the Thermo-Bob. I could have bought a used one as there are so many for sale, but I decided to get carried away and got a new one. I just love that battleship gray color! (And the lower seat height)

Eh. To be clear, my motorcycle choices have nothing to do with anyone but me, I'm not trying to fit a "look" or earn the respect of others. I've financed the last 4 motorcycles I've bought, and will continue to do so in the future. I view this expense as my entertainment budget, and 100% it's been money well spent. My motorcycles have gotten more expensive as I go along, but I've done pretty well each time, getting very good (to amazing) trade in values. I could get bikes cheaper used, for sure. But there's so many downsides there, and *to me* getting the bike I want is worth it. Experience built over 30+ years of motorcycle ownership - I have NEVER regretted a motorcycle purchase. Bought my T7 for $12kCDN, sold it two years later for $14k. Bought a Tracer 900GT for $12k in 2019, got $15k for it from insurance (stolen) last October. Paid $9000 for a MT07, owned it for two years and 22000kms, traded it in for 6500. I could have just paid $4000.or $5000 and got a pretty cool used bike, but my current 2023 MT10SP at $20000 paid is *way* cooler. Just go into it with your eyes open. Understand what you're doing, what you're actually paying, and whether that's worth it to you.

My first bike I bought last year brand new kawasaki vulcan s with abs and I am very happy with it

I will agree with one item, do not go buying a more expensive motorcycle until you have a protected place to keep it. As for Harley dealers, I have more than a half dozen within an hour or so riding and while one or two fit the worst stereotypes most are generally fine but one or two will actually get you out the door under MSRP, I picked up my 24 Road Glide for under MSRP less than a month ago. Meaning that the deals are out there. The CVO models are interesting in that my dealer said CVO bikes sell themselves where buyers come in looking specifically for one and encouraging someone shopping a regular bike is not what they do. For me I only like to keep one motorcycle around at a time and my dream bike changes all the time. However I will admit I am truly smitten with the new Road Glide as it really does not feel like the Road Glides of old or in general any Harley from past years. I am waiting to see if BMW introduces a new R1300RT with the lowering suspension next year so my bike may change then.

My next bike is definitely a smaller dual sport. I want an easy bike for hard riding. 😃

I’d rather have multiple bikes that are really good at specific things than one bike to try to do a bunch of stuff on. I’ve got a crf450r for trails and off road use, a goldwing for long trips, and now I wanna pick up another crotch rocket for canyon carving 😂

I have the opposite problem. I can’t pass up those great used deals and fixer uppers. Could afford a nice new expensive bike but find I develop more of a relationship fixing and upgrading used ones to suit me and having 4 bikes in the garage rather than just one. Insurance in Ontario is the crappy thing and has driven me to smaller displacement bikes which truthfully are just as fun. 1-250cc and 3-650cc bikes in the stable now.

I bought my bike new 15k OTD at 0%, the price I saw was the exact price I paid and since I never plan on selling It I don’t worry about depreciation. Probably won’t ever find 0% again.

I'm turning 65 next month and have been riding for 50 of them. I've never purchased a new motorcycle or car for that matter. PS I paid off my house last year.

As an Asian who do use motorcycle for utilities I always like "Does this motorcycle cost half the cash in my bank account? I'll consider it but I have to be careful." My first bike was used, second bike new, third bike new. Second bike is 10 years old and running. It's a little Yamaha. It'll probably last 15 years in my ham hand. The first one was a Suzuki that my brother humped to death.

DS, thank you so much for this one. I just got my 2022 Bonneville T100 repossessed because I went way over my head by financing it and having a monthly payment that I couldn’t afford. So I’m now saving a little each month to pay cash for a motorcycle instead of financing. I’m looking at newer bikes because I don’t want to have a motorcycle without ABS on it. Looking at the CF Moto NK450 and Yamaha MT03. Been wanting to ask for years, is that you playing the slide riff on your intro? You’re a good player. Slide playing is something I struggle with.

I love your channel. I like the way you present information so I'm going to watch the whole video. But for those who don't want to watch the whole video Kawasaki is the answer to the question in the title of the video.

i'm thinking of building a motorbike from a cg250 motor from the jungle site and modified bicycle parts, 20mm axle downhill bike forks are more than strong enough, i can build it for purely off road to begin, get the vin any ol time i want. all told... it'll cost just over a thou for the bike itself, just scraping under if i find a used junk motor that can be fixed.

I'm financially pretty good and still wouldn't drop 30-40k on a bike lol The value objectively is not there compared to another comparable model that does the same. So many bikes in the 15k-20k range are peak of technology and etc that motorcycles 20 yrs ago couldn't have dreamt of. Power and tech you can't even utilize even at high rider skill. At a certain point it's "this is just overpriced" with some bikes.

Wise content. Bought a 22 AT1100 thinking I needed something bigger and better than my T7. Had the presence of mind not to trade in the T7 until I was sure of the AT1100. Month later I sold the AT1100 and hung on to the T7. The AT was a disappointment. Heavy, unnecessarily complex instrumentation, not much more comfortable compared to the T7, and recalls. About the only purchase mistake I’ve made in dozen or so bikes I’ve owned. Education isn’t cheap. lol.

Actually, that 6-or so year old road glide with the old crap will outlast or more importantly WORK compared to all the new garbage they've put on the market.

Started on a new 1977 kh 250 B2. All you need is a 400 -650, they will destroy most cars performance, cheap to run, insurance, with fuel consumption that would make the cost of electric motorcycles completely unviable.

2000 Honda Valkyrie Interstate (176k miles) and 2000 BMW R1100RT (102k miles) in my garage. Might treat myself to something newer for my 60th birthday in 5 years. LoL

I buy used and I pay cash!

2:30 That's quite common for eastern europe (the building on a screen - that's it) and asia, where people are eager to show-off, to demonstrate their wealth even if there's no wealth, just to look successful, and they live in appartments that cost 5 times less then their car, and the car purchased on credit with the maximum payment period.

I wanted a triumph street triple RS but it was £12k so I decided to go for a kawasaki z650rs for half the price. Both brand new and kawasaki is reliable.

Misery loves company. I have colleagues who will never admit that they spent money they didn't have on their motorcycles, but still rationalize their purchase. Then they try to convince others to go out and buy a bike.🤷🏽‍♀️

Buy a good taken care of bike from the mid 90s. They ride really well and insurance for mine is 10 us $ a month. The bike itself was 2500$