Motorbike Valuation

There are a multitude of factors that go into a bike's valuation. If we ignore market factors and just look at the bike itself, we mainly consider:

• Make and model: Popular brands with strong reputations for reliability tend to hold their values better. The major Japanese manufacturers, along with heritage brands including Triumph and Harley Davidson, stand as symbols of lasting value.
• Year of manufacture: As with other assets, motorcycle values depreciate with time. The greatest depreciation is seen within the first 3 years of the bike's life with the rate dropping sharply thereafter.
• Mileage: Value is heavily influenced by what it says on your odometer. A commuter bike can do north of 10,000 miles a year whereas top-of-the-range bikes only tend to come out if and when the sun shines!
• Condition: A well-loved bike can command a lovely price – look after your bike, and your bike will look after you. The better the condition of the bike, the higher its value.
• Service History: A full or part service history provides reassurance that the bike has been well cared for and is less likely to have issues.

No, having remaining finance on a motorbike does not affect its valuation. We value the motorbike itself as an asset and consider the make & model, mileage, and condition, among other things. Given how you've paid for the bike doesn't affect the quality of the bike, it stands that the value of a bike isn't affected by having finance remaining.

At Bike Buyer UK, we can work with you to handle bikes with remaining finance. For example, if your bike's valued at £5,000 but you still owe £2,000 on finance, we can help facilitate the settlement and ensure you receive the difference. All bikes are HPI checked prior to purchase.

Many people think you get a better price for your bike in summer compared to winter as more people want to sell when the weather deteriorates and buy when it starts to improve. However, whilst the logic makes sense, the reality is different.

Ultimately, a motorbike is a depreciating asset and the passing of time isn't concerned with how sunny it is outside. Moreover, compared with other variables that go into pricing a bike, the time of year pales into insignificance. We value bikes on a case-by-case basis and the time of year is not a factor we consider when valuing bikes.

Yes. You might be surprised by this but we still offer valuations on written-off bikes. When you go to value your bike, there is a question asking whether the bike is an insurance write off and you just need to select 'Yes'.

There are of course different categories of write-off, which will ultimately affect the value of your bike. As we always check the bike against the HPI register, which will reveal whether a bike has been written off by an insurance company, we factor this information in when we come to purchase the bike. If the bike has been professionally repaired you can still get a good valuation despite being classed as a write-off.