Are you thinking about selling your bike or trading it in? If you are, you don't want to go into it unprepared. There are a few things you need to know before you put your bike up for sale or talk to a dealer. One of the most important things is to know the fair market value of your current motorcycle. If you don't, you might sell it for too little or have it priced too high. If you do the first, you may not have enough money to fully pay off your new bike, plus you'll be cheating yourself out of some money. If it's the second, it may take weeks or months before you find someone willing to pay that price.
There are several different places to find the value of your motorcycle. One idea is to look at similar bikes for sale online or in your local newspaper. You could even go to a dealership and look at bikes before letting them know that yours is for sale. If you know what others have paid for their motorcycle, you can compare the age, make, model, and condition of your bike to theirs to get a ballpark estimate. You might also want to consult a mechanic to see what he thinks of your motorcycle and to see if there is anything you need to have fixed before selling it.
Finally, there's the Kelley Blue Book. While many people consult this website (or the actual physical book) for the value of their automobile, few people realize that this resource also includes motorcycle prices. You can easily look up any make and model of motorcycle and find information on its fair market value. Of course, if you want to raise the value a little bit, you can throw in saddlebags, a trailer, some loose motorcycle patches, and other items.
