I think the market for 749R's
may pick up, but not until the market for all bikes picks up.
What we're dealing with is normal economic cycles, not exactly boom and bust, but a cooling of the housing market that was in turn fuelling a big remortgaging and credit boom that was enabling people to go shopping.
Now the High Street retailers are reporting their 5th straight month of downturn in sales (so they are officially in recession then) which goes to show that people are pulling in their horns and are either refinanced to the max or trying to reduce things like credit card debt.
So if the bottom has dropped out of the market for Marks & Spencer's pants (fnarr, fnarr) then it's not surprising that big ticket items like motorcycles will REALLY be suffering. That's why all the dealers and distributors are slashing prices and offering interest free credit, in turn knocking the stuffing out of the whole secondhand bike market.
But, put it this way. If you cash your bike in for a Fireblade plus a bit of cash and come next spring there is a turn in the economic tide (we can only hope) what will the Fireblade be worth then? Two parts of sweet FA I would guess.
You say you've already lost £6K on the 749R on an 11K deal
I thought they were only around £13.5K new which would suggest that the extra £3.5K you 'lost' was in trick bits? Could be wrong about that but the sad truth is that bikes that are tricked up to the nines are never worth what the extras cost you...better to flog the bits seperately.
If the driver for taking the deal is health then you may have no choice, but if you can hang on to the R that's what i would do. How much for a full carbon 749R compared to a Blade of the same age in a couple of years?
[Edited on 6-9-2005 by Jools]