‘Parts prices are going bonkers’

Two things are making used bikes more hassle than they’re worth. The first is the theft epidemic. I’ve recently had my KTM Duke 390 lifted from a locked garage. Theft is driving insurance costs through the roof; my insurer told me they have as many theft claims now as they do crash claims.

The second is spare parts prices.

I believe a lot of KTMs are nicked for parts as they’re very crashable, popular with younger riders and parts are not cheap.

Take a mild front end crunch. Maybe twisted yokes, flapjacked TFT instrument panel and a headlight. That’ll be £270 for the yokes, £220 for the instrument panel, £72 for headlight and shroud… getting on for £600 altogether. In fairness, some parts are cheap, but that’s still one fifth of what I paid for the entire bike new. Of course, they’re free if you nick a bike.

My local dealer tells me that OE replacement radiators for Japanese supersports bikes, models that are a few years old, are £800 or more. And try finding an OE exhaust for (say) an early FireBlade. It’s actually easier and cheaper to source bits for 40-year-old Japanese bikes than it is for 15-20 year-old ones.

I buy ‘parts bikes’ from time to time. Machines that are cheap because they’re damaged and/or have mechanical issues and are too expensive to fix up. So, before you buy a used bike, make sure you check spare parts availability and prices first.