10 Motorcycles That Hold Their Value Surprisingly Well

The motorcycle industry at large finds itself in something of a slump right now. New motorcycle sales are, in a word, poor, which has had a very real effect on used motorcycle prices. Today there are dozens of bargains out there, with some high-end bikes losing almost half their value overnight.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have some bikes that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to hold their value, but somehow, they do. The 10 bikes in question are not necessarily “investment opportunities” but they have somehow escaped the wrath of a market that generally shows no mercy. If you bought one of these bikes over the past few years, we might imagine you are smiling right now.

2017 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle

Price Range: $9,000 – $11,000

As a rule, most Harley-Davidsons hold their value, at least this was the case up until recently. Over the last year, we have seen some models depreciate like never before, but somehow, a bike that never garnered much love while it was on showroom floors is holding its value. The V-Rod divided opinion pretty much throughout its production life, but now, almost a decade after it went out of production, it has become one of the more desirable models.

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2018 Suzuki DR-Z400SM

Price Range: $4,000 – $6,000

For the most part, supermotos do not hold their value. They are fun bikes and don’t really claim to be anything but that, and don’t necessarily serve much of a practical purpose. But, the Suzuki DR-Z400SM has a huge following. It is a proven platform, makes good power, and remains reliable. If you are tall enough to deal with the seat height, it makes for a fantastic “urban assault vehicle.”

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2019 Ducati Panigale V4

Price Range: $16,000 – $18,000

High-end superbikes are not traditionally supposed to hold their value, nor are any Italian motorcycles. This is somehow both, yet continues to maintain a relatively high resale value. While not without fault, the V4 has proven to be remarkably reliable when compared to any of the previous high-performance “L-twins” and is still pretty current. Ducati will say the new bike is 100-percent new, but it has been a process of evolution rather than revolution, and it will take a high-level rider to get the latest bike to lap faster than this 2019 model.

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2019 Yamaha VMax

Price Range: $15,000 – $17,000

Much to the dismay of several Yamaha fans, several bikes were discontinued over a short space of time, thanks to stricter emissions standards. The VMax was one of those emissions-related cullings, and while it is gone, it is certainly not forgotten. It still has a big following and, in terms of performance, certainly hasn’t dated one bit.

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2020 Yamaha YZF-R6

Price Range: $12,000 – $14,000

Of all the bikes that Yamaha discontinued, this has to be the most controversial. The other three Japanese manufacturers have retained their supersports, but Yamaha made the bold decision to blaze a new trail. While the R9 is a competent modern supersport, most fans still miss the R6. The fact that used prices are still hovering around what they sold for back in 2020 only serves to underscore just how much it is missed.

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2020 Ducati Panigale V2

Price Range: $10,000 – $12,000

Reliability (or lack thereof) was often the biggest contributing factor to why Italian bikes traditionally depreciated quickly. The previous generation V2 was very much a proven platform, having been refined in previous generations (899 and 959), and much of what plagued the brand in the past was no longer an issue by 2020. This version of the V2 remains the most powerful, and even though it is 5 years old, it is still a thoroughly modern motorcycle.

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2020 Yamaha YZF-R1

Price Range: $16,000 – $18,000

The R1, as we know it today, first broke cover all the way back in 2015. By 2020, it got a pretty significant update, a few nice-to-have electronic features (as well as some new bodywork) were added, and the CP4 proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a high-performance engine can, in fact, be reliable. At the time, it was not universally appreciated, but today this old superbike is an icon of the industry.

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2021 Indian Scout Bobber

Price Range: $8,000 – $10,000

Indian has carved out a decent slice of the cruiser market, largely thanks to the Bobber. It might not have the squeaky-clean reliability record of the metric bikes, but thanks to its authentic American roots and that impressive V-twin, it has built up a pretty big following. Over the last 4 years, used prices have remained surprisingly high, especially when you compare them to Harley’s liquid-cooled bikes, which are essentially in free fall right now.

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2021 BMW R 1250 GS Adventure

Price Range: $17,000 – $19,000

While it certainly isn’t surprising that one of the most popular motorcycles in the industry holds its value, what is surprising is how a high-end adventure bike like this is still unaffected. Pretty much every other high-end ADV from every other brand – even the Japanese brands – has been hit hard by depreciation this year, but the GSA continues to somehow hold its own.

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2022 Harley-Davidson Street Glide

Price Range: $16,000 – $18,000

Out of all the luxury motorcycle brands, Harley-Davidson is most certainly the hardest hit by depreciation this year. For years, Harleys have held their value better than just about any other bikes on the market, all enjoying healthy resale values, but that no longer seems to be the case. Out of all the high-end touring bikes in the lineup, this is one of the outliers, and while it certainly is depreciating, it is just depreciating a little slower than the rest.

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