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TheGetFresh
7/30/2016 11:18am
7/30/2016 11:18am
Hey Vitards,
People in this sport often talk about how high the prices of new bikes have become since the advent of the 4 stroke. Recently, guys like David Pingree on his RacerX column and JT on one of Matthes' podcasts have used the price of new bikes to make a point about the health of the sport. It seems that everybody has an opinion on this but nobody really has the data. So I found it.
*KTM omitted due to small market share in 2000
So, when adjusted for the value of a US dollar, the price of a modern 4 stroke motocross bike is $729.40 higher than an equivalent 2000 2 stroke. That's an increase of 9% over inflation in today's dollars.
Now, this is just for new bike prices because that was the specific argument that was made. Another consideration is indeed the maintenance requirements, which may be higher on 4 strokes. The issue is that gathering accurate data for 15 year historical maintenance costs is very difficult. Accurately accounting for how often the bike needed work, how much the parts cost and what the true cost of repairs were is nearly impossible.
If you see any errors in these data, please point them out and provide a correction. I would really like to update this with the price of boots, helmets and gear so if you have historical catalog prices, please let me know.
People in this sport often talk about how high the prices of new bikes have become since the advent of the 4 stroke. Recently, guys like David Pingree on his RacerX column and JT on one of Matthes' podcasts have used the price of new bikes to make a point about the health of the sport. It seems that everybody has an opinion on this but nobody really has the data. So I found it.
*KTM omitted due to small market share in 2000
So, when adjusted for the value of a US dollar, the price of a modern 4 stroke motocross bike is $729.40 higher than an equivalent 2000 2 stroke. That's an increase of 9% over inflation in today's dollars.
Now, this is just for new bike prices because that was the specific argument that was made. Another consideration is indeed the maintenance requirements, which may be higher on 4 strokes. The issue is that gathering accurate data for 15 year historical maintenance costs is very difficult. Accurately accounting for how often the bike needed work, how much the parts cost and what the true cost of repairs were is nearly impossible.
If you see any errors in these data, please point them out and provide a correction. I would really like to update this with the price of boots, helmets and gear so if you have historical catalog prices, please let me know.
aka Apples to Apples
I'm jus' sayin'...
(From someone thats done the whole "white paper" thing)
But a 2001 YZ426f was $5899. $175 year 2000 dollars more than average ($245 2016 dollars). $5899 is $8258.60 in 2016 Prices, so $450.4 dollars less than today's average (or 5.17% less).
The Shop
I think an average of Americans, not just motorcyclists would give more insight.
Nice work, my friend.
I believe that "all things being equal", the '00 426 v '16 450 is the fair comparison; furthermore, amortization of true R&D for the earlier 4Ts had to be Astronomic!
This is the kind of data needed for a true "state of the sport" discussion.
I know, from experience, that there's gonna be A LOT of Negative-Nancy in the discussion; however, after riding many well prepared bikes over the last ten years (from PC to Factory Services) I've seen 1st hand that the average guy has better bikes available than he did "back in the day".
Next, people are going to chime in on how much everything costs. Well, those folks seem to forget that the really good things were not only expensive; but, we're VERY unobtainable...too. Bikes came with disposable shocks (my 1980 CR comes to mind) and Ohlins were pretty damn expensive! And that's when you could actually get them!
Bwahahahahaha
You're talking Economics and you JUST KNOW someone's gonna make that "political".
Yes, I'm a smart ass
The car guys got them all beat. In 65 you could buy a Shelby Cobra for around $7000. Now they go for over a million.
I bought a brand new '05 Dodge diesel SLT Laramie 2wd that was fully loaded in '05 for $32K
That same truck is now $60K
If you consider this, the price increase n dirt bikes isn't all that bad....
Pit Row
Don't move!
Let me get the steel-plate and slide it under your foot...when I say, "Lift", very gentley pick your foot up...
That may not be a direct comparison to a weekend warrior but it shows the difference for a team who was getting the most out of a two stroke and then moved to getting the most out of a four stroke
Think of it this way, if you had a business that did expedited deliveris and you had a fleet of 20 gas engines delivery vehicles and in a given year switched to an entirely diesel fleet, your costs of service for that first year would likely be very high because you'd have to buy new parts and retrain your mechanics. However they would come down over the following years--perhaps even to levels lower than your prebio us levels. If you spread out (amortize) your initial adopton costs, you get a better idea of what it actually increased or decreased you maintenance costs by.
Also, others mentioned the rising costs of pickup trucks. I really tried to incorporate those prices into this, but finding the historical prices of new trucks was much more difficult then finding historical didn't bike prices, to my surprise. The fact that trucks have a variety of upgrade options further complicates that. An F150 may start at $24,000 or whatever, but the average price of delivered models is likely in the mid 30s
I get that the 2 stroke circlejerk can get annoying, but what you said is insane. Given average joe's knowledge and maintenance, a 2016 yz450f will not outlast a 2016 yz250; not to mention the yz will be worth more 5 years down the line.
Close, but no cigar...
However, it's impossible to complain much about bike prices and difficulty of getting new riders involved when most young guys are spending 4 to 7 times as much money on ostentatious vehicles they cannot afford and similar garbage, THEN complain that they cannot afford sports like MX or a decent mountain bike or whatever. 99% of young men my age that I know with a decent job fit this exact description. The stuff that causes those types of massively stupid spending habits cannot be fixed within our industry.
Source: I'm a former slimy car salesman
You can get a used two stroke fairly cheap. But thats not what the manufacturers want, they want new people buying new bikes. Regardless of 2T or 4T.
But new two strokes are outrageously priced for the advancement they have.
Fuel injection, air suspension and more moving parts in a four stroke. Some what justifiable to spend what is spent on a modern four stroke.
10K plus on a modern two stroke??? Ridiculous.
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