What Is The Value Of My Dirt Bike? Top 5 Factors

"What is my bike worth?" is a common question people ask when they are looking to sell their dirt bike. While there are numerous factors that determine how much you can or will get for your bike, there's never a set price for any certain make and model bike.

To give you a better idea, I'll show you the top factors that influence the value of your dirt bike.

What Brand Is Your Dirt Bike?

As weird as this may sound, some bikes sell more quickly and for more money than others. It can depend on your location, but generally, red and blue bikes are easier to sell. Why? Because people like the colors red and blue. That's not to say you aren't going to sell your lemon, lime, or orange-colored bike quickly. This has just been my speculation based on the used bike market for the past 8-10 years, and probably will be for a while.

2 Stroke or 4 Stroke?

Two-strokes have been getting more popular around the country, and even the globe in the past couple years. They are cheap to maintain, easy to work on, and a blast to ride. This means that their value has noticeably increased, especially if the bike is in good shape.

Four-strokes are still conquering the motocross world, but a 250F or 450cc MX bike that's more than 5 years old is more than likely beat up. If you're comparing the two, a 2-stroke is going to hold it's value longer because an engine rebuild is a lot less costly.

How Many Aftermarket Parts?

You can add $3000 worth of aftermarket parts to your $1000 dirt bike, but that doesn't make it worth $4k. In fact, some people prefer stock or close to stock bikes. Why? A bike with a lot of aftermarket parts has been messed with more than a stock one. This increases the chance of something not being put back on the bike correctly and failing in the near future.

The buyers that want aftermarket parts on a bike are looking for something that is set-up for their kind of riding, which is not very common. If you want to get the most return on your used dirt bike, put the stock parts back on it when you put it on the market, then sell the aftermarket parts separately.

What Is The Market?

While KBB and NADA may give you an estimate of how much your bike is worth, it's just a guesstimate. To give you a good idea, check your local market for how much your model dirt bike is worth. Try to get an idea of how much one in good shape is priced at, and how much a beat up one is.

Once again, these are still estimates, but are more accurate because they're real, and they're local. Why are they still estimates? Because 99% of the time the seller does not get the asking price.

"The used dirt bike market is all about haggling."

-Kelley Fager

For example, if you want $2100 for your motocross bike, try listing it for $2400. That way the buyer will think he's getting a deal if he works you down to what you wanted. However, there's still no guarantee you're going to get what you want for it.

Was It Maintained?

This is usually the number one factor in selling a used dirt bike. Most people that come to look at a bike are going to know right away if it has been maintained at all.

First of all, is the bike clean? Does it start up right away and not make any unusual sounds? Have the oil and filter(s) been changed regularly? What kind of shape are the chain and sprockets in? Has the engine been taken rebuilt? If so, who did the work? How many hours does it have?

These are all common questions that you should ask yourself before you try and sell your dirt bike.

Still Not Selling?

Has your bike been on the market for a while and still not sold? Perhaps you are asking too much. If you aren't getting any calls or emails from your ad, consider lowering the price 100-200 bucks.

Also, how descriptive is your ad? Does it have any pictures of the bike? If it doesn't already, try adding some info about the bike that people calling would ask.

Another important factor in selling a dirt bike is the time of year. Are you trying to sell it in the winter/off-season? If so, it's going to be harder to sell it, and you won't get nearly as much for it. The best time to sell a bike is in the spring when riding season is right around the corner, or is just starting. When kids, and even adults, see others riding, they see how fun it looks and instantly want a bike for themselves.

If you need more help on selling a bike, check out my other post on How To Quickly Sell A Dirt Bike.

A dirt bike's value is based on these 5 things:

• Brand of dirt bike
• Type of dirt bike (2 or 4 stroke)
• Aftermarket parts
• Local market value
• How well it's been maintained