http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2008-...QQcmdZViewItem

You couldn't touch a brand new 450EXC for that price.

OTOH-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-2...QQcmdZViewItem

 

We would need to see completed sales, not the first bid price. Reserve not met.

 

Also, the KLX450 is not really an option for a lot of people because it's not street legal. My point was the prices are not that far apart, and you get more with the KTM, like being street legal. And that's whey everyone is buying them.

 

in some states, it's doable to street legalize a KLX450. and it won't cost $1500 which is about the difference in pricing. that KTM still hadn't hit its reserve where the KLX had. not saying either one is better than the other, just that the KLX could be had for somewhere in the ballpark of $1500-$2000 less than the KTM. but you're right, you've got the plate from the crate and to some, that's worth any amount of money.
I'd love 450 power, but to me, it wasn't worth paying the extra $3748 the EXC would have been over my '09 KLX. Street legalizing a KLX450 is not possible in Iowa.

 

I still think you are exaggerating the price difference. The KLX in that bid is $6000, and it is "make your bid", not a "buy it now", so you have no guarantee for actually getting it for that. And then you still have to ship it, or drive to pick it up and if you are not local to Colorado where the dealer is that can be expensive. Then you're going to need to pay taxes on it and other fees. Does that dealer charge setup? I bought my KTM for $7300, OTD which included taxes and any ancillary fees like doc and tags. How is that price difference $1500 to $2000? After pay taxes on the KLX, get it shipped or go pick it up, you're going to have at least another $500 to $1000 on that "make a bid" price assuming you get it for that price. So after all that, the difference will be very small. And mine was from a walk-in dealer where I got to check it out, make sure there was no time on the hour meter, and watch them set it up for me and talked to the mechanic while he was doing it.

 

I saw on the weekend the klx450 for $A10990 plus on road costs.
It was more than that when it was released but there not selling very well.
I reckon thats about $A2000 less than the 450 KTM.

But I reckon it;s worth the difference.
The KTM is very highly regarded and comfortable beat the KLX in a recent coparo I read.

Plus the KTM has a bit of the X factor.
I'd take the kato over the KLX.
And I would justify my decision with "logic" even though deep down I know that it was a desire thing.

Any way, both machines would far exceed my ability.
The weak link would be me.

 

msrp on the ktm is $8448 (plus $235 dealer fees with this auction), we're talking '08 models not '07's like you have. So the new '08 KTM will be $8683 plus tax vs. the new '08 KLX at $5999 plus tax- that's $2684 difference. Location does not matter as I'm not buying one. But this is what they're going for and ebay is a good indicator of value.The KLX has been on ebay nearly daily for buy it now price of$6499. this current auction states that if you bid on it for $5999, you'll get it for that telling me that it can be bought for $5999. that's dirt cheap for that caliber of bike. I would think most dealers would sell these bikes for that since a lot of them are still sitting on dealer floors, at least here they are. I know for a fact the local KTM dealer here won't budgefrom msrp on any KTM. I don't know what the '07 retail price was on your EXC, but I would bet the farm that there is no way in hell that a new '08 could be had for $7300 otd. If that was the case, it would drive KTM resale values into the ground and that is one thing they don't want to happen. They claim to be premium motorcycles and thus sell them that way even though they're no better than a Honda or Kawi. Either way, looking at retail prices between the KLX and KTM, there's still over a grand price difference. That KTM auction is up to $6800 and still hasn't hit the reserve. It's no secret that KTM's are expensive, you know that. Maybe you could've bought a KLX450, street legalized it and still had money left over had you waited. Like I said though, they're both very nice bikes. I just like to get more bang for my buck and in this case, the KLX is obviously the winner in that dept. No, the KLX isn't street legal, but KTM doesn't have a street legal 250 either. Smart on their part as well, cuz it would take sales away from the more expensive bike.

 

Messing again.[sm=badbadbad.gif]

 

That's BS. Dealer fees? I refuse to buy from dealers that charge setup fees. The MSRP on mine was $8000, yet I got it for almost $1000 less than that. Your quoting the most pessimistic KTM price with the most optimistic KLX price. Now I see where you got such a big price difference.

It does matter, because if you can only find that great price 2000 miles from you, that's not so good, is it? I'm sure not going to take two weeks off work wasting vacation and a fortune in gas money to drive to Colorado to pick up that KLX. Or pay a small fortune to have it shipped and take a chance that I get something that was not expected, i.e., time on the hour meter where it had previously been ridden, or who knows what.

For some things maybe, but when it costs many hundreds of dollars to ship that item to you, it's only a good indicator for the cheapest that it can be found, somewhere. It's not necessarily a good indicator for what YOU can get it for. And shipping a bike is not that cheap, so that has to be factored in.

That's because everyone are buying KTMs.

The two KTM dealers nearest me would not budge on the MSRP of my '07 which was $8000. I called around and found a dealer an hour away and got it almost $1000 off MSRP. Just because one dealer won't budge, doesn't mean anything about the next dealer.

$7998

Call around, you might be surprised. Here in NC, there are good deals to be found. MSRP on mine was $7998. Dealers 1, 2, and 3 would not budge. For Dealer #4, I was quoted $7300 on the phone, and after I got there and kicked the tires a little bit, asked a few questions, sat on a WR450, I offered $7000 for the KTM and they took it.

My bike still has good resale value, not that I intend on selling. Many people like to buy new, though, so regardless of the used market, those people will always buy new. There are plenty of good used KTM's on the market, but that doesn't seem to hurt their sales at the dealers. And until Honda or Kawi offer a street legal performance dirt bike, the KTMs are better, at least for those where the plate is important. For those that don't care about the plate, that selling point for KTM goes away, yet they still seem to sell an awful lot of their non-plated bikes like the XC. Which, as a point of fact, can still be street legalized with the addition of lights - note that this is in contrast to Japanese dirt bikes which are titled "off-road only". Note so with the KTM - the frame VIN# indicates a street legal motorcycle. So even if you bought one of their off-road bikes, you can still make it perfectly street legal later if you want without worry like with Japanese off-roaders.

You're looking at one e-bay auction for a bike that's only been out for a few months. The '08 KLX450 has been out for a lot longer. Lot's of folks were just getting deliveries on the '08 KTMs in November/December. The '08 KLX's have been out for a lot longer than that. Generally, bikes that have been out longer are not as in high demand, everything else being equal.

But what is important is not the MSRP retail price, but rather, what the bike costs in your area. For some areas it is good, and for others it is bad. Economics 101, supply and demand. I bought my '07 in 2007 about this time last year for a good price. I haven't checked, but if I shopped around, I bet I could get that much off an '08 in my area, here in 2008.

Can't do that in NC, must be street legal off the floor, DMV checks the VIN#. They are even recalling plates that were previously issued for dual-sported dirt bikes in year's past. That is EXACTLY the situation I did not want to have happen a few years down the road, after buying an expensive dirt bike, getting it dual sported, and then having the plate recalled a year later and then I'm screwed. And it's happening now. But I'm covered, because KTM's are street legal off the show-room floor. How much would I have saved if I bought a KLX450R last year, spent $500 on a dual sport kit, had it plated and registered, only to have my plate taken away this year and then I'd have to sell it, taking a big loss, and then go and buy a street legal KTM this year anyway? I'm afraid that would have been a whole lot more expensive than just buying the KTM to start with.

Couldn't agree with you more on that. If the KLX450 was street legal, that's probably what I would own now since I already had a Kawasaki and liked it. But I took a chance on the KTM having never owned one before and I couldn't be happier. I also looked at the Husqvarna TE's at the time, but ultimately I liked the KTM EXC better. Better dealer network, more aftermarket, parts galore, and wider transmission ratio makes for easy highway cruising. And the KTM is all I can handle on the tight trails or in the wide open.

Maybe for YOU, but not for me.

If they did, I would have considered it, but I probably would have gotten the 450 anyway.

 

Nobrakes--I fear you went to more effort & detail than was necessary.