Highside/Lowside podcast: Can a motorcycle be too cheap?

Highside/Lowside Season 3: What’s New

As has been the case for the rest of the world, 2020 has brought many changes to the Highside/Lowside program, cast, and crew. The format and some of the folks involved with each episode will look quite a bit different than they did in Season 2 (and we’re not just talking about Spurg’s hair!). Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we’ve taken steps to move away from the couch in our studio and invested in various pieces of audio equipment for remote recording operations with our hosts and contributors across the country.

While we certainly miss having the couch packed with some of our best pals, one of the upsides is that we’re now able to bring in a wide variety of contributors on a more frequent basis. Case in point, a rider who needs no introduction (but we will anyway), our new co-host, Zack Courts. Though he’s been on the podcast before, and is a fixture of RevZilla's YouTube channel as the host of the Daily Rider program, our new remote format gave us the opportunity to tap into the mind of one of the most obsessive moto-minds in the industry on a bi-weekly basis.

In addition to Zack, you’ll likely notice another new addition to the program in the form of our exclusive sponsor, Motul. They’re the best-selling brand of motorcycle oil at RevZilla.com and many of us use their products on our own bikes, so we’re stoked to have them on board for Season 3.

Last, but certainly not least, for all of you who tune in for Bearded Joe, B-Wise, Silver Fox Lance, and the rest of the crew, not to worry. They’ll be around as well. It’s a long season, (11 episodes still to come), and we’ll get to it all. So, with that being said, make sure the kickstand’s up, the tank’s topped off, and your tires are ready for the twists and turns of the Highside/Lowside Season 3 ride ahead.

Can motorcycles be too cheap?

With all of the new changes, one thing that will always remain about the HS/LS podcast: Motorcycles drive the conversation. For this week’s edition, Spurg and Zack tee up the topic of inexpensive (some would say "cheap") new motorcycles and welcome in Lance, our resident master of monetary efficiency, to discuss the multiple considerations that come with such a trend.

Now, it should come as no surprise that spending less money to get something you really want is generally a good thing for the consumer. And on the surface, cheap new motorcycles that come with full warranties and no checkered histories of use and abuse would seem like a solid option. This option is compounded in the direction of "good" when it is taken by a new rider with relatively limited experience on the maintenance side of the ownership equation. New motorcycles, generally, will come with a reduced risk of replacements, break-downs, and other unforeseen issues upon the initial purchase. All of these are good things. So, how could cheap new motorcycles ever be a bad thing?

Well, for starters, there are no free lunches in this world. Cheaper new bikes mean that somewhere, costs were cut. Maybe it was in areas that don’t matter that much to you (i.e., paint), but more than likely the cost savings were found through reductions in more concrete aspects of performance such as brakes and suspension. It’s not to say that cheap bikes are a bad thing, or that you can’t get a good new motorcycle that comes with a wallet-friendly price, it’s just to say that a buyer needs to be aware of what that reduced cost on the showroom floor likely indicates.

Then there’s the question of what this all means for the used motorcycle market. If riders can get a new bike for the same price as a used one, and know that it comes with all of the benefits of a never-been-ridden option, what happens to all the used rides on the lot, or on the forums or Craigslist for that matter? Why would anyone buy a bike that comes with uncertainty when they can get a spiffy new model direct from the dealer at the same cost? Well, it actually turns out that there are a lot of reasons, all of which Spurg, Zack, and Lance are quick to elaborate on in this episode.

In the end, a new motorcycle (no matter the cost) is a lot to ruminate on. And no, unlike your high school math exams, there is no "right" answer. From the funds available for a prospective purchaser, to the level of mechanical acumen they bring to the table, and quite a few other considerations in between, the question of "can a motorcycle be too cheap" really is one of individual opinion.

Fortunately, opinions are not something that any of the Highside/Lowside cast has in short supply.