FJR Cost Over Time - Adjusted for Inflation

After I bought a 2014 ES recently I was curious how much it cost compared to the 2005 I bought in 2004. And for fun I ran the numbers through a Consumer Price Index website to compare more apples-to-apples and was surprised the costs were fairly similar. Then, of course, I was curious about all FJR years, had Excel open, spent the better part of the past decade compiling this data in the FJR Model Year Comparison Matrix, and thought I'd do a little chart.

And we know that means I then have to share with the forum. For this chart I purposely chose the ABS model (except for the 2003 model year that didn't have ABS available). And, of course, this is only true for the U.S. and is based on MSRP..not actual cost or final costs with local and regional variation.



The red line and the dashed red trend line are the most interesting to me. Over time the FJR has sold in about an $800 range in 2014 dollars. The biggest drop seems to be in 2008 and that's understandable given the economic market. It's also interesting that was adjusted the other direction in 2010.

I also find it interesting that a 2004 was more expensive (by about $400) than a 2014. This detail sure makes is easier to justify an ES...it's only $600 more than a 2004.

The other is a trend line and the slope of it is fairly flat. In fact, if I remove the 2003 it would be almost perfectly flat.

My final takeaways are that the cost of the FJR remains fairly over the time for the bike--while at the same time having value added to it via features or refinements almost every year and that a 2004 (all Gen 1 bikes) was actually slightly more expensive than a 2014.

Interesting food for thought....

It would be interesting to see the plot of the general motorcycle market, so see where the FJR fairs with the competition - maybe just for the sport touring bikes or those that are in competition.

Nice work. By that analysis it does look like later buyers of new bikes are getting significantly more bang for their buck (i.e. the added features/refinements).

That is not at all what one might expect to see. I would have expected to see big jumps in adjusted price at the introduction of each new generation, where significant features were added, and yet that doesn't seem to have happened at all.

I guess it would have on the '14 if you had used the more expensive ES as that would have just edged out the 2010 as the highest priced FJR yet. But the 2013 and 2014 A would appear to be "bargains" considering the added features.

Rider said:

It would be interesting to see the plot of the general motorcycle market, so see where the FJR fairs with the competition - maybe just for the sport touring bikes or those that are in competition.

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Get cracking then! Inquiring minds want to know.

Meanwhile, you should use this chart as a kick in the butt to go buy your first FJR and get a '14 since they're one of cheaper ABS models over time.

Ignacio said:

Meanwhile, you should use this chart as a final kick in the butt to go buy your first FJR and get a '14 since they're one of cheaper ABS models over time.

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First, excellent work. Thanks for doing this.

Second, I just checked the Honda website and the 2012 ST1300 which they still list has an MSRP of $18580. That bike is virtually unchanged from its 2003 debut and has never sold as well as the FJR yet it still retails for more money. Saying that it is comparable to an early Gen2 FJR is being generous.

Third, I personally am wearing out the seat of my britches with all these "kicks in the butt" to go purchase a new FJR. I am thinking a '15...

Good work.

It can only ever be a partial picture, because "affordability" is really what we are looking for. Is the '14 relatively more affordable than the '05, for example.

To work that out you need to add in what has happened not just to the buying power of the dollar, but what has happened to the disposable income over the same period. For some it has increased significantly, for others it has remained flat, and even dropped.

So many folk who could add an FJR into their budget in '05, might not be able to in '14 despite it appearing relatively affordable ... others will find it easier to buy.

It is still useful and interesting, even with the caveats.

Twigg said:

It can only ever be a partial picture, because "affordability" is really what we are looking for.

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Love it! When are you going to do this for the forum?

Really? So, you go to the trouble of doing the research, plug in the numbers, create the chart and post it on the forum and then get told "what you should do"? Unbelievable.

I thought the fact that you transferred all this into 2014 dollars would have covered most of the affordability questions. I am sure that I am over reacting, that these folks don't really mean that YOU should do the extra work.

I am probably just grouchy because I don't have a '14 ES and I am not at EOM.

Please point to to the bit where I said the OP should do anything.

I said "Good Work" and "useful and interesting".

I pointed out that affordability also depended upon other factors too. However, if we are no longer allowed to discuss things, I'm fine with that too.

Seems to me that a few folk find my presence here ... unhelpful. That was never my intent, and I'll bow out now.

Twigg said:

Please point to to the bit where I said the OP should do anything.
I said "Good Work" and "useful and interesting".

I pointed out that affordability also depended upon other factors too. However, if we are no longer allowed to discuss things, I'm fine with that too.

Seems to me that a few folk find my presence here ... unhelpful. That was never my intent, and I'll bow out now.

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Twigg:

Maybe we're all a little grouchy today for some reason (I know I am) - don't let it get you down.

As for the affordability thing, cost can be measured (and inflation-adjusted) in absolute terms ($) but how could you possibly quantify “affordability”? Would you analyze data to conclude that, say, 8/10 people who would consider buying an FJR could do so without becoming insolvent? Or is it “a new FJR costs _____% of the national mean after-tax income” (a metric which wouldn’t necessarily tell us whether potential buyer “x” could afford it or not)?

I’ll grant you that “affordability” is an interesting concept and one that I’m sure each individual buyer thinks about, but I think it’s an awfully slippery thing to try to quantify. That said, I’m sure there’s an economist or 2 out there who would tell me I’m wrong.

CA G-Man said:

Twigg said:

Please point to to the bit where I said the OP should do anything.
I said "Good Work" and "useful and interesting".

I pointed out that affordability also depended upon other factors too. However, if we are no longer allowed to discuss things, I'm fine with that too.

Seems to me that a few folk find my presence here ... unhelpful. That was never my intent, and I'll bow out now.

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Twigg:

Maybe we're all a little grouchy today for some reason (I know I am) - don't let it get you down.

As for the affordability thing, cost can be measured (and inflation-adjusted) in absolute terms ($) but how could you possibly quantify “affordability”? Would you analyze data to conclude that, say, 8/10 people who would consider buying an FJR could do so without becoming insolvent? Or is it “a new FJR costs _____% of the national mean after-tax income” (a metric which wouldn’t necessarily tell us whether potential buyer “x” could afford it or not)?

I’ll grant you that “affordability” is an interesting concept and one that I’m sure each individual buyer thinks about, but I think it’s an awfully slippery thing to try to quantify. That said, I’m sure there’s an economist or 2 out there who would tell me I’m wrong.

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You can't necessarily quantify it, and I didn't even begin to suggest that anyone should.

The OP posted a cost comparison over time, and the comments suggested that the bike was, if not becoming cheaper, at least holding its own while adding value to the product.

I thought that was a good piece of work which is both interesting and useful. I also liked the suggestion that it would be interesting to see how other marques compared using the same metric.

However, useful though it is, individual buying decisions are made on the basis of personal situations, and it is valid to say that. To say that while it appears to be cheaper now, it doesn't "feel" cheaper to someone who has had to beat back the worst depression since the 1930s.

To those people, and there are a great many of them, they work as hard as ever yet an FJR is less affordable now that it was in '05.

I'm sorry Ignacio felt slighted, or felt that his work was devalued. He is one of the contributors here whose views I respect the most. I thought I was adding to the general conversation, but apparently it was an unwelcome addition.

That is not for the first time, and it is a bandwagon I want no part of. There are folk here I will meet in real life and I do not wish to upset or irritate any of them. I post in many places, and I have learned that while any individual can be welcomed and valued in many places, it doesn't happen everywhere, so cut your losses and move on.

I don't need much help maintaining a motorcycle, although I do appreciate help when offered. As in other places, my reason for being here is to help where I can, share whenever possible in discussion, and take what little help I need, when I need it.

What I don't need id folk getting "snippy", but most of all I don't want to be goaded into a sharp or unhelpful response.

I could live with the previous disagreement, but two is becoming a habit. Motorcycles are my relaxation, and I won't allow myself to be drawn into negative posting ... by anyone. I should be the one to accept that sometimes even nice people disagree, and move on.

I also did not suggest anyone, least not the OP, do any more work. I just vocalized an internal thought that it would be interesting to see those other numbers too. I am not capable of finding those numbers, but I could make a chart .

Motivation and butt kickings are not the issue. I'm not Einstein so the relative nature of this is less important to me than the absolute.

To those people, and there are a great many of them, they work as hard as ever yet an FJR is less affordable now that it was in '05.

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That is true, but if we discuss this in non-specific terms, is the FJR more affordable today? Can a greater percentage of the population today afford one than in '05?

I think the chart is telling us, yes, despite any individual's situation, but I am not sure that is the case. Perhaps applying a standard of living index to the data would normalize that attribute.

I hear the older we get, the thinner our skin gets.

Hey!!!! There's a downward trend from 2010 onward ... that means the 2015 will be cheaper than the 2014 (hooray!) ... and if I was REALLY, REALLY patient, it would eventually be FREE!

I am a frickin' genius.

Seriously, Ignacio, thanks. It's an interesting graph, especially when one factors in the accumulation of improvements -- making the FJR a tremendous value.

My visit to the local dealer last week was embarrassing; I was acting like a teenager in love, drooling over the A while sitting on it and making "vroom, vroom" noises.

LKLD said:

I hear the older we get, the thinner our skin gets.

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Yeah, if I get any older I will be bleeding. I hardly have any skin left now! It is mostly worn out on my knees...

Twigg said:

Please point to to the bit where I said the OP should do anything.
I said "Good Work" and "useful and interesting".

I pointed out that affordability also depended upon other factors too. However, if we are no longer allowed to discuss things, I'm fine with that too.

Seems to me that a few folk find my presence here ... unhelpful. That was never my intent, and I'll bow out now.

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Oh Dammit. You Twigg are one of my current favorite posters. I find myself almost always in agreement with you. I have greatly enjoyed your contributions here and had NO wish to offend you or discourage you from posting. Your previous bike, the Yamaha Venture was one of the bikes I lusted after in my teens. Your association with that bike makes me wish I could buy your lunch and listen to your conversation.

However... I did feel that instead of thanking the man for going the extra mile and doing something no one else had even thought of doing, we insinuated that he SHOULD have done more. I did not like that.

Since I am surrounded by a booming economy and everyone who wants to work is making money all around me, I cannot relate to this "worst depression since the 1930s". In South Louisiana I am working 7/12s and have been since April. I am in a better position to buy a new FJR than ever.

Again, perhaps I am just grouchy because of working all that OT, or because I don't have an FJR, or because I am not at EOM. I promise not to cry and whine anymore if every one else promises also.

Redfish Hunter said:

I promise not to cry and whine anymore if every one else promises also.

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I'm in. Wait... is this like a "forever" promise?

CA G-Man said:

Redfish Hunter said:

I promise not to cry and whine anymore if every one else promises also.

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I'm in. Wait... is this like a "forever" promise?

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No.

We all view life as individuals and through our own eyes. I look at my 3 FJR's: an '03 bought new for $9999 (NO add ons) and 2 used '04's...total outlay $12,500 ( $18,500 less what I sold 2 bikes for) , total miles approx about 400K miles. Current '04 just turned 188K after a 6400+ mile 1 week trip out West and still runs great. Not "worth" much in dollars and doesn't have all the "refinements" of newer models but it sure still puts a smile on my face to the tune of about 40K per year. I guess I could buy a new one for what I've spent in tires (5-6K per set of PR2's). gas, oil, and filters. I guess it's sorta like the old "ride a fast bike slao or a slow bike fast"....I'd rather ride an old bike a lot rather than a new one a little bit....Just some thoughts....( $.03 per mile thus far....)