I had a rare issue with a RMATV order this morning, I'm sure they'll get it taken care of quickly. While emailing them about a missing number plate my wife asked how long had I been ordering from them. I pulled up my order history and under my current email address my first order was on 12/13/2007. I looked at what I had ordered and then wondered what stuff would cost now.
2004 KX250 parts
PD Steel sprocket set and x-ring chain: 2007: $66.99. 2025: $94.71
CPI Calculator says it would be $103.59, so it's actually cheaper.
Motion Pro Clutch Cable: $12.99. 2025: $8.49 🤯
CPI Calculator says $20.09
Tusk Clutch Kit with springs: $50.99. 2025: $62.99
CPI Calculator says $78.85
And just for fun, my 04 KX250 had an MSRP of $5899. I remember paying $6,xxx for it, don't remember anything other than that 6... Anyway CPI says $10,132.18. A 2025 KX450 retails at $10,499 with electric start and fuel injection and way better suspension. A 2025 kx250 which is probably a better comparison because 4-strokes are better 😋, retails at $8,999.
I'll say it again, bikes and parts are about the same or even cheaper now. It's all the added junk, trucks, RVs, generators, and people changing $15+ a quart of oil every 2 hours. I've run all my 4-strokes over 100 hours before opening them up. Stock valves for 300 plus. Yes freak things happen, but average Joes rebuilding bikes every 30 hours is ridiculous. Some guy on thumpertalk bought a new bike, changed his oil 3 times in 4 hours, and then opened up his engine to check the valves. I read things like this and then see some old guy saying how expensive the sport has gotten and I just smdh.
Yeah I bitch about cost a lot but when gate fees are still $10-15 and entry is $35 it’s not bad compared to the $5-10 and $20 I paid in the late 80s early 90s
Yea my factory edition and F350 Tremor were super cheap. Guys who complain need to work harder/ marry into money.
Prices have went up but motocross/dirt bikes are way less expensive than many other sports. A tournament bass boat is way north of 100k. A Texas deer lease which will allow you to kill one deer can be as much as the cost of a new Austrian dirt bike and ya might not kill a deer.
With that said it’s still hard to stomach the cost of our sport including consumables, filters, oils and lubricants. I can’t blame a guy one bit if he runs T4 or T6 Rotella. Same for a guy running an older bike. The best bikes I’ve ever owned were the ones paid for!
Doesn't the CPI compare the prices of various items over time to determine their inflation estimate without evaluating wages/income?
Looking at prices relative to income seems much more appropriate.
Median Household income in the USA, $73k in 2007 to $83k in 2025 = ~14% increase in household income
PD Steel sprocket set and x-ring chain: 2007: $66.99. 2025: $94.71 +41.37%
Motion Pro Clutch Cable: $12.99. 2025: $8.49 -34.64%
Tusk Clutch Kit with springs: $50.99. 2025: $62.99 +23.5%
'07 KX250 MSRP $5999, '25 KX 250 MSRP $8999 +50%
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Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
came across a FB post from a local burger joint from 2015. Burger / Fries / Longneck is advertised as $8.99.
Today to buy that same meal would be almost $30. $15 burger + $6 for fries + $6 for the beer.
Business owner blames "inflation" and I call bullshit. I could buy 10 pounds of potatoes for $6. Get off my lawn. Yes, I know that's not the point to this thread.
really the problem is all of the other stuff. Sure I can take a $20 increase on a clutch but it’s the $100,000-$300,000 increase on the house that’s got me and everyone else my age in a fit.
don’t get me started on the price of cars.
it’s a big picture thing.
Among motorsports, it remains a great bargain.
And if you ride for fun and aren't racing and churning through parts, the smiles-per-dollar ratio is unmatched IMO.
The problem all around isn’t necessarily the inflation it is the fact that salaries have not kept up for decades.
I Don't even enjoy going out to bars or restaurants anymore, except for an occasional steak joint. It is usually mediocre food and service and the tip culture has gotten out of hand. Some places around here seem to be making money at $3.50-4 a beer and other places that are not even upscale get $6-7
I'm trying to stop thinking about it and being so negative about it. I should be happy the roof over my head that I rent cost twice as much as 7 years ago because we had a Hurricane that flooded all the rentals.
I'm from the UK so I'm not sure what a gate fee is as we don't have that over here. Our race entries are a set amount and that's it, no other costs (unless you're hiring a transponder).
Real median income is already an inflation-adjusted metric -- that's what "2024 c-cpi-u dollars" means. You are double-adjusting by comparing it directly to the inflated costs of the goods.
Here's the non-adjusted chart (raw median household income up 60% from 2007):
So median-income indexed (like you wanted), all those parts and bike are cheaper than they were in 2007.
Good news and all, but look at your lifetime spend with RM and tell me again how cheap the sport is lol
It's funny because I was thinking about my RM spend yesterday and I'm afraid to look... Moto-guy math is spending over $75 because who wants to waste money on shipping. Looks like that quart of oil also just turned into a new set of grips and a Fasthouse hoodie on sale... every. damn. time.
My Dirt Bike is a bargain compared to the Mountain bike I'm looking at.
took the wife to a local cheap Mexican food joint we hadn't visited in 6 months or so. Couple of military young men came in. Told the waitress that I wanted to pick up their tab. She came back and brought me a $130 bill. I chuckled. I seriously thought she was joking. Nope. Each of our plates were $20 ($40) + 3 margaritas ($45) + their plates ($40) + they bought queso ($15).
5 years ago this would have been $60 tops.
I'm so sick of this. The economy is going to implode once the middle class (me) finally buckles. It's not going to be pretty.
great observation 👍
That's the truth. Forget what year I got it and its been a while but they were about 10k back then.
In short, buying power is better. But everything feels more expensive and out of reach.
Pit Row
I don't know about their 2007 median income...I'm seeing many sources showing it in th $50k's? Which sounds more accurate to me...but you know how stats are...they can be whatever someone wants them to be?
https://www.epi.org/publication/webfeatures_econindicators_income_20080…
Your graph, and mine, both site "U.S. Censu Bureau data" as their source? Who knows?
Here is another source showing the $50K median:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2008/acs/acs-09.pdf
He was referencing "Real Median household income" which is already CPI-adjusted.
You're right about that, stats can be whatever someone wants them to be!
I think the real story is the distribution of income, it isn't normal. (side note, Normal means the Mean, Median, and Mode are equal, often referred to as a bell curve)
US Household income distribution is likely bimodal "U Shape" with most people in either the Poor Group or Rich Group.
For some, money is getting tighter as they get shuffled to the left of the chart, "The sport is getting too expensive."
While others get shuffled to the right , "which engine mounts should I buy?"
Distribution examples for the people that want a refresher.
It is no secret where money comes from. If you don't make enough make yourself more marketable/worth more.
Why does it have to delve into charts and graphs and CPI and worker retail ratio that nobody cares about? Can’t we just say “dirt bikes seem more expensive now, and I need more money?”
If other companies raise prices on COGS, it's on you as a worker, business owner, etc to do the same to match or find another way to offset that cost.
I've raised my rates by 15% the last year after going 5 years keeping it the same. It had to be done and now everyone I work with is on board and life is back to normal and I don't feel the stress of other increases as bad anymore. Rinse and repeat till death.
Yes that's true for a lot of people, but for a lot of people it's still an affordable hobby.
Both realities are true, that's the duality the charts etc. help bring to light.
How do you propose people do that?
This X1000!!!!! Exactly...
Born/marry into money.
I bet spoonmans paycheck comes in his mailbox from courtesy of tax payers.
Yeah True 👍
Maybe he's doing Onlyfans?
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