When you buy new...
MSRP Margin 20-25% over dealer cost. With a lot of work, patience and quite a bit of badgering (do not impulse buy, make several trips of 1-2 hours each with the same sales person. You will suck so much life out of them they will convince themselves they have to get some type of deal done to justify all the time spent) on your part, you can prob get a new bike for about 10% over cost. They will make their money on the upgrades and service.
If you buy used, you can often get just as good as new for less than a dealer would offer someone on a trade in. There are a lot of people hurting for money out there.
I have bought 3 bikes in the last 3 years. All of them have been used. I feel that Harley / BDM owners consider their bikes in the upper level and take better care of their toys.
But we are currently in a buyers market for everything. Homes, Bikes, Cars, Boats and even some daily staples.
As a society, a large percentage of consumers are over extended and need to become more liquid just to survive. Hence the reason there is such a glut of these high dollar toys being offered at cut rates.
It may not help our bikes current value, but we bought them to ride them right? Why not take advantage of an opportunity that someone else may not have had the foresight to see when they bought new.
Hell, tell yourself that you are helping someone out of a bad situation if that helps you sleep at night.