As a recent buyer, here is my experience: (note: I'm not writing this to diss the older models or any bike in particular, I'm just trying to give sellers an insight into a buyers mind)
I finally decided to move up from my old C10 to a C14. I usually buy slightly used cars and bikes because they are so much cheaper than new - I prefer to let someone else suffer the depreciation. In doing my research, I found that Big-K did a major upgrade in 2010 to address issues of heat, mirror placement, fuel economy, and added some previously optional accessories as standard. I read lots of user complaints about the heat, so it seemed like a serious problem. Unless it was dirt cheap, I didn't want the first generation model. (don't bother telling me that you don't mind the heat, you've found a fix, etc. I'm just relating what I saw online and how it affected my decision)
Sure you can add farkles to make the bike the way you want (I have), but you probably won't be changing the fairing to cure the heat problem, mirror location or add standard ABS, traction control, fuel economy mode, grip heaters, etc. I made the decision that if I was moving up, I wanted the '10 or newer.
Problem was, I didn't see many '10 or newer C14s for sale, the few I did were asking $11 ~ $12k or more. I did see lots of '08 and '09s, at various amounts of milage for $8 ~ $10K. So I started checking the dealers and saw that many had unsold '12s (the '13s had been out for a while). They were making deals to move the old iron off the showroom floor. The crux of the biscuit is: I got a brand new 2012 for $12,600 (that's just shy of 25% off MSRP, with no "dealer setup" or "shipping") and only slightly more than I was seeing for used '10 and up bikes.
So the long and short of it is, 2008 and 2009 models, especially with high miles, just aren't going to get the resale value they deserve (I know the bikes will regularly last 100,000 miles or more, but with so many used bikes with less than 10K on them, why would I buy one with more?). This is not a reflection on how good or bad '08 and '09s are, just a reflection on the fact that Kawa made big improvements in 2010, and there is a glut at the dealers that they are unloading cheap.
I totally agree with the previous posters who said to remove all the farkles and sell them separately. You get next to nothing for them, they really don't make the bike more valuable to anyone but you. There seems to be a good market on this and other forums for used parts (I've already bought a set of used risers), so you will make more money that way. When I add accessories, I keep all the original parts - that allows me to return the bike to stock when I'm ready to sell. Most buyers prefer a completely stock bike over a heavily modified one (after all, I want MY modifications, not YOURS), and I can always sell the aftermarket parts to get more of my money back.
Like I said, I'm not trying to speak badly of anyone's bike. I'm just trying to give prospective sellers an insight into how this buyer came to his decision.
