specbill

I have a less popular take on Tandems with the soft-ride stoker set-up. I'm sure it is a fine tandem and will give you good service. It is also logical that the longer you keep and use it the better the dollar value it will be for you.
However, when you question resale value, I think you are 100% right in that the bike will be harder to sell than a non-beam Tandem. I also agree with the fact that the longer those beams are out of production the less likely people will be to want to buy a tandem with one....look at you...you are rightly questioning that package right now on an otherwise perfect Tandem for you. You are not alone in questioning it. While searching for our last two used Tandem purchases in 2010 and 2009 I came across two very competitively priced Soft-ride Tandems and never gave either one of them more that a passing view. My logic was, why have that out of the ordinary characteristic become my problem to evaluate now, then hope it lasts, then hope I can find parts for it and then hope I can sell it one day...why? I'm not saying a soft ride Tandem is not a good bike, only that it is way different than today's Tandem and will get more different/rare with each passing year. Unless I was planning on keeping that Tandem for a very long time, I would pass and get a more traditional one instead. Best of luck.
Bill J.