mileage

[mudcow007]

After seeing Itchy's threads about bikes blowing up after a certain mile marker, what is high mileage in bike terms...or is it roughly the same as a car?

My bandit (p reg) is on 36000, is that classed as mega high?

[SQL]

anything near 100k

EDIT** Anything near 100k I wouldn't touch myself (Unless it was very very cheap)

[Beehive Bedlam]

My varadero is on 61K.

[Conzar]

Depends on other factors, it could have 13k miles and not been serviced or have 55k and been serviced every 4 thousand miles
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Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
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[Teflon-Mike]

Depends on the bike.
Bikes dont have the same 'anticipated service life' of a car; they are more highly tuned for a start, even the less highly tuned bikes.
Then smaller capacity bikes tend to get thrashed more than bigger ones; sportier bikes tend to get thrashed more than more sedate ones; variables are huge, and bikes can suffer as much from lack of use as over use.

Bikes is not cars, and car 'thinking' often doesn't translate. Which is especially true of mileages and age. You have to think of them as leisure equipment, more like a multi-gym or a fishing rod, where anticipated service life may be from light and occasional duty in the cheapest in the argos catalogue, through to whatever pro gym's use, designed for heavy every-day use.

'Average' miles for a bike these days is 3,000-6000 a year, compared to 12 - 15,000 for a car, (reflecting how much bikes are now used purely as leisure equipment rather than every day transport) yet factory anticipated service life are still of the same 'duration', approx 10 years; so anything much over 50K on a bike would make wonder... but not enormously, and be just one factor I paid little attention to in my buying decision.

I mean, 30K on a hard worked little YBR is a lot of miles; but one used as every day commuter could crank that up before its first MOT is due; Same miles on a Pan Euro, it would barely be run it, but some chap using it for an annual touring holiday and the odd sunny day trip; could take ten years to get them miles on it!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
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[Doovy]

My 2005 CBR600 RR is on 44,000 miles.
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Yamaha RXS 100 > Honda CD 250 > Honda Hornet 600 > Honda CBR 600RR > Yamaha RXS 100 > Kawasaki ZX6R J2 > Yamaha FZ1

[map]

I would also say that the type of owner is a factor.

BMWs have a reputation for being cosseted, garaged, cleaned regularly (I'm told a clean bike shows any issues easier), serviced. So picking up a higher mileage one of those would in theory be less of a gamble.

To contrast sports bikes (and 125s), because of their nature, have a reputation to be thrashed and/or thrown down the road/track. So knowing the seller, or getting an idea of how they (ab)use the bike would help.

IMO there comes a point where mileage doesn't really matter. It's how used, maintenance and condition.
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[Rogerborg]

Leaving the engine aside, bikes have a lot of consumables.

50K with the tyres, sprockets, chain, shocks, brakes, clutch and bearings just replaced vs 25K with them all just about to go: which would you rather buy?
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[Itchy]

[Musketeer]

Depends on engine capacity and how tuned the engine is. Also depends on general build quality (i.e. Chinese bikes)

For sport 600-1000cc I would say anything over 30k miles is high, but don't let it put you off.. I would still buy one for a good price. My ZX6R had over 30k miles and before Cadwell Park it was perfectly fine and I was going to keep it for another 20k miles at least.

Chinese bike with 30k? No way. I'm not sure if I've ever seen any with that mileage

Touring bikes 750-1300cc? 50k woudn't put me off at all.. closer to 100k and I would want it cheaper.

Small 125cc bikes? I think 20k is high, but some people do 70-80k without any problems. All those C90s in India, Thailand, Vietnam do probably over 100k in their life time, carry 4-5 people etc. Two strokes - anything over 15k I would consider a full rebuild candidate (additional cost).
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Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke

[yen_powell]

My Varadero is up to 77,000 miles. I would consider that high mileage and shagged only if I was looking to buy it.

If selling it I would say that it shows the proven reliability and ease of use that it had gotten the mileage so high. Also that it has only been used by a vicar to and from the church on sundays.
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[stevo as b4]

Everything is indeed a consumable on a bike, and you can totally strip and re-build a bike fairly easily several times over it's life or age. Also some bikes with hi output 2stroke motors, might have received several complete re-builds in 100k, and had 3 or more new crank assemblys etc.

You don't get people do the same sorts of things with car's, they are also generally not as maintenance friendly or easy to work on as bikes. That's why when car's have a fault or something goes wrong that's not a simple quick fix, they are often seen more as throwaway items, where as bikes are not, and even most ratty scabby bikes can be brought back onto the road with some work, where as a neglected tired car with damaged or seriously corroded bodywork, is rarely bothered with or deemed worth the hassle of fixing.

[jimspeed]

I bought a pair of GS500e's for my uncle to learn on, the one had 15K on it and the other had 95K and was 2 years older, the best one by far of them was the high miler as it had been used every day etc the low miler had several folk look at it before I found someone willing to take it away.
Use and servicing has to be the key to bigger miles/
My ZZR6 knackered its gearbox at 33K but that was my fault riding in work boots and not clicking it in enough at 12K rpm that motor showed absolutely signs of being even close to worn, no smoke/rattles etc.
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[DMCpro]

Sold my old cg 125 with 45k on the clocks was completely shagged riding to and from Hastings (2013) fucked it since the valve stem seals had gone a lot of oil was missing and all I could buy was vegetable oil. Still! Better than nothing. Got me home anyway then sold it a week later


Honda cb-1 /cb400f has around 96k starts and runs like a dream. Great bike did have to do a lot of work to get it running though. But now it's perfect

Old teacher at college had a bmw k100rt with around 170k he used daily


Depends on the bike and how much your willing to spend maintaining it
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Honda CB-1, TS125X
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[sabian92]

Personally I'd rather buy an old, well maintained bike than a newer one that's clearly been neglected.

Somebody who takes pride in their machine is somebody who won't let it become a hazard.

[Kickstart]

Hi

While bikes are shorter lived than cars, part of that is that with bikes there is a good selection of low mileage bikes to choose from, and the absolute difference in price isn't that massive. If the difference is £500 between a bike with 40k on the clocks and one with 20k on the clock, most would chose the one with 20k.

As to what age I would touch. With most cars I wouldn't worry too much at buying one with 100k on the clocks. But very few bikes would I consider with that mileage.

All the best

Keith
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[Fisty]

[Supermoto_Fan]

I wouldn't go out to buy a bike with anything over 30,000 miles on, purely because I do around 15,000 a year and within 3 years you'd have a bike on it's way out even though when you bought it it was in reasonably good nick.
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[Gazz]

My Deauville is over 100K.

Bought the bike with the understanding that in the worst case scenario; that the engine would be fucked (or would soon be fucked due to high mileage).

Priced some engines on ebay (usually around £200) so thought it was worth a punt at this price.

3 years on, I've had almost 100% trouble free riding.

A battery, couple of sets of tyres and a reg/rec and thats about it.

[Beehive Bedlam]

[Rogerborg]

[Beehive Bedlam]

[Fisty]

[Beehive Bedlam]

[Fisty]