On average... when is a bike over-the-hill?

[WildBoarMouse]

Just getting into the scene, how do Km's on a bike compare to Km's on a car... just for example, you might start getting a little wary of a car that's done over 150,000km, but would be fairly comfortable buying a car with only 80k-100k on the clock.

How does this compare to a bike? 250's in particular - since that's what us newbies have to start with :crybaby: I'd be really interested to see what people think about four-strokes in particular...

What brought this question up was a ZXR250r sale on trademe, 1990 model, split windshield, no wof, no rego, new paintjob ( :shifty: ), and 80,0000km on the clock going for $2750!!! Now, is that a reasonable price?

I'd really appreciate it if things could stay kind of on-topic as threads often go AWOL after about 10-15 posts :yes:

[Bonez]

I own two bikes with over 120,000ks up. And they run fine, bit rattly, but fine. It really depends on how they have been looked after. I rather buy a well maintained higher millage m/c than a low millage ill maintained one thats only been riden on Sundays.............

[WildBoarMouse]

Agreed... there are always exceptions! :ride:

[Jabez]

I own two bikes with over 120,000ks up. And they run fine, bit rattly, but fine. It really depends on how they have been looked after. I rather buy a well maintained higher millage m/c than a low millage ill maintained one thats only been riden on Sundays.............
I also have had a bike over 100K & my present one has done about 70k.
I do on average about 10K/yr. As long as they are well maintained, they should last. :ride:

[Jackrat]

For me a bike is never over the hill until the day you can know longer beg, borrow, buy, or steal the parts to keep it going.
Ummmm, maybe not steal,but you get the drift aye!!
I met a guy last year that was riding a Honda of some type(can't remember just what it was)but it had 170,000 and looked almost new.
My hats off to that dude. :yes:
I've had one bike with 140,000 up an it was good for another I reckon.
Would of ended up like that good old spade that had three new handles an two new blades but was still the same good old spade. :whistle:

[GSVR]

I know a lady on here thats got a Honda Jade 250 thats got extremely low mileage.

Runs pretty well no smoke mind you she doesn't thrash it.

[WildBoarMouse]

Hi guys... Yep, there are definitely some bikes out there that have gone the distance! :yes:

But... for someone purchasing their first bike (250cc in particular) when would you start to look elsewhere... assuming all you have to go on to start with are the rough details you find in the classifieds. :)

[Bonez]

Hi guys... Yep, there are definitely some bikes out there that have gone the distance! :yes:

But... for someone purchasing their first bike (250cc in particular) when would you start to look elsewhere... assuming all you have to go on to start with are the rough details you find in the classifieds. :) Classifieds don't tell you much at all really. It's not till you've looked at, talked to the seller and riden the things that give you what you need to make the final purchasing decision IMHO. Also gander in as many bikeshops as you can. This should give you an idea of average retail prices and an idea of the condition for millage. Remember its usually the good'ns, as in visual condition, that are out front. There may be the odd servicable "rat" out back which could be perfectly fine to learn on. Do you have a freind whose into m/cs who can assist?

[SPORK]

What a coincidence! Within 30 seconds of perusing KB and TM, I find these two matches!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=29465692 That's the one, eh?

[WildBoarMouse]

Thanks for all the polls so far! Looks like we're starting to see a little trend! :ride:


Classifieds don't tell you much at all really. It's not till you've looked at, talked to the seller and riden the things that give you what you need to make the final purchasing decision IMHO. Also gander in as many bikeshops as you can. This should give you an idea of average retail prices and an idea of the condition for millage. Remember its usually the good'ns, as in visual condition, that are out front. There may be the odd servicable "rat" out back which could be perfectly fine to learn on. Do you have a freind whose into m/cs who can assist?
I've been trawling the online sales sites in particular and have only been in to a few bike shops... My neighbour is in to racing on a suzuki 1000 something and a workmate is also in to bikes. Both are able to lend a hand :) Certainly makes bouncing ideas around a little easier.


What a coincidence! Within 30 seconds of perusing KB and TM, I find these two matches!
Yep ;) Thats it

[DingDong]

a ZXR250r sale on trademe, 1990 model, split windshield, no wof, no rego, new paintjob ( :shifty: ), and 80,0000km on the clock going for $2750!!! Now, is that a reasonable price?

Depending on how hard you want to look, I'd say its a rip, any bike without a wof is poor buy if your buying from an auction, the seller is no longer responsible for the bike once you buy "as is"... which is essentially what your doing... get it checked out first, tell the seller this before you hand over the cash (or even start bidding) and set your conditions of sale.

If it was $1500 it would be a different story... :yes:

[HDTboy]

My 1990 cbr had 70ks on in when i bought it for $2700 with wof & reg

[crashe]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=29465692

Ok couple of things:
How much will a new windscreen cost?
As they state you will need a new one before you can get a WOF.
Cos you will need to get that done as soon as you buy it....
so check out the cost of replacing one first.

The bike looks good in the pic but you will need to see it first.
Arrange to go and look at it, plus take someone with you to really check it out and who also knows these bikes. Maybe get them to take it for a quick spin down the road - yep I know not legal for the road.. but it would be good to see it run.

How long has it sat for? Will it also need a new battery? Cost of a new battery.

Why is the seller selling it as is where is.... is it cos he cant afford to keep the bike...? If you buy it, you will need a trailor or van to get it home...

Also take into account that you will be paying on top of it the rego and WOF.

Good luck in your search for your very first bike.

[WildBoarMouse]

Thanks for that Crashe! I wasn't seriously considering that particular bike, but it's good to know the little things to look out for in this particular case.

[Ixion]

Depends on the bike. Type and size.

150 2 stroke, ridden hard, maybe 30000

BMW - should be good to 250000+

And anything in between

[WildBoarMouse]

There's certainly an interesting trend going on there! Either it's 50k-70k, or 100k+ :yes:

[Stevo]

There's certainly an interesting trend going on there! Either it's 50k-70k, or 100k+ :yes:
IMHO It really depends how it has been treated. And talking 250s is a different kettle of fish. I reckon for a 500cc plus bike 100+ would be considered over the hill. For a 250 single or twin possibly the same BUT the little 4 cylinder 250 sportbikes about 60-70. The reason I believe this is that they are high revving, hard working motors. The reason they get "thrashed" is because most riders can quickly wring most of the potential out of them. On the other hand bigger sportbikes rarely get pushed anywhere near their limit, and if so certainly not very much (bearing in mind wringing the shit out of them in any gear other than first, pushes you way past LEGAL!)

[WildBoarMouse]

Nice feedback Steveo! That's pretty much the opinion I'd come to, but it's good to hear someone else word it better. :) Cheers

[Lou Girardin]

I know of a Bandit that did 100,000 k's without any more than routine maintenance.
Look after them, they'll look after you.

[XP@]

If it is a BMW or Honda, then unlimited, they go forever... :whistle:
whilst we are on the subject, anyone want to buy:

BMW F650 only 110,000kms NZ new and 2 careful(ish) owners.
or
CBR600 50,000 miles recently re-built history unknown (was donated to the XP@ bike pool)

[Drew]

Definately a trend here, I fully agree with most that has been said, but we as we are talking about a 250, the other consideration is, you will most likely get rid of it in twelve months, how good does it need to be?
If it's a four cylinder job, if it don't rattle or smoke, it's likely to last the distance you need, and when you sell it, long as the plastic is ok, you still gonna get good coin.
In the case of the single, i.e. a GN, they will stand up to more arseholes than anything else, dirt bike based motor and all that.
Hope this helps. :ride:

[WildBoarMouse]

Definately a trend here, I fully agree with most that has been said, but we as we are talking about a 250, the other consideration is, you will most likely get rid of it in twelve months, how good does it need to be?
If it's a four cylinder job, if it don't rattle or smoke, it's likely to last the distance you need, and when you sell it, long as the plastic is ok, you still gonna get good coin.
In the case of the single, i.e. a GN, they will stand up to more arseholes than anything else, dirt bike based motor and all that.
Hope this helps. :ride:
Very helpful! Thanks... The poll trend is definitely a bit on the weird side... not at all what I expected. Well... I expected the 50k-70k figure, but the 100kkm threw me. I'm guessing those are from the people that didn't read I was asking about 250's. :yes: I'm sure there are a few out there that have lasted that long, but I don't imagine that those bikes are the norm... ;)

[Velox]

Runs pretty well no smoke mind you she doesn't thrash it.
:bleh:


Yeah - well from my experience 100k is fine! That's not saying that I'd ever buy one with that on the clock, but mine just went round the clock (250 4 stroke, 4 cylinder) and it's still great. Does 180kmph, is pretty good acceleration-wise, and doesn't make any I'm-getting-old-and-about-to-die noises. Apart from the usual stuff, the only thing that I've ever done to it in the 65,000kms that I've had it (guts/engine-wise) is bung in a new alternator. Oh - and new clutch fibres (although I'm not convinced that I definitely needed them anymore - long story). Actually I don't think I've ever changed the spark plugs either - just cleaned them twice and closed the gap a bit! I just reckon it's great (esp for a student!) and I've totally got my $'s worth. Must be cause it's a Honda eh?!

I don't know if I'd pay that much for a bike with 80,000km on the clock though. I'd expect it to be at least under $2,500, but then again it is a ZXR and people seem to always ask more for them. I dunno.

[Brains]

Very helpful! Thanks... The poll trend is definitely a bit on the weird side... not at all what I expected. Well... I expected the 50k-70k figure, but the 100kkm threw me. I'm guessing those are from the people that didn't read I was asking about 250's. :yes: I'm sure there are a few out there that have lasted that long, but I don't imagine that those bikes are the norm... ;)

Remember that all bikes, even 250's, started out as fairly expensive pieces of kit, built to last. There are basically two reasons that bikes don't usually get up to the high kms that cars do, firstly they are written off - it doesn't take much to crash a bike to the point of it being cheaper to buy another one (especially fully faired sports bikes), secondly bikes tend to get left in the garage and ridden only in summer and often only on weekends, not unusal to see bikes that are two or three years old with less than 20,000 km's on the clock. Many bikes just don't get the opportunity to do high km's.

Don't worry too much about how many km's, due to the high cost of 250's (in terms of first bikes, many are around the 4 grand mark), having a cheaper bike with high km's might actually help you when you sell it - as you will have a larger pool of potential buyers. The condition (both physical and mechnical) is far more important than the number of km's the bikes done.

Best of luck.

[Ixion]

Am I the only one who is sceptical about some of the mileage figures one sees. I see 1985 models with 30000 km claimed. That's 1500 km per year, EVERY year. Surely no-one runs a bike that little? Even on the T500 when I was not using it much, I would have had more than that.

[Brains]

Am I the only one who is sceptical about some of the mileage figures one sees. I see 1985 models with 30000 km claimed. That's 1500 km per year, EVERY year. Surely no-one runs a bike that little? Even on the T500 when I was not using it much, I would have had more than that.

You're not alone. My '91 grey import FZR250 had 30,000km's on it when I got it in 03 or 04 (forget now). Hmmm less than 3,000km's a year, maybe if we put a 1 at the front of that figure it would be closer to true. But it ran well and looked good.

[WildBoarMouse]

Don't worry too much about how many km's, due to the high cost of 250's (in terms of first bikes, many are around the 4 grand mark), having a cheaper bike with high km's might actually help you when you sell it - as you will have a larger pool of potential buyers. The condition (both physical and mechnical) is far more important than the number of km's the bikes done.
That's a good piece of advice :yes: Thanks!

[crashe]

Am I the only one who is sceptical about some of the mileage figures one sees. I see 1985 models with 30000 km claimed. That's 1500 km per year, EVERY year. Surely no-one runs a bike that little? Even on the T500 when I was not using it much, I would have had more than that.

When I brought my bike back 5 years ago...
It only had just under 3,000 km on the clock.
It was already 3 years old and had one owner.
The guy never rode the bike, so I got a good deal.
It was like a brand new bike that had just been run in.
Plus I got the bike at a really good price.

Now some 250cc are only brought for the purpose for the rider to get there full license on.... therefore the km on the clock are really low...
I saw many bikes at the time I was buying my bike with really low kms.
Some shop owners even mentioned thats what was happening.
So these guys buy it for a couple of months, do the full and then go out and buy a huge bike... with no or little exp[erience on riding.
I sure do hope that people arent doing that today.

So there can be some bikes with geniune low kms on them.
Look at the dudes that only take their bikes out on a really hot summers day or only in the summertime. Those bikes would have reasonably low kms on them.

[FEINT]

Just my opinion, I think KM's aren't as important as how the bike has been mantained.

No point getting a bike done 15,000km if it wasn't run in right or never serviced or only travelled that amount of 10 years!

You want a bike that has been mantained and regularly serviced etc. That bike should be good for 100,000+ if looked after. :D

Just my thoughts. :D

[White trash]

Most bikes will last a while, providing they haven't been thrashed by Trash :devil2:

[Ixion]

Most bikes will last a while, providing they haven't been thrashed by Trash :devil2:

yeah, you need an option 100000 kilometres OR 1 Trashometre

[ManDownUnder]

I know of a Bandit that did 100,000 k's without any more than routine maintenance.
Look after them, they'll look after you.

Yup. I had a GPz 550 that did about 160,000 kms and it was still going stong - only the idiot that pulled out in front of me that brought to an ignominious (sp?) end.

I think it depends on the block design too. Sone of them are just bulletproof (hence me buying the RF this time around). It's a proven engine, understressed and good to go!

I told the guys at the shop I wasn't buying from them, but wanted to know about the RF motor... asked them when I could expect it to die - they told me not to hold my breath...

It's good to hear that when there is no sale on the line!
MDU

[bugjuice]

my '93 CBR250RR had about 95,000ks at the end of it's sad distruction. I had it from 81,000 and had it on Puke heaps of times, used every day to and from work and at the weekends and it just kept going. Make sure it's had regular oil changes, and those things are just little tanks.. Unfortunately for mine, it's outter bits aren't as strong as a tank.

Should last if it's been looked after well

[aff-man]

sold my zxr250 at about 108000 to mini_me and he put another 40000 on top of that before selling it... Still going strong last time i checked :Punk: