What would be the highest amount of mileage/km you would purchase a motorcycle at?

[Matariki]

I don't know if this poll has been done yet, but what would be the highest amount of milage/kms you would purchase a motorcycle at?
Note: the poll is in reference to kms. If a number isn't mentioned in the poll, feel free to answer below (I forgot to put a '+' sign after 99,999. So voting for the last option also includes those that would purchase a motorcycle over 99,999 kms).

[TOTO]

You do know that bikes do not seize to exist after 100 000km eh. Where is the 100 000+ km option on the poll ?

[Subike]

Bought my last big bike, now its 2nd owner, @ 378miles, just run in by its 1st owner

[actungbaby]

I don't know if this poll has been done yet, but what would be the highest amount of milage/kms you would purchase a motorcycle at?
Note: the poll is in reference to kms. If a number isn't mentioned in the poll, feel free to answer below.

it depends on the age as well i guess and the size the engine my vfr 750 done 48 thousand miles

And still runs fine id thought in 80s the bike whould be poked at those ks least smoking

Bikes have improved alot even paint jobs last, dont see many rat bikes like in old days

I guess get lowest for the kms u can afford

[Matariki]

You do know that bikes do not seize to exist after 100 000km eh. Where is the 100 000+ km option on the poll ?

Yeah, I forgot about that. :facepalm:
I edited my original post stating that the last option can also include numbers over 99,999.

[\m/]

Would depend on the model of bike for me, as some types of bikes can last a lot longer than others.

[FJRider]

You do know that bikes do not seize to exist after 100 000km eh. Where is the 100 000+ km option on the poll ?

I know of an FJ1200 that passed 200,000 km's ... The head was taken off and no problems found.

Goldwings with 300,000 I've seen. ST1100's with over 200,000 as well.

The bigger the engine ... the more km's it is likely to travel with no issues.

And they were ones with no engine work done. Depending on what was done to the engine ... how desirable it would be.

I would say 750 cc upwards ... would mean no immediate issues with 150,000 plus ... A few careful checks maybe. But not crossed off a list because of that.

[unstuck]

If i wanted a bike bad enough, I would not worry about the kms it has on it.:shifty:

[GSF]

Depends on the bike really. I recently bought an 1981 SR500 that has done 92,000km.

It's had a full repaint, chrome bits rechromed, and had an engine freshen up with new top end bits and some other goodies.
It runs really well and I'm not too concerned about age related problems as it's such a stupidly simple bike to work on, it's just a big single in a frame with a few rudimentary 'lectricky bits and a kickstarter.

[Maha]

I don't buy old shit so, less than 20,000K. Zero K's if possible, thats happen thrice out of my last five bikes.

[caspernz]

Kind of a pointless question to ask in isolation ain't it? Much of it comes down to what/where/how/when doesn't it?

I traded in an XJ900 back in the day that I'd personally clocked just over 250,000 kms on from new...and it was in better nick than many a 25,000 km bike at the time.

You can have a sportsbike with 10,000 clicks be rooted on account of a careless owner, and a tourer that's done 100,000 clicks be in mint nick for the reverse reasons.

Maybe that's why I tend to buy new bikes, no history and no drama :innocent::shit::laugh::woohoo:

[Flip]

2km.

ok 5km.

[Road kill]

I bought my FLH with 80,000km on the clock and sold it with 140,000 up.
Neither I or the guy that bought it off me took much notice of the kms before buying,,but we both had a very good idea how the bike had been looked after.

My highest Kms Japanese bike was a Honda CB550/4 Super Sport that had around 75,000kms when I bought it,,,I don't remember how much it had up when I killed it "but it was after 4 years of hard use and it was still running fine right up until the sudden stop.:facepalm:

My Ducati DS900,,,50,000kms and it was just a never ending list of break downs and repairs.

The Saint,,,I don't know because I never got the original clock and it doesn't matter anyway because it's not a daily rider.

The bike I'm currently buying,,,,just run in at 42,000kms.

The known history makes all the difference.

[Katman]

It depends on the reason behind the purchase.

If I buy a bike that I intend to keep indefinately the kms it's done aren't an issue.

[Sable]

There's a Trophy 1200 kicking round Wellington that has close to half a million ks on it.

[R650R]

Clocked up this from new http://www.flickr.com/photos/77819625@N08/8351365445/

Doesn't everyone disconnect their speedos and magically never go past 20000km anyway... Funny now with tighter speed enforcement and speedos running off gearbox sensors etc we are seeing more bikes with high kms.
I'd never judge just on kms its the overall package and condition for the price. BTW my GSXR is always for sale at the right price LOL

[Gremlin]

Highest miler I've bought was just over 50k I think.

I'd be more worried about the history and servicing than the actual mileage.

[tri boy]

We bought kannys KLE5hundy with 130 000kms on it.
It is still running strong, and starts with a glance towards it.
Mileage is irrelevant if the maintenance has been good. MHO

[Corse1]

As most say it depends. If you really want the bike then yes maintenance records are ok but the 999s I bought had over 30000km,s with only oil and filter changes completed for the last 20000. It checked out ok and I just went through all the maintenance myself once purchased. It runs mint.

Generally though I would not buy a modern bike over 50000kms. Just too many options for lower mileage bikes to choose from. buying a classic though its more important to see it has been cared for rather than km's.

Then other circumstances such as needing a ride with little cash to spend would send the accepted km's higher again.

[Warr]

Kilometres has little to do with engine wear.
Bought mine with 190,000k & its now up to 229,000k
I'm the 2nd owner but I know how it was used before I bought it :)

[Gremlin]

Kilometres has little to do with engine wear.
Bought mine with 190,000k & its now up to 229,000k
I'm the 2nd owner but I know how it was used before I bought it :)
Ah, you. How IS that bike going? Always been fascinated by it, but then it did a lot of open road riding...

[Road kill]

Kilometres has little to do with engine wear.
Bought mine with 190,000k & its now up to 229,000k
I'm the 2nd owner but I know how it was used before I bought it :)

That's pretty darned impressive.:yeah:

[Warr]

Ah, you. How IS that bike going? Always been fascinated by it, but then it did a lot of open road riding...
Sweeeet as. Best buy I've ever made !!
Gearbox output shaft, sprocket spline was munted.
Straight-cut spline on shaft was 1/2 width when I got it. I rode it 20,000k after packing the spline with 2mm square copper nails on the lash side to eliminate the grinding noise on overrun till the spline looked more like this -^- at which time I replaced the whole gearbox cluster with something off eBay that cost me ~NZ$150 delivered in hand luggage by my sister on a trip home.
Gearbox job was achieved with no disturbance to any engine components, tho I did get to see the mains. All back together and sweet for another 200,000k's perhaps !

[ducatilover]

Condition, not km.

I sold my VT250 with 154,000km on it, original motor. Ran like clockwork (bit of cam chain tick.) :laugh: properly reliable bike
Whereas I had a 11 month old GN250 in '05 that hard more issues before I sold it at 11,000km.
My current bikes have 74,000km and 40,000km.

If you buy on mileage, you're a womble.

[Jantar]

I picked all options, as it would bepend on the make/model of the bike, its treatment and usage. I have had 2 strokes that are still strong after 60,000 km and others that were junk after only 5000 km. Similarly I know of [plenty of 4 strokes on their second time round the clock, and others that were rubish even when new.

[release_the_bees]

For me overall condition is far more important than the number of kilometres on the clock. My SV1000 had done 98000km when I got it but it was in mint condition and has been faultless to date. This is in stark contrast to the GT650 that I had before it, which had only 3000km on the clock when I bought it but had countless problems.

Incidentally, the most unreliable bike I ever owned was a brand new KR150. If I remember correctly it cost around $3500 for the bike and I spent around $5000 repairing the thing before I finally saw sense and sold it.

[insomnia01]

Brought my Blackbird 6yrs ago with 42,000km & I am the 3rd owner, 1st was a mobile banker who used it for work ( travelled out of town alot apparently ) 2nd owner was his mate who also was a banker ( did 20,000km over 3yrs before selling to me, he had health issues which was the reason for selling it ) I have it serviced by a great mechanic at Boyd's every 6,000km regardless, have Swiss suspenders & other ergo bits do touring,endurance events ( RMNC Grand challenge's, C1KC etc,etc ) just been around the East cape over anniversary weekend :woohoo: didn't miss a beat & while on the ride it clicked over to 194,000km & still feels strong. I'm thinking of having it repainted when it hits the 200,000km mark :msn-wink: love it to bits, great machine.... heading off on a 2 week ride in March from Cape Reinga to Cape Egmont then East Cape to Bluff via West coast then up the middle & home, service is booked with new rubber to go on both ends :Punk:

[Richard Mc F]

Bought an FJ1200 with 120000 and sold it at 185000, cost me a set of clutch fibres and a rear shock, was totally reliable, used very little oil and was certainly quick enough, I have the remains of a bevel ducati that I put 45000km on, has a recoded total of 105000 still on standard pistons, CB1300 is now at 70000 and going better every day, KMS don't bother me.

[Matariki]

This thread has been very interesting so far. I always thought the more mileage and engine had on it (or so I was told), the less you'll get out of it. But clearly that's not the case. It depends on the condition of the engine itself and how well its been maintained. So, does that mean a good quality engine could last you life time (and beyond)?

[Banditbandit]

I don't buy old shit so, less than 20,000K. Zero K's if possible, thats happen thrice out of my last five bikes.

So .. no point in offering you a fully restored, immaculate condition 1975 Triumph Trident then?

[NighthawkNZ]

f it starts to rattle call it a ducati...

had an old XJ 650 I put 130,000 kms on when I sold it... still going strong just needs oil and replace cam chain every now and then...

All depends on bike, maintenance it has had, etc

[Banditbandit]

Depends on the bike really. I recently bought an 1981 SR500 that has done 92,000km.

It's had a full repaint, chrome bits rechromed, and had an engine freshen up with new top end bits and some other goodies.
It runs really well and I'm not too concerned about age related problems as it's such a stupidly simple bike to work on, it's just a big single in a frame with a few rudimentary 'lectricky bits and a kickstarter.

Ooooooh . I want one ,.. I want to cafe racer it ...

But mileage is only part of the issue - high mileage/low price versus low mileage/higher price ..

[ducatilover]

This thread has been very interesting so far. I always thought the more mileage and engine had on it (or so I was told), the less you'll get out of it. But clearly that's not the case. It depends on the condition of the engine itself and how well its been maintained. So, does that mean a good quality engine could last you life time (and beyond)?

Genrally higher km bikes (at similar ages to another lower km bike) will have had less cold starts and been used on the open road more. I'd rather have a 20 year old bike with higher kms than a low km 20 year old bike with perished seals, bearings, fucked bores etc from cold riding and lack of use.

We have a Corolla that has done near 490,000km and it has never missed a beat, goes from Eke to Wellington 5 days a week. Whereas my own one with less open road driving and muppets owning it previously had run out of valve stem seals at 294,000km.

[flyingcrocodile46]

That would depend on whether I had wheels to get to it.

A. If I had to walk I probably wouldn't make it more than a few K's.

B. If I had a car or bike to drive/ride it would depend on whether I had a friend who was able to drive/ride the car/bike back. If I had any friends I'd probably travel four or five hundred K's. If not, see A above.

C. If I had plane fare one way and was riding back, I'd go a few thousand K's.

[Corse1]

Talked to a guy who raced his ST2 in the bears at Taupo about a year ago. Owned since new. Uses as everyday ride and bears racing (just takes the fairings off). He pulled the top end apart to give it a refresh at a little over 100,000 kms. Still had the hone marks in the bores so very little was needed which surprised him. He had spent almost nothing on the motor that wasnt just regular maintenance. He ended up replacing the rings just because he had it apart.

Anyhow most big bikes are not run in until they reach 15 - 20,000 kms :Punk:

Agree with previous poster, better to buy a bike that has been used rather than not. Internal seals etc dry out.

[SNF]

Got mine at 36,900-ish km, its at 38,4xx now. Reckon they wind the speedo's back like what they used to do with cars? Its not running too bad now although it does have an exhaust leak (fixing). I would go condition over km's when I get another bike.

[Dodgy]

I recently purchased my 94,000km 2000 VFR800. It esentialy rides like a new bike and it is amazing how quiet and tight the engine is.

Recently I pulled out the rear suspension linakge to check for wear. None. So I cleaned it, greased it and put it back. Just pulled the forks apart to check. The bushes were definitely worn and the oil was off, but nothing needed to be replaced (I replaced the bushes regardless).

Honda make a pretty reliable bike when they choose to :niceone:

[FROSTY]

The thing is that as technology improves so does the milage a motor is capable of. Ive seen 1300cc cars with close to a million Km on them -and lets face it theres less stress on a big bike motor than a revvy 1300cc car

[Corse1]

The thing is that as technology improves so does the milage a motor is capable of. Ive seen 1300cc cars with close to a million Km on them -and lets face it theres less stress on a big bike motor than a revvy 1300cc car

Something about an abilty to rev double the rpm of a normal car means a comparison between normal cars and motorcycles (Harleys excluded!) is not really truly valid.

[CRM]

Bought my ST1100 with 160,000km on it - best bike I've ever owned, and the cheapest! I've done 6000km in the last 5 weeks and absolutely no issues.

As people say depends on the life use and maintenance. An old bike that has sat around for a few years - even with low mileage - is likely to give more problems than a bike thats been ridden every day since it was new and been reasonably maintained.

My daughter has an SV650 that was used for a daily commute by the first owner for 8 years and maintained by the book - it's done 110,000km and no issues whatsoever. So high mileage bikes (depending on history) can be a great buy. Carjam is a good way of checking for use over the life of a bike.

If you are buying a lower mileage or newer bike its a great habit to get into to keep a logbook of what you have done to it and when - copies of invoices for parts etc if you get really into it. Its a good reminder of service intervals but also worth its weight in gold when you come to sell the bike that you can pass that on. My ST had 75,000km of logged history and an owner that obviously loved it - he almost cried when I rode it away. That's a good indicator of a well cared for bike.