Two Wheel Oppos

"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck) 08/22/2017 at 19:51 • Filed to: Bikelyfe

0

23

Im looking at bikes ive never really rode street bikes (rode dirt bikes growing up) and had a question.

I have about 2k to spend and like sportier style bikes. I keep seeing bikes with 20000+ miles. How many miles are too high?

bob and john > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 20:00

1

#1 that duke based bobber needs to make its mindup. why a slick on ther front and a knobbie on the rear. why not mud protection. why

#2: 20k miles is nothing.  
that really depends on the bike and motor in question. a gold wing? LOL thats suckers run for AGES (think 300K miles)
an SV or a sport touring bike? you’ll get 150K miles out of them, if you take care of them
a supersport 600 that spins to 16k rpm? probably less. 100K miles I would say is about the limit before a motor rebuild IF it was maintained right.

Joel Ness > bob and john 08/22/2017 at 20:02

0

What he said

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > bob and john 08/22/2017 at 20:15

0

Ah ok so i shouldnt worry about stuff then. Im just used to dirt bikes that you rebuild every few years lol.

Just check if its been maintained. Besides fork seals and leaks anything other i should check for?

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > bob and john 08/22/2017 at 20:16

0

#1 Damn Straight!

#2 all depends on how it’s been cared for... In general modern bikes (last 25 years) are far, FAR longer lived than older bikes due to improvements made in materials science and precision assembly and machining techniques, as well as computer modeled stress analysis. My 1997 BMW F650 recently hit 30K, and I wouldn’t hesitate to ride it across the country tomorrow. Big touring bikes are designed to run for ages and often get mostly easy highway miles, so 150K+ on a Goldwing or a Big Yammie is perfectly acceptable as long as its been stored well and serviced regularly. Modern 4-stroke sport bikes (and standards), despite being very high-strung, are amazingly well constructed and use high-tech engineering and materials, again *IF* its been maintained and stored well 20K is nothing to worry about. Especially if its a CBR600...

Motocross bikes? Motocross bikes make sacrifices for weight, and by the very nature of the riding that they get, are thrashed harder than anything other than a regularly-tracked sportbike. I’m not sure I’d buy one of those with 20K on it... also, beware squid-owned bikes! Constant missed shifts, over-revs, poor maintenance, this treatment will kill even a notoriously reliable bike like a KLR650 or a VFR...

bob and john > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 08/22/2017 at 20:25

0

if a CBR dies in 20K miles you have no buisness being on a bike.

also, my SV650 is coming up on 100K miles now and still runs like a top.

bob and john > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 20:26

0

main ways I tell how a bike has been treated: chain, tires, general cleanliness.

clean and properly slacked chain? good! dirty but properly slacked? ehh. clean and improperly slacked? something is being hidden.

tires: good life, decent pressures, all is gucci. other wise, suspect

general cleanliness is just that. the cleaner, the better it was cared for.

service records also help

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 20:26

2

Ask the P.O. if they know when the valve clearances were last checked, and the oil changed. If they don’t know, take a careful test ride and make sure it all works right. I mean, do that anyway, but just watch out for idiot owners who did poor maintenance. Look at chains and sprockets, lots of people “forget” to clean and lube them on road bikes because they “don’t get dirty”... said chains and sprockets will be much more expensive on a powerful 600 super sport than you’re used to on dirt bikes.

jminer > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 20:32

2

It depends on where you are. In the midwest, 20k miles is a lot (most people put like 1-2k mi a year on their bike).

It comes down to condition and maintenance though, anything made this century isn’t going to have an expiration date of 50k miles. Hell I’ve got a bike from 79 with 83k and another from 71 with 33k.

As with all things motoring, the Japanese bikes are going to give you the best bang for your buck, lowest maintenance costs and best reliability. I’m a huge Honda fan personally, hard to go wrong with one. They also still carry parts for all my 35+ year old bikes which is amazing - I can still get OEM seals for a 71 CB500 that was only made for 3 years!

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > jminer 08/22/2017 at 20:38

0

Yea i guess im just used to dirt bikes and atvs that need adjustments and rebuilds more often

jminer > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 20:45

0

Yeah, those are mostly designed to be rode hard and put away wet. Street bikes are much more forgiving as long as they’re even remotely cared for.

yamahog > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 20:49

1

My FZ6 had over 50k worth of road trips, commuting, and track days when I sold it, and I still see the 4th owner riding it to work. I bought my R6 with about 20k on it and although it needs some work that I’ve yet to get around to, the motor itself is fine.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > jminer 08/22/2017 at 20:59

0

That makes sense. Cant go full out as much om streets as offroad

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > yamahog 08/22/2017 at 20:59

0

Gotcha. I guess im just worrying more than i need to about it.

yamahog > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 21:06

1

yea definitely do your homework and have a thorough inspection checklist if you can’t bring it to a mechanic, but I wouldn’t say that 20k alone is a dealbreaker.

AdverseMartyr > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/22/2017 at 23:15

1

Cam chain tension/tensioner - the self-adjusting ones do fail over time, and for some bikes the labor to replace the chain means the bike isn’t worth anything (my knowledge is specifically about a Suzuki GS500, to properly replace the chain the whole engine needs to be torn down and then rebuilt).

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/23/2017 at 05:04

0

Depends entirely on how it’s been maintained, but I’d still say that 20k miles is low enough that even a slightly slackly maintained bike should be absolutely fine if you pick the maintenance back up again.

The only thing I’d say is to check the valve gaps once you get it back. My GS500 is on 41k (not massive for those bikes), but the head’s nearly knackered because I’m fairly certain it’s been gapped maybe once in its life. One of the exhaust shims is as thin as it can go.

McMike > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/23/2017 at 09:27

0

20K isn’t high if the bike is 10 years old.   How old are the bikes you are looking at?

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > McMike 08/23/2017 at 11:40

0

early 90's and up

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/23/2017 at 11:41

0

ah ok. yea im planing on having to do a little maintenance when i buy one because i dont have a ton of money haha

McMike > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/23/2017 at 11:57

1

20K on a bike that old isn’t a lot of miles at all.

I bought my last one when it was five years old, and it had 15K.

The thing about motorcycle miles is that there are always some with very few miles on them, making 5K/year seem like a LOT.

I just looked at seven other 2007 bikes like mine, and the averave mileage was 21K. I have 48K. I would consider mine to be high milage bike, just by comparison.

I’m not afraid of higher mileage bikes, as long as they have been serviced. The thing is, you usually don’t need to since there are always some with a lot less. Bikes are toys, not everyone commutes like I do .

BobintheMtns > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/23/2017 at 12:15

1

Like everyone else here is saying, it’s more about how the bike was treated then the mileage.. I know guys that have over 400k miles on their bmw airheads and I know a Ducati owner with 200k+ miles on his bike...
On old-timer (that makes a living flipping bikes) mentioned that he evaluates bikes by the seat. If there’s tears/abuse visible in the seat fabric, he walks away...

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > BobintheMtns 08/23/2017 at 12:41

0

hmmm thats an interesting was to look at them

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/24/2017 at 06:07

0

I think the thing with bikes (and the reason a number of them go wrong) is that you have to do a bit of maintenance on them anyway, even if they’re new, so you’ve got the right attitude already ;)

Also, bikes are cheap ;) I’ve done a whole cafe-racer/streetfighter build thing on my GS500 for less than £1000 all-in ;) that’s including reshimming the valves, spray paint for the frame, new fork seals, new brake seals, stainless lines, oil change (both fork and engine), master cylinder rebuild kit, new tyres, new chain and sprockets, vinyl dye for the seat, replacement gauges, LED indicators, home-made stainless/aluminium silencer and tail-light and new bars.

It’s all here if you’re interested: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tag/worlds-fastest-cafe-racer