Does High Mileage When Buying A Bike Really Matter??

[Chessecake94]

Everyone usually seems to try and avoid bike with more than 25000 miles on the clock, but does it really matter that much? Say on a 2000 reg bike, 40000 miles is still only 3000 miles a year. Do i really need to steer clear of bike with higher milage on them, especially when there nearly 12 years old anyway?

 

[senthx]

Mileage in itself is not an issue, to me.

My '57 plate bike I've had from new has 28,000 miles on the clock. Black Bear Harley offered me a rubbish price on it, as they were basing it on "book price" of 9,000 miles. :roll:

Someone I know, had a 10 year old bike with 50,000 miles on the clock and all the dealers were messing him about for trade in, £500 tops, he sold it for £1k privately.

Condition, service history would be important to me. I'd probably want a mate who knows about mechanical stuff to check a second hand bike over with me before I bought it too.

But mileage, on it's own, not an issue for me.

p.s I nearly bid on Paddy Tyson (one of the MAG leading lights) used pan european with 125,000 miles on ebay last year, but the wife was being awkward

 

[ElliotReidMD]

I don't think so. My bike had 40k on the clock when I bought it (for a nice price) but I did a fair bit of research before I did. I shall do regular oil and filter changes, last one was done by the dealer when I bought it, and any other maintenance I am capable of.

If it all goes tits up then lesson learned

 

[Friz]

Has to have 0 on the clock for me to buy it, but I'm a fussy bugger

 

[AZZ3R]

Most, Jap, Chinese bikes now will do 50k+ mileage.

Persoanlly I'd avoid a bike with over 15k but thats just me.

My SV only had 7k on it when I bought it, A shop in Preston was selling the same bike bog standard, with 23k on it. & "full service" history, yet the 1st service was at 10k. So it's not been looked after. Yes the bike is capable of doing them miles without servicing but I want to know has the last owner looked after it?

I'd also prefer to have service history of what the last owner has done rather than the local bike shop stamp a receipt.

You can tell the bike has been looked after by just meeting the owner or how much he goes on about his bike.

If I was to take my bike to a dealer to get tyers fitted I would get the bike home up on the paddocks, re-torque the F+R axels, Brake calipers & check, and re adjust the chain.

Then I know in my mind is at rest as I'm not thinking has he/she tightended it up propperly. Or has he/she done it enough, I know when I've done it, it's been done.

 

[senthx]

Has to have 0 on the clock for me to buy it, but I'm a fussy bugger

The benefit with that is you know the history of the bike, get a new one, don't let anyone else use it, you will always know what's happened to it through it's life.

 

[CurlyBlakey]

obviously higher miles makes issues more likely, but so long as it has been looked after properly by both the dealer and the previous owner then there shouldn't be any issue.

As far as i'm concerned, most parts of a bike can be replaced relatively cheaply, you can get 100s of 1000s of miles out of a bike so long as it's cared for!

 

[Friz]

Has to have 0 on the clock for me to buy it, but I'm a fussy bugger

The benefit with that is you know the history of the bike, get a new one, don't let anyone else use it, you will always know what's happened to it through it's life.

That is 100% exactly why I do it. I don't mind paying extra, or knowing that it looses £1000 off its value when I turn it on for the first time because its my bike and I know whats happened with it

 

[Chessecake94]

Has to have 0 on the clock for me to buy it, but I'm a fussy bugger

The benefit with that is you know the history of the bike, get a new one, don't let anyone else use it, you will always know what's happened to it through it's life.

That is 100% exactly why I do it. I don't mind paying extra, or knowing that it looses £1000 off its value when I turn it on for the first time because its my bike and I know whats happened with it

Brand new is just a tad out of my budget I'm afraid.

 

[Chrus600]

Has to have 0 on the clock for me to buy it, but I'm a fussy bugger

Brand new is just a tad out of my budget I'm afraid.

That's the beauty of finance good sir. Providing you have a secure income it's a good way of boosting your credit rating which'll help with mortgages and credit cards. Well, that's how I justified it anyway, there's absolutely no feeling like having a brand new bike.

 

[Friz]

Has to have 0 on the clock for me to buy it, but I'm a fussy bugger

Brand new is just a tad out of my budget I'm afraid.

That's the beauty of finance good sir. Providing you have a secure income it's a good way of boosting your credit rating which'll help with mortgages and credit cards. Well, that's how I justified it anyway, there's absolutely no feeling like having a brand new bike.

Agreed!

Especially when you get it on 0% like I did!

 

[CurlyBlakey]

Has to have 0 on the clock for me to buy it, but I'm a fussy bugger

Brand new is just a tad out of my budget I'm afraid.

That's the beauty of finance good sir. Providing you have a secure income it's a good way of boosting your credit rating which'll help with mortgages and credit cards. Well, that's how I justified it anyway, there's absolutely no feeling like having a brand new bike.

He's off to uni in September and as far as i know doesn't have regular employment!

 

[Chessecake94]

Brand new is just a tad out of my budget I'm afraid.

That's the beauty of finance good sir. Providing you have a secure income it's a good way of boosting your credit rating which'll help with mortgages and credit cards. Well, that's how I justified it anyway, there's absolutely no feeling like having a brand new bike.

He's off to uni in September and as far as i know doesn't have regular employment! [/quote]

Yep, off to uni soon. And no job as i live off what i earn in the summer.

 

[JollyRoger]

Secure and income. Two words with do not go together in the modern era.

It's all about service history for me.

 

[gpzDave]

Apparently BMW boxer twins can go to 300,000 miles before needing a rebuild, so they say...

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a bike with high mileage, as long as it is a model known for it's longevity and it has been well looked after.

 

[SqueakyBrakes12]

My advice.... Get a Honda.... They last for ever! Providing they have a clean service history

 

[senthx]

My advice.... Get a Honda.... They last for ever! Providing they have a clean service history

I bought a 30 year old honda off ebay for £300 run it through a winter, then sold it on ebay for £325 :lol:

 

[SqueakyBrakes12]

My advice.... Get a Honda.... They last for ever! Providing they have a clean service history

I bought a 30 year old honda off ebay for £300 run it through a winter, then sold it on ebay for £325 :lol:

Now you can't complain at that can you!

 

[AZZ3R]

I bought a 30 year old honda off ebay for £300 run it through a winter, then sold it on ebay for £325 :lol:

Jammy Sod.

 

[Trinith]

I don't care about how many miles are on the clocks, and I could give a rats ass if it has a service history or not. The only things you'd find on my bikes 'service history' are tire changes and major repairs as I do pretty much everything else myself. Writing off a bike as a potential purchase is a good way to miss a number of great deals. Bikes aren't complex machines, they're VERY easy to tell whether or not they've been taken care of. Just look at the thing and it will tell you. Is the chain full or rust and slack? Worn sprockets? balding squared tires? That's a bike that the owner hasn't cared a whole lot for and is probably going to present a few issues. If externally it looks fine, take it for a test ride and judge it yourself. Make sure it runs properly and produces enough power and all that. Seller won't let you take it for a test ride when you've got your money in hand? That's definitely one to walk away from.

The bike I've got now I bought with 35,000 (or so) miles on it and is only 9 years old. It runs a LOT better than the last bike did when I got it and it had only 12k on the clock. Ofcourse it ran a whole lot better the day I totalled it with well over 40,000 miles on it. Mostly because I know how to take care of a motor where the previous owner did not.