Psychological mileage limit.

[Papi-C]

Most of the bikes I see for sale seem to have under 10k miles. Older bikes around 10+ years old seem to top out at around 20k. The only exception I've seen is in touring/sport touring bikes where I've seen huge mileage Could this low mileage also be in part to the fact that bikes (especially sport bikes)tend to live fast and die young?

I know in cages 100k miles seems to be a tipping point where people will tend to want to stay away from a car when they are buying used. Is there such a point in the bike world?

 

[Johndicezx9]

They are only living fast and dying young because of the operators, not the bikes. My ZX-9 had 54,000 miles on it, and there was another BARF poster that 90K on his.

If a used bike is in good condition, mileage averaged out is the best way to go. I wouldn't want to buy a used bike with too few miles, either.

 

[DaytonaJoel]

I was just wondering if I am racking up the miles on my bike to fast. What would you say is average per year?

 

[Karbon]

10 to 15k miles a year seem about normal for the "regular" rider.

almost double that for your typical commuter.

 

[S4Alex]

I was just wondering if I am racking up the miles on my bike to fast. What would you say is average per year?

Mainly because many are weekend riders... not everyday riders... and after a couple/few years, they want to trade in to get the newest latest bike because they have "outgrown" their current bike.

Either that or after 6months, many have outgrown their 600's and need the 1000's because the 600's are just too slow.

 

[Aluisious]

10 to 15k miles a year seem about normal for the "regular" rider.

almost double that for your typical commuter.

10 to 15k would be on the high side from what I've seen. I probably do about 6-7 per year and I ride a lot more than a lot of people I've met.


Bike in the garage has exactly 30000 miles as of testing bead blasted rotors last night.

 

[ST Guy]

For most riders, a motorcycle is a toy. Something to be taken out occasionally on weekends. Those who ride every day are the exception. So, it's not surprising to find that many bikes have very low mileage. It has nothing to do with how long the bikes will last. My current ride has 80,000+ miles on it and runs better than new.

 

[aminalmutha]

10 to 15k miles a year seem about normal for the "regular" rider.

almost double that for your typical commuter.

Not even close. The average street rider puts on 2,000 to 3,000 miles per year, which is why there are so many low mileage used bikes out there.

 

[ob1ventura]

Not even close. The average street rider puts on 2,000 to 3,000 miles per year, which is why there are so many low mileage used bikes out there.

which is why they suck at riding. No way you can keep your skills sharp riding that infrequently. No better than pilots that go up for an hour or so once a week.

 

[SikMoto]

Exactly.... you consider the typical rider who has a car and bike and other things - he drives to work, takes the wifes car on vacations, etc etc. The bike comes out every once in a while to go for a group ride, or cruise around town on a sunny afternoon, etc. Thats why you see 5-10 year old bikes with as many thousand miles.

Myself, I ride a lot. Ive put 20k on 4 or 5 bikes the last year. I put 15k just on my MV Agusta in the last 18 months. High mileages scares me a bit on other bikes but really its just maintenance. Theres no reason a bike engine cant go as long as a car engine with proper maintenance.

BMW R1100s and R1200s for example - you see them with 80k-100k ALL THE TIME. Most Police Depts dont even get rid of them until 60-80k and them people buy them and put another 50k on sometimes! You see SV650s in the 250-40k range often enough with no issues. Etc etc.

 

[garciawork]

I don't own a car, so my bikes are going to have a bit of mileage on 'em. Its going to be about half of what one car would have though, because I try to spread it evenly between the two bikes. I think I am tracking about 15k total for this year, so around 7500 per bike per year.

 

[russ69]

Bikes need a lot of maintenance. At 10,000 miles you'll be on your third set of tires (at least), your chain is near replacement and a valve inspection has been done. That's not including any drops or other damage. I have seen bikes that are thrashed by 10,000 miles and I've seen bikes with 50,000 miles that look new. It so much depends on the owner.

 

[crick]

Bikes need a lot of maintenance. At 10,000 miles you'll be on your third set of tires (at least), your chain is near replacement and a valve inspection has been done. That's not including any drops or other damage. I have seen bikes that are thrashed by 10,000 miles and I've seen bikes with 50,000 miles that look new. It so much depends on the owner.

depends on bike, riding style, weight?

I have 11K avrging 2K miles per month from commuting and weekend rides. the tires still look brandspanking new - but it's probably a combination of light weight and my Lorenzo'ish height and weight (5'8 120 lbs :O )

Most folks ride weekends or every other weekend. its a toy to most. shove maybe 100-200 miles every other weekend and u get something like 4K miles a year. then people get bored and stop riding and end up selling their bike a year later.

 

[Archimedes]

10 to 15k miles a year seem about normal for the "regular" rider.

almost double that for your typical commuter.

Depends on what you mean by 'regular'. I'd say 10-15k is a typical commuter's mileage on a bike and the typical rider is in the neighborhood of 5,000-7,500 per year. I was a 'regular' sport rider for years, say both days most weekends, but I didn't ride exceptionally long distances. I probably put 500-800 miles a month during the warm months and 100-300 during the col months. Averaged out to about 500 a month, or 6k per year. When I only rode a moto and didn't own a car, I would put about 10k a year on my bikes.

As far as sport bikes go, they are going to tend to have lower mileage for obvious reasons, fewer people commute and/or tour on those bikes. A regular sport rider might do a 50-100 mile ride one day a weekend, and even less in the dead of winter, which adds up to less than 5k a year.

 

[Archimedes]

which is why they suck at riding. No way you can keep your skills sharp riding that infrequently. No better than pilots that go up for an hour or so once a week.

Depends on the person. I was out of riding for 7 years, bought a bike, hit the track within 200 miles of buying it and turned faster lap times right out of the gate than I ever had. Once you learn to ride, it never really leaves you. I've ridden very infrequently over the past few years due to other issues, but my skills haven't diminished at all. Now someone who never rode a lot to begin with, that's another story.

 

[Caddywumpus]

I commute, and i ride the bike 75% of the time... I have 4.2kish miles so far on it.

 

[slowblood]

People also sale their $5,000 bike before they have to pay for a $40 oil change.

 

[Burning1]

10 to 15k miles a year seem about normal for the "regular" rider.

almost double that for your typical commuter.

10K-15K miles is normal for a serious rider. Your average Californian only puts 4K miles per year on their bike, and we are above the national average.

 

[Karbon]

LOL

dang, i'm waay off i guess. Maybe my standards have changed over the years.

 

[Gary856]

I saw a slightly weathered F3 in a parking lot yesterday with 29,xxx miles and thought, "yeah, that's how a bike should be used."

I commute everyday plus fun ride on Saturdays through out the year, so that's 300-400 miles a week when I'm in town. I own several bikes (from 4 to 3 recently) and my mileage gets divided among them, so the mileage build up is not alarming fast on any one of them. I just started riding last year so the excitement level is still high; not sure if my mileage would taper off a couple of years from now.