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How many miles is too many?
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How do you know if it is ok to purchase a motorcycle if it has 40 - 50K
miles on it? It has been well taken care of. what is the life
expectancy of an average motorcycle engine if well mainained?
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Certain bikes can run long after that point. Look at the HP per CC
ratio. If it's high, like a sportbike it's not going to last much
longer than that in my experience. Oh, It may run okay, but
high-revving sport bikes just kind of flatten out over time. They start
suck gas and don't like to rev when they get-up-in the-miles. There are
exceptions, but If it's low HPto CC ratio like a BMW, Pacific Cost,
GoldWing or most cruisers, that's not a lot of miles at all.
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I took apart my 2000 cbr600f4 at 45,000 miles. The bearings looked
new as if they came out of the box. Cylinder walls had no measureable
wear. The clutches measured within "new" specs. The clutch basket
had minor notching. The only wear point were the gear dogs in the
transmission. From my maintenance experience, I'd say as long as the
8,000 mile oil changes are observed, the engine will stay clean and
perform like the day it was new. I have to admit I ride my bike to
work every day and don't let it sit, so I don't have carb issues like
most people.
The concerns I would have on a used bike is making sure the
transmission can stay in gear. That's about the only wear point I
have seen. Otherwise, you are likely to see 500,000 miles without
much service.
Engine size has nothing to do with it, unless it lacks water cooling.
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Even If it's a sportbike, it's probably okay if you don't plan on
putting a ton of miles on it in the next few years. If you are
mechanically inclined, don't worry about it. Top ends aren't hard to
overhaul (but If you need to split the cases, you better be pretty
experienced. That won't need to happen 'till well over 100K).
Basic rule of thumb: If a new or replacement engine will cost you more
than the bike is worth (weather or not you rebuild it yourself) then
don't even bother fixing it. Just buy another one to replace it. Ride
it 'till it's broke, then junk it. Think Bic Lighter. FWIW, *many*
bikes fall into this category, a few (Harley, BMW airhead etc.) likely
never will because they're just so friggin easy and cheap to fix.
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It depends on the motorcycle, and what it's used for. A Moto-Guzzi, or
a BMW R-bike used for highway riding is just about broken in by that
time. A race bike used for racing is probably history.
Al Moore
DoD 734
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I think that depends on the vehicle. For example, 40-50K on a Goldwing
is nothing, but on a Honda Rebel 250, it may be quite a lot. and like
you say, it depends heavily on how well maintained the bike is.
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