i have a buddy that works in a motorcycle shop as a tech. and those low mileage bike that sit for ever are usually going to be a pain in the rear end when buying one and trying to get it to work correctly. aside from clogged carbs and fuel injectors from people leaving the same gas in the tank for YEARS, there could also be rust Inside the engine and piston rings from a person NOT prepping a engine for storage.
What is considered high mileage for a motorcycle?
- Thread starter dsmith41
- Start date
- Status
My wife's 883 Sportster has 40k miles and counting. Still runs like a champ. Most Sportsters I've seen have under 10k.
Last edited:
My 1995 cbr600F3 had over 100k on it when I sold it in 2002. During that time it was a street bike and my CCS middleweight super bike on weekends.
The stock motor ran for about 5k before oil consumption went way up. Cylinders were very scored. 1,000 mile oci with M1 10w30
Rebuilt the engine with HRC cams, oversize valves HRC valve springs, Cosworth +2mm pistons that I had to modify to clear valves, falicon lightened and balanced crank, falicon lightened stock rods, back cut transmission, etc. The bottom end stayed together like that for 40k. Valve jobs and new valves every time I over revved it and bent the valves, partially due to the HRC CDI box that raised the limiter, and more frequently due to downshifting to too low of a gear too fast. I put some keihin FCR39's on it and made a real ram air air box with the carbs totally enclosed in the box to eliminate problems with pressure differences.
At 40k i spun a rod bearing, pulled that motor and set it aside and built a similar one but with different OE honda pistons that worked out to be +2mm but were much lighter than the cosworth and some custom WEB cams that didn't work as well as the milder HRC. Ran that one for another 40k until a rod broke at about 13,000 rpm and sliced through the cases (and starter) like butter. Looking down from the top you could see the pavement under the bike.
Rebuilt the 1st one using new rods and crank, left everything else as is and ran it like that until I sold it.
I considered that to be high mileage. During that time the bike went through many suspension parts, multiple swing arms, wheels, fork internals, head bearings, bodywork, etc.
Most of the life of the bike I used Golden Spectro synth blend 10w40? and bi-weekly oil changes.
Lots of top end run miles, lots of highway miles and lots of racing miles.
The stock motor ran for about 5k before oil consumption went way up. Cylinders were very scored. 1,000 mile oci with M1 10w30
Rebuilt the engine with HRC cams, oversize valves HRC valve springs, Cosworth +2mm pistons that I had to modify to clear valves, falicon lightened and balanced crank, falicon lightened stock rods, back cut transmission, etc. The bottom end stayed together like that for 40k. Valve jobs and new valves every time I over revved it and bent the valves, partially due to the HRC CDI box that raised the limiter, and more frequently due to downshifting to too low of a gear too fast. I put some keihin FCR39's on it and made a real ram air air box with the carbs totally enclosed in the box to eliminate problems with pressure differences.
At 40k i spun a rod bearing, pulled that motor and set it aside and built a similar one but with different OE honda pistons that worked out to be +2mm but were much lighter than the cosworth and some custom WEB cams that didn't work as well as the milder HRC. Ran that one for another 40k until a rod broke at about 13,000 rpm and sliced through the cases (and starter) like butter. Looking down from the top you could see the pavement under the bike.
Rebuilt the 1st one using new rods and crank, left everything else as is and ran it like that until I sold it.
I considered that to be high mileage. During that time the bike went through many suspension parts, multiple swing arms, wheels, fork internals, head bearings, bodywork, etc.
Most of the life of the bike I used Golden Spectro synth blend 10w40? and bi-weekly oil changes.
Lots of top end run miles, lots of highway miles and lots of racing miles.
Last edited:
I am @ 132,000 miles on my 1986 BMW k75C. Still a daily driver and does not use a drop of oil with a 4000mile / one year oil change interval.
Running Mobil 1 15W-50 for many years now.
Running Mobil 1 15W-50 for many years now.
I think, as has been pointed out, that specific bike model is the determining factor. Honda Goldwings and ST1100/1300's are well-known for high miles, and I'm sure that the HD touring bikes also do well. But engine and tranny designs may or may not be planned out for high mileage. As a good example, the Suzuki 650 Burgman is well-known for a bullet-proof engine with lots of potential for long touring miles..... but the belt-drive transmission, when it goes out, may make it cost-prohibitive to fix is relation to the remaining value of the bike. Other engines may perform well with occasional upper or lower-end rebuilds, but maybe the owner is ready to scrap it at that point? A lot of bikes have specific weak areas that are fairly well-known, checking out specific user forums is always a good way to gauge just how long a bike might be expected to last.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked