BIKE LONGEVITY POLL #1: Most number of miles you put on a bike?

[SWriverstone]

I'm curious about bike longevity and how many miles people typically put on a bike before replacing it?
(And see the related poll just below.)

I've currently got about 37K miles on my 2007 V-Strom 650. Partly what inspired this thread is the realization that in all likelihood, I'll keep riding this bike 'til it won't go anymore...partly because I can't really afford a new bike now...but the main reason is, I'm perfectly happy with it, and it's still running flawlessly (and not burning any oil).

I've only owned 2 other bikes:
• 2006 KLR650: 14K miles, then sold it because I couldn't justify keeping two 650's. (I miss it terribly...and often think selling it was a mistake.)
• 2006 Honda VFR: 16K miles, then sold it because I test rode a V-Strom, and instantly realized the VFR's riding position was not for me. (Though I still miss it.)

[Kneescrubber]

I put over 90K on both my R80ST and K100. The Viffer currently has 74K. I obviously am not one of those that buys a new bike every 3-4 years.  

[SWriverstone]

I put over 90K on both my R80ST and K100. The Viffer currently has 74K. I obviously am not one of those that buys a new bike every 3-4 years.  

That's awesome.   So (related to my other poll)...have maintenance costs gone up at all (and/or has reliability and peace of mind on long trips gone down any)?

[auggius]

1995 Honda VFR750 with 158K km or just under 100K miles. Still going strong though the bodywork is a little rough in spots. I am always lusting after new bikes but really I am quite happy and content with the VFR. In general, I keep my vehicles for the long haul. In my adult life I've had two cars - 1980 VW Scirocco and 1997 VW Golf. The Golf has 325K km and the Scirocco had at least that when I sold it. While I like new vehicles, I hate the buying process, more specifically, dealing with the dealer.

[maddjack]

Had over 100k on a Generation 1 connie
Had 87k on my last Harley
60K on the Speed triple I currently own
And in the mid 20's on the Versys
Guess I keep them too long  

[miles]

My old K100RT had somewhere around 176,000 miles on it when I sold it. It was still in fine shape, but I just wasn't riding it any more.

[Cablebandit]

You're right at the mileage that my Wee started to burn a little oil.

[SWriverstone]

You're right at the mileage that my Wee started to burn a little oil.

Yeah, I remember you mentioning that. I'm watching carefully. Actually, it may burn just a tiny bit...as in, a couple months after an oil change it'll have dropped from just under the "HIGH" line in the sightglass...to just above the "LOW" line. (But does that count as "burning oil?")

I'm curious about the whole oil-burning issue too...as in, is burning a bit of oil normal after a certain number of miles on a bike? (That's probably a separate thread...and may have been done—I'll have to do a search.)

What about you guys who put 75-100K miles on a bike or more? Were you losing any oil between changes?

Scott

[miles]

No.

[Kneescrubber]

Also, No.

[viffergyrl]

I've put over 30K on the VFR and 35K on the BMW. But I'm still a youngster.  

I don't ride the BMW as often now, but M.Brane has added her to his commute rotation and really likes her - especially on colder mornings. I've considered selling her off and on but we are both rather attached to the 'fat girl'. She comes in very handy when I can't ride (mending broken bones in my throttle hand) and also when M.Brane's son visits. He likes the back rest. She's up on the lift now getting some much needed attention plus M.Brane is curious about all the stuff under the tupperware.  

[auggius]

What about you guys who put 75-100K miles on a bike or more? Were you losing any oil between changes?

I have a small oil leak in my 95 VFR. A couple spots will appear a few hours after a ride. Seems to be bottom end somewehere. I think it started 2 or 3 years ago but since my bike was parked outside all the time I never felt motivated enough to fix it. But now I should.

[stromgal]

I've got 100k on the Strom. Oil goes down a bit between changes, never enough to feel I need to add. Also put 82k on a Zook 850GS without probs.

[bungie4]

I've put 130,000 km on my 04 FJR in the last 3 years. It will no doubt break 100,000 miles this year.

By far the most I've ever put on any one bike. Uses no oil, upgraded the suspension to a full Ohlins setup, and just as strong as the day I got it.

I usually get bored with them around 25-30K mark and sell them for something else.

But the FJR is just to good to even think about parting with and I'm looking forward to the next 100K with it.

Sorry County.

[maddjack]

Yeah, I remember you mentioning that. I'm watching carefully. Actually, it may burn just a tiny bit...as in, a couple months after an oil change it'll have dropped from just under the "HIGH" line in the sightglass...to just above the "LOW" line. (But does that count as "burning oil?")

I'm curious about the whole oil-burning issue too...as in, is burning a bit of oil normal after a certain number of miles on a bike? (That's probably a separate thread...and may have been done—I'll have to do a search.)

What about you guys who put 75-100K miles on a bike or more? Were you losing any oil between changes? Scott

Not a drop , in fact the only one I ever had that burned oil was a1960 panhead that was used, it stopped after I redid it , inc rerouting to outside oil lines

[bomber]

My 07 Tiger will roll over 100K later this year . . . . no oil usage, with the exception of extended high-rpm ops, in which case I'd call it very minor usage.

Modern bikes are so good, high miles like this are not remarkable (or, at least, not as remarkable as they used to be).

[X1Glider]

R1100GS sold at 140k
R1100S sold at 160k
HD FXR sold at 110k

plenty of other high, but sub 100k, bikes

[SWriverstone]

Pretty impressive! Over half of our poll respondents have put 70K or more miles on a bike. And I was thinking people treated bikes like cars---buy a new one every 3 years or 30K miles, whichever comes first.   It's encouraging to see a lot of people racking up the high miles!

Scott

[miles]

Pretty impressive! Over half of our poll respondents have put 70K or more miles on a bike. And I was thinking people treated bikes like cars---buy a new one every 3 years or 30K miles, whichever comes first.   It's encouraging to see a lot of people racking up the high miles!

Scott

Our 3 1/2 year old car has 120,000 miles on it.

[Doug Just Doug]

Record was 78K miles on a '90 Yamaha Radian. Bought for a song in '94 with only 830 miles; sold 10 years later for $50 less than I paid for it.

[expatbrit]

Highest on a bike: just over 20K on the Sprint. I'm in the 'keep swapping' club, though it's not boredom as much as realising it's not QUITE the right bike and tweaking it is going to get EXPENSIVE. (Or, in the case of the KTM, that it was possessed and whatever demon lurked inside hated me with a passion. But anyway)

Cars? My Scooby is a first model year WRX, so over 10 years old and has over 150k miles. With a telecommuting job and a bike as a run-around, it sees many, many less miles than it used to in the first 5 years I owned it.

[Chuck 500]

My numbers are low only because I've not been riding that long.  Stated in June 2008 and put 15,000 miles on bike #1, Suzuki GS500F.  Bought bike #2 in late December 2010, Honda NT700V, and now have 23,000 on that one.  No plans to change bikes any time soon so will likely see some high numbers.

Chuck

[CanadianBird]

2002 BlackBird. 180,600 kms as of last Sunday.

[cbsnbiker]

I have over 90K miles on my K12, and still going strong. (I've been riding the F this week, but I'll ride the K tomorrow.)

The engine uses about 1/2 qt every 6K miles, which it has done since I bought it barely-used.

[Fourstring]

The old-Conc I had rolled over 150k before exploding (almost literally).  Current bike's got about 35k on it, but I'll probably keep it for a long time.  Now that my round-trip commute is 60 miles, I expect to roll the odometer a lot more.

[Mr. E]

I put 120k on a 1980 HD Electraglide. This was supposedly among the worst of the AMF years.
The bike was almost flawless for the 20 years I had her. I sold it to someone in the neighborhood so I still see it being ridden...alot.

Since then I've put 50k on a Valkyrie I/S.

[maddjack]

I put 120k on a 1980 HD Electraglide. This was supposedly among the worst of the AMF years.
The bike was almost flawless for the 20 years I had her. I sold it to someone in the neighborhood so I still see it being ridden...alot.

Since then I've put 50k on a Valkyrie I/S.

I had a 71 Fl that ran flawless for 60k for me so I guess not all of them were bad. It even drug a hack around for a year and a half

[SWriverstone]

Still impressive! Over 61% of the 70 poll responders (as of this post) have put more than 50K miles on their bikes. That's awesome.
 

Scott

[Andrew]

Over 100k on my old 78GL1000  I really liked that ride, well that is until I got something with power and handling.

I bought the GL from the original owner,  within a month quit my job and hit the road for the summer. She only left me stranded once (flat tire). With the Vetter fairing and boxes she was a tank but I could ride all day and still dance a jig.

Did (I think) 60 or 70k on the FJR before I realized I was too tall for it.

Think I will keep my current bike till I can no longer keep it running (BMW 1150GSA)  or I lust for something new

[et]

Last bike; '00 GSXR750; just shy of 260k miles.
It was (damn forest rats) my first motorcycle on which the odometer actually kept working.
Hope my replacement; Moto Guzzi Griso 8V 1200; lasts just as long if not more.

[Papa Lazarou]

over 80k on an old Guzzi before I sold it.

[dm_gsxr]

106,000 miles on the Hayabusa (that's a bit over 170,000 kilometers) and am heading out on am 8,000 mile trip next month.

I had a rectifier/regulator bail three years ago. Just black melted plastic down the side of the bike. It's the only time a malfunction has left me on the side of the road.

Now I've gotten myself in a poor situation from time to time and the bike has a few cracks and scrapes from rides down dirt roads but we do eventually get out.



Before the Alaska trip, I had the pipes exchanged for a four-in-to-1 Yosh and Power Commander III more for a little better sound. While they were doing that, I had them replace several seals and had a ring job done (since they were in there) as well as adjust the valves (the first time they ever needed to be adjusted). I was complimented on the condition of the cam chain (which they replaced) not believing it was from a 'busa with 85,000 miles on it.

I have no plans on getting rid of it and expect it'll have to be stolen or crashed before I'll go for another bike.

It's a great bike and fits me perfectly.

Carl

[2RR2NV]

the most i ever put was on the Busa, that i bought used with 3100 miles, and i put another 28k miles before i sold it cause i thought the wife didn't like the wind bobbin her head around. found out months later she actually loved that bike. DANGIT!!

[Joey Stalin]

I've put about 15,000 miles on my R1100RT-P, but it currently has 83,500 miles on it. That's not the most mileage I've put on a bike, I had a 2001 Yamaha YZF-600R that I put 20,000 miles on, and it was still going strong like the day it was new. I think any bike can get to high mileage, and you'll find many of them on this forum, www.sport-touring.net, due to the type of riders most often found here.

(I took the liberty of bolding the important parts to make it easier for you to read and understand, in case you're retarded.)

[miles]

(I took the liberty of bolding the important parts to make it easier for you to read and understand.[/b])

Thanks.

[Blunder]

'77 RD400E sold at 17K for,
'80 CB750F totaled at 29K and bought,
'76 RD400D sold at 35K sold for,
'82 XJ650 Seca sold at 22K for,
'85 GPz900R sold at 33K along with
'85 RZ350 racebike at 13K (X4. Race miles are hard)
'82. XJ650 Seca sold at 57K due to gearbox failure
'92 XT600E sold at 21K due to unemployment
'08 Breva 1200 Sport sold at 6K due to unemployment (I loved.that bike)
'01 GSF1200S with 37K and would be more if it didn't have to share time with the 2 bikes above it.

Only 2 of these bikes were subject to failures, one mechanical (my 2nd Seca) and one rider (I threw the Honda down the road).  Properly cared for the modern motorcycle, say post '75, can last a long time.

[st2sam]

My current ride, a Kawasaki C14 will pass 40,000mi. this week, almost double what my other bikes have gone.
Plus, this is the longest time I've spent with the same bike, over three years.
I'm constantly thinking about trading or selling it for something different, BUT everytime I ride it I say to myself, "self what are you nuts, this bike was custom made for you!"  
At 40,000mi. it's starting to loosen-up a bit, show a bit of wear & tear (it's black), but it's a 100,000mi. no major problem bike.
If Kawasaki put it on a diet and lose 50lb., IMO it would be the perfect sport-tourer.

[ST-DocLizard1]

'81 Honda GL1100 Interstate  146,352 miles

[2RR2NV]

I've put about 15,000 miles on my R1100RT-P, but it currently has 83,500 miles on it. That's not the most mileage I've put on a bike, I had a 2001 Yamaha YZF-600R that I put 20,000 miles on, and it was still going strong like the day it was new. I think any bike can get to high mileage, and you'll find many of them on this forum, www.sport-touring.net, due to the type of riders most often found here.

(I took the liberty of bolding the important parts to make it easier for you to read and understand, in case you're retarded.)

dang, and here i thought it was some special coding or some super secret squirrel shit.

 15,000 R1100RT-P  83,500 put a R on new can find riders often bolding retarded.


alas, i was wrong.  

[bikerider]

95K and counting on my 05 ST1300. No oil use between 5k mile changes. Valve adjustment checked for the first time at 92k. No adjustment required.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

[Huron52]

I have about 216,000kms on my 2004 FJR  . I didn't really mean to put that many on it. It was done by accident.


     Honest.  

[coho]

I have about 216,000kms on my 2004 FJR  . I didn't really mean to put that many on it. It was done by accident.


     Honest.  

Those are all kilometers though. Your bike doesn't actually have any miles on it at all. You should sell it immediately.

[bungie4]

I have about 216,000kms on my 2004 FJR  . I didn't really mean to put that many on it. It was done by accident.

What happened? Did the switch on the drill get stuck?

[Bobcattoo]

Keep reporting on these 04 FJRs. Mine's just "breakin' in" at 45 grand.
No plans to ever sell that Bike. Way too versatile...................and Fun!

[Roadhound]

1986 Concours ZG1000, 337,000 miles, retired due to running into a mess of used cooking oil dumped on the road by overturned drums in the back of a truck.

2000 Concours ZG1000 214,000 miles, sold to purchase my third Concours a 2006 it's just a baby with 69,000miles.

1978 BMW R100RS 122,000 miles, sold to purchase a later model BMW.

[Bobcattoo]

1986 Concours ZG1000, 337,000 miles, retired due to running into a mess of used cooking oil dumped on the road by overturned drums in the back of a truck.

2000 Concours ZG1000 214,000 miles, sold to purchase my third Concours a 2006 it's just a baby with 69,000miles.

1978 BMW R100RS 122,000 miles, sold to purchase a later model BMW.

By the time you wear out the 06 they'll be making the C-18!  

[cultureslayer]

I've put well over 40k on ninja 250s, just not the same one due to bad luck (first was run over, second had a kinked frame, third looks like an utter POS but has been reliable so far).

[ConPilot1]

9,800 miles on a GS550L

2500 on a GL500 Silverwing Interstate

10,000 on a Kaw 750 Zephyr

38,000 into my current love/hate relationship with my ZG1000 Concours.

Not nearly as many miles as some of you, but the past few years on my Connie have been my most active and enjoyable biking years to date.  

[joe in calif]

I had a 92 Gold Wing that I put 108,000 miles on in 7 years that I owned it. I was going to put 200,000 on it before I sold it but I got a great deal on a 98SE in an Estate sale that I couldn't pass up.

[cruisin]

I voted 100K+ but need to elaborate a bit.

First beemer was a 1976 R75/6 that I put 50K on in 3 years then had to sell it to pay medical bills

Next one was the '99 R1200C that was well on it's way to 100K when my brother in law totaled it at 72K.

Then came the '98 RT that I purchased about a year and half after getting the R12C.  I put 98K on it (+22K at purchase) and parted it out at 120K because it was worth more in parts than as a whole bike.

The 2000 R1200C replaced the '99 with 12.7K at purchase and now has 102K and still going strong.  

The last purchase was the 2000 opal blue RT that came to me with 12.2K on the odo and I have now added another 13K to that.  Planning on keeping both the Y-2K bikes until I'm too old and feeble to hold them up.  

[stevent]

 I had a 71 Fl that ran flawless for 60k for me so I guess not all of them were bad. It even drug a hack around for a year and a half

Ditto, I put over 50k on my 1980 FLH-P plus the 18k the WSP put on it without too much trouble. AMF Harley's ran fine if you left them alone and just rode them. I put almost 50k on my 1985 K100RS before selling it for the closing cost on a house and 65k on my 2002 1200 Trophy before it was hit and totaled. My current 2009 R1200 GS has 15k on it but I bought it as a leftover in 2010 and the weathers been wetter and snowier than usual the last few years so that cut into my riding time. I tend to trade bikes quite a bit so I had a few that only saw 10k or so before I traded them in on something else. The one's I kept for any length of time got some pretty good milage on them.

[Ninjawarrior]

One of our members on the ZX14 site just turned 99,000 miles on his.....20 sets of tires,  a few brake pads and rotors..motor and tranny perfect!

Ninja

[ConPilot1]

1986 Concours ZG1000, 337,000 miles

That's impressive. I wonder what the numbers on the highest mileage C10 out there are, and I'm curious to see if the C14 is going to rival the longevity of it's predecessor.

From what I've seen, I'd say yes.

[Cablebandit]

Well there are already several that are over 100k.

JamminJere has got to be pretty close to 80k by now.

[NoGear]

I'm like a few others. I usually get rid of them and get something new when I hit the 20-40k mile mark:

1984 FXSB 5k miles on it. Bought new in Dec '85. Drunk neighbor drove on top of it
1986 Honda V45 9k miles.  Sold when transferring to Germany
1995 HD Super Glide 12k miles when I traded it for the next bike
1996 Ducati 916 32k kilometers on it. It was sold after I broke my back and was told I wouldn't walk again
1998 Honda CBR1100xx  14k miles on it when it was stolen. It was my present to myself when got out of the hospital
1994 Suzuki Bandit 28k miles when sold. Bought it with 1,400 on the odometer in 1999.  Sold it in 2003 after not riding much for 2 years.
No bike for 6 years
2005 FJR currently has 28k on it. I bought it in 2010 with 4k on it. Since I bought it I've only had 7 months of total riding time (pre-deployment training, specialization schools, and deploying to Iraq/Kuwait) and in that time I've put 24k miles on the bike.  Don't plan on getting rid of it but I do want another bike.

[CanadianBird]

186,400 kms and 10 pairs of tires. A few ccts, a couple of batteries, one R&R, two stators. Lots of oil, hydraulic fluid, some fork oil.

[Britman]

70,000 on a Honda Valkyrie
101,000 on my 2005 Honda ST 1300

All since Feb of 2002.

[coucours grad]

141k on C10 Connie....Threw the timing belt....My fault though as she warned me long before she went.


   On tires and brakes and one clutch return spring.

[Roadhound]

141k on C10 Connie....Threw the timing belt....My fault though as she warned me long before she went.

First I've ever heard of that happening on a C-10, every C-10 I've ever wrenched on had a timing Chain.

[BigChris99]

123,000 on my '91 Goldwing. NO problems. Doesn't use any oil.

[alkamp]

85k miles on the '06 Suz Wee Strom, only normal maintenance so far
Just picked up a '12 BMW R12RT, so far only 3k...but I expect there will be many more miles before I get tired of either bike

[thirdgenlxi]

Just a little over 251,000 miles on my '04 CBR 600 F4i.... it's the only bike I've ever had so nothing else to compare to, lol. Not exactly a touring bike by any means, but I make do with what I have, lol. Bought it brand new on Oct 17th, 2004 with 3 miles on the clock.... she's been a good one alright! Still runs like brand new, doesn't burn or leak any oil

Still looks halfway decent too, I guess. She's a 'jack of all trades', alright!



Still rockin' it (yea my BP still sucks.... working on that, lol)





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZUTfpw8NUM


I freaking   this bike!

[aviationfred]

Of the 6 bikes that I have owned, the most miles I put on one was 96,000 miles on my 86' Interceptor 500. 20,000 miles on my 85', FJ1100, 40,000 miles on my 84' Interceptor 1000, 10,000miles on my 86' Radian 600, and 2000 miles on my current 89' FJ1200 which I purchased in June of 2012.

[Leewmlds]

I bought my 1998 Yamaha JX600s with 2k on it.  Now 35k on it. 2009 Concours 14 was picked up last December with 10k on it. Currently has 25k.

My best friend and riding buddy, bought a 1989 FJ1200 for $1500 in 07. It had 20k on it. We just pulled the engine to re-ring and re-seal it with 99k on it. He is going to pick up an FJR his spring. He plans on hitting 200k.

[Ramseybella]

Ran my 1989 GL-1100 Goldwing close to 134k then I sold it in 1998.

And didn't ride again till 2008 bought the 1998 Tiger Steamer 900,
sold it bought a Kawasaki ZRX 1200R, sold it than bought in Feb 18th 2011 my New Tiger 1050 now with over 37k since new.

Funny thing I saw my ZRX at a motorcycle shop yesterday on consignment, we fired it up and I was like I miss this beast, but I was to big for the frame damn near killed me on a twisty road before I sold it.

Had like a thousand extra miles and all the same stuff I sold it with.



 

[Stormer]

Ok, you guys are heros...not more tham 17.000km on the big Vstrom.

[021200]

Hi Gang,
New member here.
I put 37k miles on my last bike ('92 ZX11), and it ran perfect when I sold it.  Full disclosure; I gave it a 1109cc 12.5:1 big bore kit at about 20k miles, just because I wanted to.  The rings weren't bad, but it did smoke a bit when first started.  So, I installed new guides, valve seals, and a valve job while it was apart.  No alternator chain tensioner issues with that bike, never even heard of the problem until recently.

My "new" bike is a 2002 ZZR1200, just bought it with 7700 miles.  Look forward to riding again.

[NuckaMan]

Put little over 85K on a Suzuki GS500  (bought it with 11K on the ODO).

It was my only mode of motorized transportation when I was really poor and in college.

Finally took it's last breath little after I graduated. Luckily I was employed, had some money saved up and finally bought a used commuter car and brand new R6.

[K Rider]

I purchased my 95' K1100LT with just under 25K miles on the clock. I sold it at 180.5K miles.

I bought my 04' K1200GT with 1.8k miles on it 6 years ago. It has 143K miles on it now. Keep the fluids and filters changed at the required intervals. Don't flog the bike everytime its ridden and it should last.

John B.

[K Rider]

Beautiful ZRX you owned.

Ran my 1989 GL-1100 Goldwing close to 134k then I sold it in 1998.

And didn't ride again till 2008 bought the 1998 Tiger Steamer 900,
sold it bought a Kawasaki ZRX 1200R, sold it than bought in Feb 18th 2011 my New Tiger 1050 now with over 37k since new.

Funny thing I saw my ZRX at a motorcycle shop yesterday on consignment, we fired it up and I was like I miss this beast, but I was to big for the frame damn near killed me on a twisty road before I sold it.

Had like a thousand extra miles and all the same stuff I sold it with.



 

[mugwump58]

70K on the '06 Ex. 2 years of commuting should put it at about 100K, the goal.

[Blue_Muldoon]

Had an '80 GS1000S when I lived in So Cal that I put 86k miles on it when I sold it. Had 60k miles when I swapped in an '83 GS1100ES engine.

Many bikes since then. Probably the next highest was an '02 ZZR1200 that I put 29k on when I sold it.
Have too many motorcycles now plus I work from home so I can't see racking up any commuter miles.

[Sprint 03]

I'm curious about bike longevity and how many miles people typically put on a bike before replacing it?
(And see the related poll just below.)

New Member here, Just picked up a 2003 Triumph Sprint ST with 22k miles on it. Fantastic bike, looking forward to many miles on it.

My 85 Goldwing had 177k miles on it when I sold it, ran perfectly.
My 98 Goldwing had 101k miles on it when I hit something on the road doing 75. I'm Ok, but it got totaled.
Many other bikes with varied mileage.

[SouthernCruizer]

My top 3

1995 Honda Magna 750 - 98K miles
2008 Yamaha FJR 1300 - 88K miles
2004 Yamaha FJR 1300 - 75K miles

[JamminJohn]

I have 118K on a Stratoliner and 190K on a Valkyrie.

                      JJ

[Mortech]

Almost 19K miles on my 99 Concours in the 16 months that I've owned it .

[sleazy rider]

Hmmm...

2001 GL1800, bought new, sold with 38,500 30 months later
1995 Trophy, bought with 17,xxx, sold with 46,xxx two years later
2001 R1150GS bought with 35,xxx, sold three years later with 102,xxx
1996 Daytona bought with 17,xxx, still riding with over 65k on the clock in 32 months(?)