21-07-14, 07:02 AM
Nowadays for bikes& cars its not mileage thats the crucial factor-as already said metallurgy has come a long way since the 70s.
Take two similar bikes. First one has done low annual mileage,spending winters in shed,battery discharging,oil affected by cold & damp-with no protective treatment to surfaces,fasteners.
Second example ridden regularly,cleaned,treated with care.
Then theres the service history---the "paper trail" so to speak--that can tell you a lot.
So each case on its merits or otherwise.
example. Both bikes bought by me last year. Blue FZS 600 33k miles one owner.Had been ridden all year round. Bike clean & roadworthy BUT front of engine/underside never cleaned so corrosion of exhaust studs,nuts,headers,collector box,pipework & rad quite advanced. At 10 years old I spent quite a lot to put things right.
2nd bike 10 year old FZS 600, 3 previous owners,the first two only did summer dry miles & then 3rd owner did 5k miles in 12 months. I bought bike showing 12k & it rode like new.
So look for evidence of care, because its things like condition of fasteners,electrical connectors that tell you a lot,apart from all the obvious signs of drops/crashes.
Dealers use their "bible" of bike prices when doing trade-ins part exs and like cars most vehicle values drop off the scale at 7 years old.
The life span of modern machinery is more likely to depend on the cost of expensive/complex electronics failing which it will do eventually,making repair uneconomic.
In a nutshell I wouldnt be put off by high mileage if there was enough evidence of proper servicing/care. Its as important to assess the owner with some purchases as it is the machine!
Take two similar bikes. First one has done low annual mileage,spending winters in shed,battery discharging,oil affected by cold & damp-with no protective treatment to surfaces,fasteners.
Second example ridden regularly,cleaned,treated with care.
Then theres the service history---the "paper trail" so to speak--that can tell you a lot.
So each case on its merits or otherwise.
example. Both bikes bought by me last year. Blue FZS 600 33k miles one owner.Had been ridden all year round. Bike clean & roadworthy BUT front of engine/underside never cleaned so corrosion of exhaust studs,nuts,headers,collector box,pipework & rad quite advanced. At 10 years old I spent quite a lot to put things right.
2nd bike 10 year old FZS 600, 3 previous owners,the first two only did summer dry miles & then 3rd owner did 5k miles in 12 months. I bought bike showing 12k & it rode like new.
So look for evidence of care, because its things like condition of fasteners,electrical connectors that tell you a lot,apart from all the obvious signs of drops/crashes.
Dealers use their "bible" of bike prices when doing trade-ins part exs and like cars most vehicle values drop off the scale at 7 years old.
The life span of modern machinery is more likely to depend on the cost of expensive/complex electronics failing which it will do eventually,making repair uneconomic.
In a nutshell I wouldnt be put off by high mileage if there was enough evidence of proper servicing/care. Its as important to assess the owner with some purchases as it is the machine!