KMs: How much is too much?

Type17

Type17

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Sup gangstaz? :P

I'm planning an upgrade over the winter and I've been trying to get a feel for the market on 2006+ 600cc and 1000cc bikes. I've seen mileage on 2008 600cc bikes ranging from 5000kms to 40000kms. How much is too much? At how many KMs would you recommend passing on a bike? Are there any tips on hunting for these kinds of bikes?

Also, what should I be looking to pay for a, let say, 2007 - 2008 600cc SS from the big 4 jap manufacturers?

Thanks in advance for any advice, it's all appreciated :).
 
IMHO: Depends on the brand and how the owner took care of it.
Regular maintenance pays dividends and fixing issues as they arise quickly.

BMW, Honda and Yamaha I'd be less concerned on mileage than with Suzuki or Ducati.
My Honda is still going at >70,000km and I'd still be riding it if my wife didn't push me for a new bike (long story but I'm not complaining)
My Suzuki had rust on it and odd issues after about 10,000km and 4 years.

Funny thing was the Honda parked next to the Suzuki: you could clearly see the build quality difference. Little things like screws: the Honda didn't have any rust on body screws while the Suzuki had rust in all sorts of places that it shouldn't after only 2 years (and garage parked)
 
Mileage on bikes isn't as bad as on cars. There's less to break down and generally these machines are driven in better weather than cars. These little motors are built to last a very long time with little upkeep.

What i would look into is what intervals the major maintenance are suggested for. These can be found in the service manuals for said bike. You can find most of these online, especially forums for the bike you are looking into.

If the service manual says valve clearances should be checked at every 45,000 kms and the bike you want to buy is at or near that mileage, you should ask seller if he has brought the bike in to have that done.
Same for every other major maintenance marker. This gives you the ability to either have them do it or knock off at least 500$ for you to have it done yourself at your local shop/dealer.

Dont worry about oil/filter and air filter because, no matter what the seller says, it is good measure for you to do an oil change on any used vehicle you buy via private sales right away.
There may only be 300kms since last oil change, but last oil change could be over a year ago when they put the bike in a shed for winter and left it there.
 
SpikedLemon said:
IMHO: Depends on the brand and how the owner took care of it.
Regular maintenance pays dividends and fixing issues as they arise quickly.

BMW, Honda and Yamaha I'd be less concerned on mileage than with Suzuki or Ducati.
My Honda is still going at >70,000km and I'd still be riding it if my wife didn't push me for a new bike (long story but I'm not complaining)
My Suzuki had rust on it and odd issues after about 10,000km and 4 years.

Funny thing was the Honda parked next to the Suzuki: you could clearly see the build quality difference. Little things like screws: the Honda didn't have any rust on body screws while the Suzuki had rust in all sorts of places that it shouldn't after only 2 years (and garage parked)
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So Honda and Yamaha are built better than the Suzuki? What about 636s?
 
Type17 said:
So Honda and Yamaha are built better than the Suzuki? What about 636s?
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Hold on there, can't go making those assumptions!
You don't know how different bikes were stored, what conditions they have been ridden in, etc.
I have a 2005 Suzuki C50 with 25k on it and it looks brand new. It was well taken care of and will continue to look that way as long as I own it.
 
kruzuki said:
Hold on there, can't go making those assumptions!
You don't know how different bikes were stored, what conditions they have been ridden in, etc.
I have a 2005 Suzuki C50 with 25k on it and it looks brand new. It was well taken care of and will continue to look that way as long as I own it.
Click to expand...

I was just asking :), I had been under the impression that the Japanese bikes were all similar in build quality.

jeero said:
Mileage on bikes isn't as bad as on cars. There's less to break down and generally these machines are driven in better weather than cars. These little motors are built to last a very long time with little upkeep.

What i would look into is what intervals the major maintenance are suggested for. These can be found in the service manuals for said bike. You can find most of these online, especially forums for the bike you are looking into.

If the service manual says valve clearances should be checked at every 45,000 kms and the bike you want to buy is at or near that mileage, you should ask seller if he has brought the bike in to have that done.
Same for every other major maintenance marker. This gives you the ability to either have them do it or knock off at least 500$ for you to have it done yourself at your local shop/dealer.

Dont worry about oil/filter and air filter because, no matter what the seller says, it is good measure for you to do an oil change on any used vehicle you buy via private sales right away.
There may only be 300kms since last oil change, but last oil change could be over a year ago when they put the bike in a shed for winter and left it there.
Click to expand...

I see, I guess it's fairly common for people to sell a bike before they have to perform any major maintenance. I've seen many bikes for sale in the 40,000kms range and I wouldn't be surprised if something like that is the reason.
 
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Type17 said:
I see, I guess it's fairly common for people to sell a bike before they have to perform any major maintenance. I've seen many bikes for sale in the 40,000kms range and I wouldn't be surprised if something like that is the reason.
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As long as you do your research beforehand and know what questions to ask, you will be able to make an educated decision as to which bike you want to buy. If the price is unbeatable but it's at a major maintenance milestone, call your shop to ask how much it would be to perform that task and factor in that price. There are a few people on this forum who are very mechanically inclined with bikes and may be able to assist at lower rates than most shops.


When i bought my bike, similar ones were going for 4-5k. I got mine at 3200, but it needed work (and I put a few goodies on it too) that cost me an extra 1000$. In the end I paid the same I would of for a bike that potentially didn't need any work. My advantage is that I had my bike in the living room over winter and tore half of it apart so I got to really see it inside and out except inside the motor, which was running top-notch so I wasn't going to tear it apart for no reason. I feel like I got to know the bike very well and I can sleep easier knowing it has no hidden issues.

I have not had a single issue with my bike since the beginning of the season and I ride it every single day, even through the rain. I'm over 10k kms this season already and have plenty more to go. All I've had to do is regular maintenance so far. She purrs like a kitten.

Research, research, research is one of my biggest tips. And clearly with this thread it looks like you're heading in the right direction. :)
 
Type17 said:
What about 636s?
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So I learned this lesson the hard way. I got an 05 636 for what I thought was ~$1000 below what most were looking for. The bike has 25k on it, one of the few I found with stock stuff, stock exhaust, fairly nice looking.

Well...picked it up in December, rode it home gingerly (3-4C, cold road, new bike with 2x power of my old one) and put it away for the summer. Got it out in April and when I gave it squeeze, I realized my 2nd gear was popping out at 10-11k. Looks like im gonna be out approx $1600 fixing that. So finally I will get a clean bike, no mysteries but I'm gonna end up having "overpaid" by $600 plus the hassle of researching, getting parts, sending it away for service etc..

Moral of the story for me
1. do more research
2. find some way to test
3. if the deal seems that awesome, somethings probably up!


Edit on the high kms:
- My 25k 636 motor does feel quite fantastic despite the kms
- I had an ER6 in Thailand for 4 days, 700kms of mountian riding, high revs, high and low altitutude. The bike had 72,000kms on it, never missed a beat!
 
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When I was looking for a bike this year, I looked at used first. Found a 2009 gsxr 600 with 9k on it. For a few hundred dollars more I got a brand new 2012 gsxr 600 from the dealer. Definitely do your research and don't impulse buy. Some bikes with 30k are going to be in better shape than some with 5k. As for being less concerned on mileage over a brand.... it's all about the rider/owner not the brand.
 
Type17 said:
So Honda and Yamaha are built better than the Suzuki? What about 636s?
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The GS500F @ 12,000km that I first bought had a chain that stretched so much the previous owner cut off 2 links and put the chain back on (wtf?). The dash fell on me mid ride and so did one of the bolts keeping the front together (critical bolt, I can point it out on a picture). It also had very low front brake pads and 8 year old tires. It also had a slipon that was causing lean issues! I bought it for $3,800 because I didn't know ****.

My current GSXR-750, bought at ~8,000km, was perfect. Not a single thing wrong. The previous owner even dyno tuned the bike with a R55 + PC3. I knew, upon hearing that, the owner cared (most people throw a full system or slip-on, don't tune, and thing runs like ****, look at the tech section). The brake pads are still fine (at 16,000 now). The only thing that was wrong was that the tires were around half life for both (BT-016s, they don't last long).

Both are Suzukis. I'm 99% sure I can find you a Honda that runs like **** on Kijiji! lol
 
It's almost always about condition and maintenance. I'd much rather have a higher km bike that's one-owner, mint and well maintained than a multi-owner low km bike with a history that is "suspect"....
 
sal said:
Got it out in April and when I gave it squeeze, I realized my 2nd gear was popping out at 10-11k. Looks like im gonna be out approx $1600 fixing that.
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FYI a broken 2nd gear is mostly a function of abuse, not mileage.
 
Bought my 2007 Kawasaki last season with 42000 from someone who rode it lots and took care of it. I'm at almost 60000 with nothing but regular maintenance required. Runs perfectly always. My friend sold his "mint condition" 2005 suzuki with 4000 km last year. He didn't do the first or any service, and never even changed the oil. I'll take the higher mileage bike any day over the one with 7 year old sludge sitting the in engine.
 
Brian P said:
FYI a broken 2nd gear is mostly a function of abuse, not mileage.
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Yeah I know that :).

From what people are saying I guess there's no easy way to find one, just lots of background research on each bike but I'm happy to hear the mileage isn't always a problem.

Anyone have any recommendations as to what I should be looking to spend on a good condition 2006+ 600cc SS? I'll need to start budgeting now cuz I'll likely still be in school when I make the jump. Just a range because I know it varies a lot, I just don't want to pay for a bike that belongs in the "stupidly overpriced bikes" thread.
 
Type17 said:
Yeah I know that :).

From what people are saying I guess there's no easy way to find one, just lots of background research on each bike but I'm happy to hear the mileage isn't always a problem.

Anyone have any recommendations as to what I should be looking to spend on a good condition 2006+ 600cc SS? I'll need to start budgeting now cuz I'll likely still be in school when I make the jump. Just a range because I know it varies a lot, I just don't want to pay for a bike that belongs in the "stupidly overpriced bikes" thread.
Click to expand...

Really depends. A friend of mine got a 2007 GSXR-600@3x,xxx for $3500 where as I paid more than double for my 2008.

Oh, and said GSXR-600 is now at 5x,xxx lol
 
油井緋色;2037313 said:
Really depends. A friend of mine got a 2007 GSXR-600@3x,xxx for $3500 where as I paid more than double for my 2008.

Oh, and said GSXR-600 is now at 5x,xxx lol
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$3500 for 2007 Gixxer??? that's an amazing deal!
 
stasis218 said:
$3500 for 2007 Gixxer??? that's an amazing deal!
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Second that..I paid 6k for mine 3 years ago.

I bought mine with 30k on it and it's been running strong since. Some repairs, but engine wise everything is great. I don't garage it but I have a oxford cover and I maintain it fairly well. I keep a spreadsheet of every repair, oil change, chain lube I do.
I also ride my gf's '00 R6 with close to 43k on it and it runs fine.

I do see what the other guy was saying about the build quality though, some of my gsxr stock bolts do rust (The ones on the windscreen) but I do ride it in the rain and it's stored outdoors (winterized in a shed though at least).
 
SpikedLemon said:
Just my experience w my own bikes. My honda was solid while the 'zuk had issues and build quality was far lower.
Never had a Kawasaki.
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I had an '83 GPZ550 I bought with 40,000kms on it. I put another 140,000 kms on it with minimal maintenance. I sold it to a guy who was going to restore it, he tore down the engines and re-did the valves, replaced the clutch because it was at the end of adjustment. That's it.

The actual kilometers means nothing, it all depends on how the bike was ridden. GSXRs attract idiots likes flies to poop, so many of them are wrung out, same with Zxs.

BMW owners tend to take very good care of their bikes. They tend to be older riders, with money.
 
Not a Sport bike, but my 2006 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom that I bought new in summer of 2006 currently has over 202,500. I parked it last March (although rode it briefly last month) when I got my 2012 DL650 V-Strom. My 2012 currently has 57,000+ km. (I was away and out of riding for a good chunk of June.) I fully expect to ride the 2012 well past 200,000 km.

There are a number of V-Stroms with over 160,000 km and there are several V-Strom on the V-Strom boards with much higher mileage than mine. A 650 with over 255,000 km and a DL1000 V-Strom with almost 300,000 MILES on it.

There is no reason in the world that a Street Ridden Sport bike can't do mileage well over 100,000 km, especially if they are liquid-cooled ones.

..Tom
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