I think that considering the purchase of a motorcycle an "investment" may depend on your definition of that word. Most definitions include some reference to an outlay of capital for the purposes of making a profit. I think those who make a profit from their original "investment" in a bike when they sell it used are far and few between and probably only include those who lucked out and have some sort of collectors item on their hands. I agree with @capt that a motorcycle purchase is an "investment" in fun. For others it may be a source of transportation. But the minute a bike is ridden off the lot (like a car) it depreciates. Has anyone else reading this thread actually made a profit when they've sold a motorcycle? I'd sure love it if that was the case for me but it hasn't happened yet.
Someone mentioned above , their highest mileage bike was under 20 thousand. My current 08 America has topped 133/135 thousand km, Can't remember which as I've not been able to ride for close to nine months now. Cost me $15,000 new with quite a few extras. Now worth half that , so ~600-700 a year depreciation, or around .06c per km not including fuel or tyre's ! Good value for fun factor
Yes! On more than several occasions But I’ve also been given old bikes for free and I’m frugal in how I buy. On the flip side….. ive also rode, fixed, enjoyed and blown money too.
Depends on the budget, mechanical skills, etc. A 30 000 miles bike is not dead, but it's usually time to change a lot of things like clutch, suspension, MC rebuild, etc. Can be a good thing to buy a cheap running bike, and make it new for 1000 £ (my choice). If I had a lot of budget, I'd go for a bike under 6000 miles to ride without big maintenance for 2 years.
For me, cc and designated design is also a factor in it. A zzr1400 with panniers at 50k isn’t an issue but a panigale and fsh (others are available!) with panniers at 50k is a different issue? Sure, two different extremes but it’s still valid imo?
I bought my 2005 speed triple 3,5 years ago with 24.000 km on the clock. That equates to it having done just over 1.000 miles a year on average before I got it. In 3,5 years I have more than doubled that mileage - the odometer now reads nearly 50.000 km. It runs as well (if not better) as when I first purchased it. Oil and filter changes every year, valve checks when indicated. If I were to sell this bike (which I won't ) the new owner would not have to worry.
To answer your question, how many miles should a bike have when buying used: 1. Zero, if you're concern is entirely about resale value. 2. 100-2,000 miles a year if it's a summer/fair weather bike. 3. 5,000-,6000 if it's a commuter/toured bike. 4. Anything above if it's been a workhorse. Every single one of these is mostly dependent on how well it's been looked after ie. Serviced as per recommendations/ looked after etc. There is more to be worried about than the mileage of a bike, but it's a good base to assess weather the condition of the bike matches what the mileage suggests. I do about 6000 miles a year, mostly commuting. I've bought my bike to be used, and fully understand that in today's market actually using my bike is pretty much a big no no, which is certainly the feeling I get whenever I've enquired about trade in on any my bikes in the past. That incredulous look from the salesman that it's got more than 10,000 miles on the clock. Which is even funnier because most of my bikes have been tourer style bikes designed for long distances I bought my 2003 FJR1300 for £3500 at a garage 4 years ago, and fully expect it's lost half of that in value simply becuase it's been used, and I've serviced/repaired it mostly myself, and don't clean it or look after it nearly as much as I should. Is there things needing attention? Yes. Am I going to get them sorted? In time. Will I tell whoever buys it off me what's needing done? Yes, because it's obvious enough that telling people it's 'showroom condition' is a massive porkie pie.
I've accidentally- if you like-made money on several bikes. I've always bought what I wanted and in some cases kept them long enough to go back up in value, particularly a 750 Guzzi, 1200 laverda and a moto Morini. If you look at the prices of pretty ordinary 80's jap bikes these days, most sell for more than the original price new, that's nostalgia for you. I bought a new 4 speed sportster in 1989 as the 5 speeds were coming out and they were shifting the old model "cheap" I paid £4k kept it until 2006 and sold it for £4500 with 72,000 miles on the clock. I've always had 2 or 3 bikes at the same time and taken care of them. Obviously with service materials which I do myself so no labour charges, I haven't really made money..but I haven't lost my shirt either. Again I believe mileage is not a major issue if you have a detailed service history, better a 50k mile bike with lots than a 20k mile bike with none.
I would always go for one with the lowest mileage you can find. Whilst it will cost more, proportional to its age it will be better value. There are usually plenty out there that have sat in a garage just depreciating waiting for you to buy it.
One thing to note as well, and I've found this with car garages as well, is that their reference for 'average annual mileage' varies depending on if you're buying or selling. You want to buy this bike? Yeah, mileage isn't too bad for an average of 6,000/year. What do you want to trade in? Oh, it's a bit high mileage for 4,000/year...
I'll add my thoughts for what they're worth. A low mileage bike is obviously an advantage as there's been less opportunutiyy for wear and tear. That's only one part of the equation, though. There are certainly bikes out there with 20, 30 , 40k miles on them that have been diligently cared for and maintained. You can see this in the service history, lists of bills many people keep, and the attitude of the owner when you meet them to view the bike. All these things are important factors for me in a private sale situation, not just the reading on the odometer. The other side is that I don't want to own bikes feeling constant paranoia about the miles I'm putting on them. If I want to ride, I do (caveat - some bikes I take out in winter, other's I don't) . After that I make sure the bike is clean and is maintained well. When the time comes to sell, the price will be fair based on all factors.
I would be more concerned with age rather than mileage. A 20 year old bike with 5,000 miles on it is going to be in very poor shape compared to a 25,000 mile four year old maintained bike. My 1995 Daytona needed a good bit spent on it to get it to be a reliable, roadworthy and pleasurable to ride bike. Age had just deteriorated so much of it, rubbers, carb components, forks were less than ideal, shock was on its last legs. But now I have a superb to ride Daytona 1200 with amazing suspension. I'll never get my money back and as others say it was an investment in fun.
To be honest the answer is.....as many as you want it to have. If you have a threshold in your head then you'll likely just disregard anything with any higher mileage but as people have said before, in terms of what to look for it's less about the mileage and more about how the bike has been looked after and maintained
I think the formula I always benchmark on is Condition vs price every time. Mileage and age are just a side product of lesser importance for me.
From my experience, even with a bike that has high miles, if the bike's appearance looks meticulously kept, 'usually', it means all of it was likewise maintained the same way but that still don't change the fact of it's internals being worn down...
I stopped worrying about clocking up the miles on my bikes years ago. Not using the bike when you want just to keep the mileage low is pointless IMO as all you're doing is saving it for the next owner! As has already been mentioned in above posts, just keep on top of the maintenance and ride the thing! I guess if you're buying used and the bike isn't some uber rare machine then you can afford to look round for the model with the lowest miles but maintenance history and overall condition are just as important, if not more so than mileage.