High mileage my *rse

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Discussion

dern

Original Poster:

14,055 posts

293 months

Friday 7th February 2003
quotequote all
I've just got my fireblade valued (y2k blade, nearly 2 years old) and have been told it's worth about 4k because it has so many miles on it. Over 2 years I've done 11,500 miles - and that's a lot is it? I was out of work for 8 months of these 2 years so didn't commute on it that much and haven't done any touring at all. Apparently the uk average is 3000 miles a year. What kind of nancy lady boys ride bikes these days if the *average* is only 3000 miles?! Anyway, I have the financial justifaction to keep it now and pay the theiving b*stard insurance people their blood money rather than sell it and get something cheaper to insure so I suppose that's a good thing in a way. Good job I only paid 6800 for it, it would really smart if I'd paid list.

Rant over, thanks for listening

Mark

T-C

198 posts

272 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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They would love me then. Current Blackbird I have just sold with 156,000 miles on the clock in a little over two years, new one arrives next week. My first Blackbird clocked up 165,000 in two years and the GSXR1100 before that was stolen with 154,000 on the clock.

All of them I sold for at least 2K and in fact my first CBR1000 which I got in 1989 and I sold at 167K is still going with at least 400K on the clock.

This thing about mileage is crap. If they are well maintained and looked after, they will go on forever.

>> Edited by T-C on Friday 7th February 16:05

Beano500

20,854 posts

289 months

Friday 7th February 2003
quotequote all

What kind of nancy lady boys ride bikes these days if the *average* is only 3000 miles?!


Er... guilty! I had to sell my R6 in shame last year - had covered just 1900 miles in 14 months!


Otherwise, that's rubbish - you haven't done a *high* mileage by any stretch!

dern

Original Poster:

14,055 posts

293 months

Friday 7th February 2003
quotequote all
Good work T-C

I think I'll keep it as I do love the bike to bits, the only issues being the rate it goes through tyres, the small tank size and the insurance costs... everything else is fantastic. Hope the insurance doesn't go up too much this year.

Regards,

Mark

Edited to say: the bloke in the shop said the issue with mileage was b*llocks but there are so many low mileage bikes kicking around that people change as often as they do their mobile phone covers and then are scared to ride that the low mileage bikes will be picked up before mine... hence the lower value. There was a blade in m'cycle city a couple of months ago the same as mine (2 years old) with 1100 miles on it!!! It was for sale at 5k, if they bought it at list they would have lost about 5k on depreciation (assuming they traded it in), spent say £1500 on insurance and roughly £350 on servicing. Ignoring petrol that's about 6 quid a mile!!!!!!!!! What a nob.

>> Edited by dern on Friday 7th February 16:13

niggle

600 posts

280 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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The CBR I traded in against my new RSV-Mille was a 'high mileage' example, 18 months old with just over 10k miles on the clock.

There isn't a lot you can do I suppose, apart from taking the piss out of all the soft gits who only ever ride their bikes on Sunday between May and September when its dry.

sparkey

789 posts

298 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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I don't do any commuting or even proper touring on my bike, just fun Sunday blasts and even that stacks up 6000 in a year ! Why buy a new bike that you're not going to ride ?

T-C

198 posts

272 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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I tend to be more worried by low mileage vehicles then those with high. Why? The chances are that due to so little use things are starting to corrode, bores are glazed, engine is tight and because it has low milage, many think that minimum (read none) maintanance is required.

With higher milages, the bike has at least been used, probably by an enthuiast, and it must have been reliable to attain those type of milages in the first place. OK there may be some wear and tear, but generally I know from experience the engines (the important bit) are normally nicer than their lower milage counterparts, and the cycle bits can be replaced quite cheaply.

niggle

600 posts

280 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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I'm sure most ducatis must rot away in garages, bought more as a fashion statement.

I've heard of 2 or 3 year old bikes that have never been back to the dealer for the 500 mile 1st service

dern

Original Poster:

14,055 posts

293 months

Friday 7th February 2003
quotequote all

I've heard of 2 or 3 year old bikes that have never been back to the dealer for the 500 mile 1st service
Good grief, I ran mine in over the 1st w/e having arranged the service before I collected the bike. Far too excited to be getting my dream bike to doing anything else.

hertsbiker

6,443 posts

285 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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I found this out when I traded the 636. 6 months old, I had put 4600 miles on it... ok, VERY harsh 4600 miles, but I halved the value of the bike!!!! such is life. I can live with it, but hate it.

C

Eliminator

762 posts

269 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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Bought my KTM Adventure Sat. morning (London) and went to Liverpool for a sandwich. 500 mile service Monday morning, and now (6 month) just going in for 10K service. Engine just beginning to loosen.

High mileage usually means "well manintained" so buy 'em and ride 'em.

DennisTheMenace

15,605 posts

282 months

Friday 7th February 2003
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T-C said: I tend to be more worried by low mileage vehicles then those with high. Why? The chances are that due to so little use things are starting to corrode, bores are glazed, engine is tight and because it has low milage, many think that minimum (read none) maintanance is required.

With higher milages, the bike has at least been used, probably by an enthuiast, and it must have been reliable to attain those type of milages in the first place. OK there may be some wear and tear, but generally I know from experience the engines (the important bit) are normally nicer than their lower milage counterparts, and the cycle bits can be replaced quite cheaply.



Agree with you there T-C not only that the low milage summer only im not getting my dianeeasys wet or get my colour coded hugger dirty rider will thrash the guts out of it without running it in , my ZX6R has now done 23,000 bought it with 15,000 on the clock , it had to have new rings valve seals during last year due to oil usage but now seems ok not a drop used in the last 3,500 miles i love me bike

tallchris99

216 posts

279 months

Wednesday 12th March 2003
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The imported Pan Euro I ride at the moment has done 146,000 Kms and the engine feels great now.

It has been used daily and so reached it's optimum working temp which gets rid of any condensation and so on.

Low mileage bikes are a worry, for all you know they have been totally unreliable.

Then again it means we can buy low mileage bikes for not much cash from idiots who view bikes like they do a jetski...

Tony Hall

20,402 posts

296 months

Wednesday 12th March 2003
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Tallchris99, you're not the PanE I see in all weathers on the Western Bypass are you?? That bike must have clocked up some miles by now.

Captain Muppet

8,540 posts

279 months

Wednesday 12th March 2003
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I fell for the "average is 3000 miles/year" thing when I insured my bike - am now having to double my milage limit on my insurance despite not touring and using the car for work. Who are these people? Bikes are great.

tallchris99

216 posts

279 months

Monday 17th March 2003
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I'm based in London and you may have seen me making "brisk Progress" as it were around London and the home counties, I have my name stencilled in 3M reflective on the back of my lid which is a give a away...