how many miles on a bike?

[jared herbert]

I had two Honda 750s, a 1971 and still have a 1974. Both had or have about 50 k on them.. I beat the crap out of them and they both still run strong. I would not be afraid to ride either one of them some distance at that point in their life span. An interesting aside to this, I sold the 71 on ebay a couple of years ago. I paid $1000 for it in 1978. It sold for $1175 in 2012 and was shipped back to a collector/restorer in Japan. It had not run for 10 years and I clearly listed it as such but it was complete and had not been modified. Hate to hijack the thread but I like telling people the story. Jared

[Michael Weber]

I had two Honda 750s, a 1971 and still have a 1974. Both had or have about 50 k on them.. I beat the crap out of them and they both still run strong. I would not be afraid to ride either one of them some distance at that point in their life span. An interesting aside to this, I sold the 71 on ebay a couple of years ago. I paid $1000 for it in 1978. It sold for $1175 in 2012 and was shipped back to a collector/restorer in Japan. It had not run for 10 years and I clearly listed it as such but it was complete and had not been modified. Hate to hijack the thread but I like telling people the story. Jared

The old Honda bikes from the 70's are in demand especially if they have original sand cast engines. Just watched a 70's model 350 with sand cast engine fully restored sell on ebay for between 40,000 and 50,000 dollars.

[Scott Shepherd]

I've seen posts by Gold Wing owners that put 50,000 miles in them in a couple of months. I think I saw some guy that put 100,000 miles on it in 3 months time. Those guys ride those bikes like no body else.

[Mac McQuinn]

Maintenance history pretty much sums it up for me. I wouldn't touch a motorcycle without a solid, documented maintenance history. That said, there are types of motorcycles which are conducive to longevity due to their use, IE. Touring. While there's a few air cooled motorcycles which will achieve high mileage, liquid cooling typically allows tighter clearances, promoting longevity. Regular coolant changes do add to the maintenance though. Ethanol can play havoc with carbureted bikes, once again regular maintenance/fuel additives are your friend here. There's lots of variables here such as cooling, final drives, fueling, valve adjustment methods, etc. although at the end of the day you'll be safer with something which has seen a regular maintenance program.
Mac

[Jerome Stanek]

I've seen posts by Gold Wing owners that put 50,000 miles in them in a couple of months. I think I saw some guy that put 100,000 miles on it in 3 months time. Those guys ride those bikes like no body else.

That would be about 10hr a day every day so I think you are wrong

[Brett Robson]

On the other hand, the only thing that runs as long as a Goldwing in the m/c world is a Honda ST.

That line made me laugh. I started this morning on my assigned ST. 3 hours later I was at the shop after it blew out the right side valve cover gasket and leaked oil everywhere.

30 minutes later, on ST #2, the clutch went out!

We'll see how ST #3 holds up.

In using them for police work, I've never been impressed.

[Chris Padilla]

Oh...a MOTORbike or motorcycle. I was thinking thigh-powered. My Trek 6500 MTB probably has close to 70,000 miles on as I've been commuting to work for 12 years at about 6-7,000 miles per year. Of course, not much on it is original and all the bearings (headset, hubs, cranks, pedals, etc.) have been replaced a few times.

[Scott Shepherd]

That would be about 10hr a day every day so I think you are wrong

I think you might want to visit the Gold Wing forum. People ride them more than you can even imagine. They have the "Iron Butt" program and it's certified. I read a post the other day, a guy rode 10,000 miles in 10 days to get his certification.

Here's the paper work he had to support it :

ironbutt.jpg

[Art Mann]

My 1997 GL1500 Goldwing had 89,000 miles on it when I traded it for a new Wing. I would have had no anxiety about taking a cross country tour on that bike the day I sold it. I am expecting my GL1800 Goldwing to surpass 200,000 miles (if I ride that long).

[Art Mann]

50K, not even broken in yet.

My R90/6 is well over 200,000, my previous R90/6 went to 300,000 before it was destroyed in an accident and my wifes R60/7 has 250,000 on it.

Regards, Rod.

I have a friend who did his Iron Butt 1000 on a R90/6 a few years ago. I rode it some and my only complaint is they are a little buzzy at highway speeds.

[John Sanford]

That line made me laugh. I started this morning on my assigned ST. 3 hours later I was at the shop after it blew out the right side valve cover gasket and leaked oil everywhere.

30 minutes later, on ST #2, the clutch went out!

We'll see how ST #3 holds up.

In using them for police work, I've never been impressed.

Curious, given that a coalition of Arizona law enforcement agencies did a thorough study/review of maintenance costs of the motorcycles sold for LE use in this country, and the Honda ST1300 came out the best. I have heard though that many officers who have spent a long time riding Harleys and the old Kawis (think CHiPs) are brutal on the clutches of the STs and BMW RTs until the LEO gets the hang of it.

[Brett Robson]

Curious, given that a coalition of Arizona law enforcement agencies did a thorough study/review of maintenance costs of the motorcycles sold for LE use in this country, and the Honda ST1300 came out the best. I have heard though that many officers who have spent a long time riding Harleys and the old Kawis (think CHiPs) are brutal on the clutches of the STs and BMW RTs until the LEO gets the hang of it.

Ya, I've read the studies. The Honda is the cheapest in initial cost by several thousand dollars, so lots of agencies buy them. At least in my experience with our fleet of them, it's false economy. They are good enough for the first couple years, them they fall apart. We have constant problems with water pumps, clutches, electrical/charging systems, you name it. Mine usually gives me a couple weeks of service before something breaks and I have to take it in.

Police work is hard on the clutches, no doubt about it. We burn up one, sometimes two per bike each year. The problem is Honda doesn't stock much of anything for the ST in the US, so a clutch costs our agency $1300, and has to be ordered from Japan, which takes several weeks. Heck, one of our new ones bought last year fried a clutch after 400 light miles with no slow cone patterns or taxing training days in there!

Our fleet manager told me last year they spent over $10,000 on parts to keep our STs running.

Maybe for recreational use they'd be ok. Given my experience with them though, I'd never buy one. YMMV