What is considered high mileage on a sport bike? I know this is a relative question depending on regular maintenance, degree of abuse, etc.

If a bike has been maintained well, rode hard like it should be (it is a sport bike after all) when might it start to need major work.

My brothers are looking for a bike to buy. We are thinking of a 600 sport bike that is a few years old. How many kilometers is acceptable?

What mileage numbers would you stay away from.

Thanks.

What is considered high mileage on a sport bike? I know this is a relative question depending on regular maintenance, degree of abuse, etc.

If a bike has been maintained well, rode hard like it should be (it is a sport bike after all) when might it start to need major work.

My brothers are looking for a bike to buy. We are thinking of a 600 sport bike that is a few years old. How many kilometers is acceptable?

What mileage numbers would you stay away from.

Thanks.

Not trying to be rude, just helpfull....

Wouldn't it make more sence to post in a sport bike forum? I used to ride sport bikes (Katana's and GSXR's) a few years ago, but I don't know how to answer this.

Maybe "Kev M" will chime in...

In my area any sport bike with more then 1000 miles is not worth considering. Punks down here simply destroy their machines. It's rare to find someone that actually babys a sport bike. I test drove 2 bikes a few years back. 1- used CBR954 with 3000 miles (claimed). Ran like total crap. Brakes were non-existent- motor felt really tired-out of alignment-front tire wobbled. etc etc and they wanted $5000. Next I tested a 2001 GSXR750 - listed $3000. Another huge pile of ruined junk. Yeah it ran but it felt like bolts were coming loose and the head bearings werent' tighted - or just came apart from hard landing wheelies.

Anything over 200 miles is probably beat to hell and is several years old. With how uncomfortable those bikes are, most riders can only get 20 - 30 miles per year on them - they spend the rest of their time in physical therapy for their back pain.

I know guys with baggers well over 100K.... so that seems High Mileage to me. Im thinking its all relative.

Are we talking on the wheels or on it's side ? I have ridden a few sport bikes and I will tell you condition is as important as miles if it looks rough beware, if it looks good with normal wear and tear for miles on it don't be afraid, if you can't decide a pre buy inspection by a mechanic or dealer service dept. would be worth the 1 hour usual labor fee good luck.

Any VFR with the gear-drive V-4 is pretty much bulletproof, and tend to be owned by the older crowd...

Made from '86-'01, IIRC. I had an '86 for a short time.

If it's in really nice shape cosmetically and purrs like a kitten, it's probably not been horribly abused. Watch for obvious damage and strange noises. Virtually any sportbike will last 200,000 miles if treated decently - the hard part is knowing how often it's been bounced off the rev-limiter and been subjected to frequent burnouts. A lot of dorks like to run down the road at 6,000 - 8,000 rpm just to hear the engine scream. That just puts additonal wear on the valvetrain which requires pulling the bodywork and cams to change the shims.

If it's in really nice shape cosmetically and purrs like a kitten, it's probably not been horribly abused. Watch for obvious damage and strange noises. Virtually any sportbike will last 200,000 miles if treated decently - the hard part is knowing how often it's been bounced off the rev-limiter and been subjected to frequent burnouts. A lot of dorks like to run down the road at 6,000 - 8,000 rpm just to hear the engine scream. That just puts additonal wear on the valvetrain which requires pulling the bodywork and cams to change the shims.

Don't forget lots of full-throttle first-to-second gear shifts. GREAT for breaking the dogs off of second gear. :banana :frownthre :censor

Virtually any sportbike will last 200,000 miles if treated decently.

I don't believe that is true. They aren't built to last that long, and for that reason, they wont. To me 20,000 miles sounds like a lot on a sport bike because they just aren't built to last. They are made to get the sh*t kicked out of them and thrown away. Keep in mind I am talking about bikes like the CBR600 and the GSXR750 because are basically full race bikes. I am not talking about lower performance japanese bikes such as the SV650. I had an SV650 (12k miles, ran perfect) and loved it, but not as much as I like my Sporty! :)

Like has been stated it is all relative. High miles to me is going to be a lot different than high miles to Cindy Dietz (http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?t=58147&highlight=Cindy+Dietz)

I chat on a sportbike forum quite a bit and trying to generalize sport bikes into a stereo type is just as bad as how sporty riders get stereo typed. Saying that no sportbike riders baby their bike is totally untrue. Number one thing is to look it over real close and talk to the owner/rider, but don't just asked technical specifications. Talk about actually riding. Guage how responsible the person seems. Is it the kind of person you would loan your bike to? I read discussion of how many miles people have put on their bike this year and one person had 10,000 miles since March, but there are also those that have ridden 100.

To answer your question, in my personal opinion depending on my budget I'd try to stay less than 20,000 miles on a 3 - 5 year old machine.

Ya, crashin has it pretty good, but I don't think you'll find a 3-5 yr sport bike with 20k on it, you might but I bet more like 10k.
Ask what has been replaced at all. And why.
Take someone who does their own work on their bike.
Look at the treads, chicken strip or did they actually ride the thing?
Do your home work before you look at it and see whats involved with reg service.
Ask about any mods that have been done. I hate the tail eliminators, + some of them are illegal.
Are they selling it for a friend? Where is the friend? Can you talk to the friend?
You just need to know what your looking at, besides CCs and miles.

Virtually any sportbike will last 200,000 miles if treated decently - the hard part is knowing how often it's been bounced off the rev-limiter and been subjected to frequent burnouts.

How is that possible when they are spun at twice the rpm? I know the short stroke can handle the high rpm's, but that doesn't change the fact that the valvetrain and piston has moved twice as much as on a low revving bike. So shouldn't that in theory result in twice the wear and thus half the life?

How is that possible when they are spun at twice the rpm? I know the short stroke can handle the high rpm's, but that doesn't change the fact that the valvetrain and piston has moved twice as much as on a low revving bike. So shouldn't that in theory result in twice the wear and thus half the life?
Look at any 4 cyc Honda Civic, vs any V-8, or 6 banger, same thing. Which lasts longer? All depends on how you treat it.

How is that possible when they are spun at twice the rpm? I know the short stroke can handle the high rpm's, but that doesn't change the fact that the valvetrain and piston has moved twice as much as on a low revving bike. So shouldn't that in theory result in twice the wear and thus half the life?

You're looking at it the wrong way. My Sportster has a 96.82mm stroke and my 600cc Triumph four has a 41.3mm stroke. The piston speed near red-line on both isn't all that much different. Now figure in the Triumph's ultra light pistons and con rods, a much more balanced engine, no pushrods, liquid cooling, and the list goes on. I'd expect a modern sportbike engine to be capable of more miles, without needing any internal work, than a Sportster engine.;)

Look at any 4 cyc Honda Civic, vs any V-8, or 6 banger, same thing. Which lasts longer? All depends on how you treat it.

The difference in the 4 cyl Honda is that it doesn't produce any power. So it may rev higher, but has a third of the power output. Sport bikes have both high rpm and high power. As for V-8. I have seen a ford thunderbird with over 200K miles on it. My dad's 4.3L V-6 Has 185K mi. on it right now and still counting. We'll see how my 4 cyl Honda compares to them over time. It's still a young engine with only 51K mi. on it.

Besides the comparison there is pretty similar. The 4 cyl doesn't rev twice as much as the V-8. It only revs about 1,000 to 1,500 rpm higher. A sport bike not only produces more power than a cruiser, but revs 6,000 rpm or more higher.

The only thing that I see is the sport bike using liquid cooling, which would allow for tighter tolerances and better heat management vs. the sportster which uses air cooling which would mean looser tolerances and worse heat management.

With the prices and the promoitions that are being offered, Why buy a used one ???

The difference in the 4 cyl Honda is that it doesn't produce any power. So it may rev higher, but has a third of the power output. Sport bikes have both high rpm and high power. As for V-8. I have seen a ford thunderbird with over 200K miles on it. My dad's 4.3L V-6 Has 185K mi. on it right now and still counting. We'll see how my 4 cyl Honda compares to them over time. It's still a young engine with only 51K mi. on it.

Besides the comparison there is pretty similar. The 4 cyl doesn't rev twice as much as the V-8. It only revs about 1,000 to 1,500 rpm higher. A sport bike not only produces more power than a cruiser, but revs 6,000 rpm or more higher.

The only thing that I see is the sport bike using liquid cooling, which would allow for tighter tolerances and better heat management vs. the sportster which uses air cooling which would mean looser tolerances and worse heat management.

You aren't taking into account that sportbikes use a DOHC configuration, where side-forces on the valve guides are practically nil. Much more efficent than pushrods. Once the valve seats get set, they pretty much stay where they are.

They also use high-tech coatings on their cylinder walls.

Also very little side-thrust force on the pistons since the motors have such short strokes.

I've heard that the new gixxer600 has a plastic water-pump gear though. :(

You want durability and speed, I would take a step down from the cutting-edge racer replicas and go with either the sport-touring model, or a nekkid standard like the Z750S, Z1000, ZRX, FZ6, FZ1, Bandit, etc.

I remember reading an article back in the mid-90's and a Kawasaki engineer was explaining why the ZX-9R was still a little heavy. He was saying that they could make it lighter, but then they would sacrifice long-term durability for low weight. :geek

I sold my warmed over GSX1100F with well over 36,000 miles on it when I bought my XL. It was holding up well. Of course, with that engine there was no real way that anyone could really overwork it on the street. I think that a lot depends on well the bike was maintained, and who serviced it.

You're looking at it the wrong way. My Sportster has a 96.82mm stroke and my 600cc Triumph four has a 41.3mm stroke. The piston speed near red-line on both isn't all that much different. Now figure in the Triumph's ultra light pistons and con rods, a much more balanced engine, no pushrods, liquid cooling, and the list goes on. I'd expect a modern sportbike engine to be capable of more miles, without needing any internal work, than a Sportster engine.;)

Modern sportbikes are a much more balanced engine. I put 55,000 miles on my last one, it was fz1. It ran great the day i sold it and it seen 150mph+ and redline in every gear a bunch. I didnt do burn outs because that is abusing a bike unless your at a dragstrip and heating up the tire. But i did plenty of wheelies by just rolling the gas on. Unless a young kid been really abusing one they last as long as the best bikes on the road.

I don't believe that is true. They aren't built to last that long, and for that reason, they wont. To me 20,000 miles sounds like a lot on a sport bike because they just aren't built to last. They are made to get the sh*t kicked out of them and thrown away. Keep in mind I am talking about bikes like the CBR600 and the GSXR750 because are basically full race bikes. I am not talking about lower performance japanese bikes such as the SV650. I had an SV650 (12k miles, ran perfect) and loved it, but not as much as I like my Sporty! :)

Well,we disagree.
The engines in sportbikes are built of the finest materials available to be able to produce incredible power at what seems stratospheric rpms - and in part because even if they are abused, they still have to meet EPA regs for THOUSANDS OF MILES down the road - not just 2 weeks off the showroom floor. There are many documented cases of high mileage sportbikes and the magazines have reported on a few over the years. Not everyone bought them just to try and destroy them in a few weeks - I know I never have. Most of the sportbikes have plated bores and low tension rings for power and it happens to result in longevity. The oiling systems are as perfected as the factories can design them. They use lightweight, high quality valves, high-quality valvesprings, and mild cams for high rpms, with rpm limiters to prevent putting the valves into the pistons. They don't overheat on the street because they have car-sized radiators. The transmissions are tough so they can hook up a stock 600cc's 100 hp to over 200 hp of modified open class fury at the tire.
If sportbikes were only built to last 20,000 miles on the street, many would fail their very first trackday. I don't see $8,000 - $11,000 bikes as something to kick the S%^& out of and then toss aside - not on my paycheck.

How is that possible when they are spun at twice the rpm? I know the short stroke can handle the high rpm's, but that doesn't change the fact that the valvetrain and piston has moved twice as much as on a low revving bike. So shouldn't that in theory result in twice the wear and thus half the life?

Uhh just look at 70's and 80' Toyotoa Corollas and mini-trucks, Most of them get over 200,000 miles, and the earlier 4-speed models didn't have the luxury of "loafing" on the highway.
A stock CBR900RR (circa 1993) turns about 3,960 rpm at 60 mph, with tiny valves that lift only about 5/16" using incredibly light springs which add up to very little wear. Super-light pistons with low-tension rings ride on chromed bores - very low wear in typical street use. My 1200R spinning at about 2859 rpm at 60 mph has to contain moving parts and "unbalanced" forces that are in the "super-heavyweight" division by comparison.

Can anyone show me a 600cc sportbike that has done 100k? I know for a fact there are many Sporty's and Big Twin's that have...

I don't think you get it. The way most 600cc stortbikes are designed most just are not used for touring and racking up high mileage. Take something like a fz6 with a set up style frame and you'll start find more high mileage examples. But even then high mileage riders won't buy many of that type of bike. But not because the motor won't do it.

I did a google search, and found this pic from a 2001 GSXR 750 on trimmer.org.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j176/twolaneblacktop/2001gsxr750.jpg

So sure, most guys don't do this on a sportbike, but most don't do it on a Sportster either.

My 600cc '03 S4 is ancient by front-line sportbike standards, but I use it for all-around commuting and sport touring. At 7000rpms in 6th, just loafing along (exactly half way to redline), it is at an indicated 86 mph. A Spotster would be much closer to redline at that speed, and under quite a bit more stress. Just picture having to stop and reverse direction on that heavy piston at similar, if not actually higher, piston speeds as a sportbike.

My DL which has a detuned TL1000 motor in it has over 42,000 miles and still running strong. I don't abuse the thing but have run it off the limiter a few times. With most sportbikes these days by the time you have hit the limiter in first gear you're way over most speed limits. I don't think most people run the rpms that high a lot. If I was looking for one I'd be looking at the seller, asking him about riding style and listening to see how he talks about his riding. Does he brag about doing burnouts, wheelies, bouncing it off the limiter all the time. How has he taken care of the bike? Has he added a lot of after market speed parts that most of the time makes the bike run worse than stock. If the bike has been painted it has probably been dropped or crashed.

Can anyone show me a 600cc sportbike that has done 100k? I know for a fact there are many Sporty's and Big Twin's that have...

My friend Dave had an old Ninja 600R that had 92k miles on it when he sold it. The kid that bought it didn't test-ride it, but when asked how well it ran, Dave hopped on it and pulled a nice, short stand-up wheelie. :p

He checked the valves at every oil change. Also told me that he had to slot his camshaft sprockets to just get the stock camshaft timing back. :D

BTW, FWIW the old air/oil gixxer 600 used the same block as the 750, same with the Katana 600s.

However, it's very difficult to find a sportbike that hasn't been abused.