What is considered high mileage for a motorcycle engine?

Answer 1

It all depends on what type of engine is in the motorcycle in question. A race bike engine will only last for one race and then have to be torn down and freshened up, this goes for dirt bike racers too. An older English bike is getting high mileage at 60 or 70 Thousand miles whereas a new Brit' will easily last for 150,000 miles if not further. A Japanese bike will get about the same, I have a friend with a 1970 Honda 750 Four that has over 300,000 miles on it and all he's ever done is refresh the top end and replace the cam chain. A Harley-Davidson should get to about 150,000 miles before the top end needs refreshing, IF it is taken care of and ridden sanely. Of course all of this information is relative to how the bike is ridden, how often it's oil is changed, if it is stored inside or outside, in a heated garage or not? Do you live in a dusty or wet climate, is the regular maintenance done on time, was the bike built on a Monday or a Friday? What are you like on Monday? On Friday? I take good care of my 1991 H-D FLSTC but I ride it like I stole it, I finally blew the engine just after it rolled over to 150,000 miles. Now it sounds like there's a hand full of ball bearings rattling around in the bottom end. That's the results of 200 Kms/Hr for 40 minutes straight. Fool me, so now I wait till I can afford to fix it. Tough question to answer, as there are far too many variables.

Out of probably 150 bikes I've worked on, maybe 15 had more than 50,000 miles. They were Goldwings/cruisers/Beemers. Most bikes just don't last much past 75,000. Sure, the motor may run...but the tranny, clutch, major bearings, suspension, etc. are shot. Not to mention most seals will leak. If a high mileage bike seizes up on you at 65 mph, you are going to have a bad day/life. High mileage bikes should go to the salvage yard for parts so no one gets hurt. Browse ebay, not many bikes over 75,000 miles....

I've seen several BMW Motorcycles with over 500,000 miles on them. If you abide by the proper maintenance schedule, your bike will last much longer than the other guys here are telling you. 1955-1969 BMW motorcycles are STILL on the road because they have an engine disassembly maintenance schedule of 35,000 miles. This might sound like a lot, but it is one of the main reasons that these bikes go from father to son. They're not just motorcycles, they're heirlooms.

I have 250,000 kms on my 96 Gold Wing, I had a 85 1200 with over 400,000 no issues with motor,

I here theres a 2000 Gold Wing in Minnisota with over 800,000 on original motor?

cant beat that.

Answer 2

Mileage can be differ according to brands and models but usually 20,000 to 50,000 miles is most common.