09-28-2026, 12:00 PM
Been wrenching on bikes for 15+ years, mostly engine and trans work, so I usually tell people mileage matters way less than maintenance history. But I keep running into guys asking me about sub-20k mile bikes like anything over that is scrap. Honestly I'd rather buy a 40k mile bike with clean oil change records than a 12k mile garage queen that sat for years with old fuel and dried seals. The sitting is what kills them, not the miles. That said, certain models have known weak spots, like early VFR stator issues or some KTM cam chain tensioners, so it depends. Curious what you all use as your cutoff when shopping used. Do you have a hard number or do you just go by the owner and the paperwork? And whats the highest mileage bike you've personally bought and regretted, or not?