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How long will this bike last?


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This is my first bike, and I was wondering how long I can expect this bike to last. I saw someone say on reddit that bikes aren't built to last as long as cars. Around how many miles can I ride before it dies? Are all bikes like that?

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bmwpowere36m3

I think 50-100k would be reasonable from the engine before major work is required... obviously dependent on maintenance. Chassis-wise, it'll depend on how you store it and keep rust at bay.

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snowdriftless

I second the above. If you can keep rust at bay it's only a matter of how much maintenance you want to do. Between 50k and 100k miles and you should expect to do some major maintenance (engine overhaul, fork rebuild, swing-arm bearing replacement, etc...).

P1: Vice? I have no vice, I'm as pure as the driven snow!
P2: Yeah but you've been drifting
 
All the gear all the time!

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You could say the same about cars, or any piece of equipment.
 
I would say they last as long as parts are being produced.

Rapid Red

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bmwpowere36m3
You could say the same about cars, or any piece of equipment. 
I would say they last as long as parts are being produced.
True, but generally motorcycles engines will need rebuild sooner (some more than others) than passenger vehicles… I've had three cars with 150k+ miles without any major engine work (bottom end, piston, rings, etc…); Mostly valve jobs and/or head gaskets.
 
[ul type=disc][*]'90 Mercedes 300E with 220k miles needed a valve job, head resurfaced and head gasket.
[*] '95 Mercedes E320 with 280k miles I replaced the HG, didn't need it but it was leaking oil down the side (more of an annoyance).
[*] '98 BMW M3 170k miles, nothing so far.[/ul][div]
Also a '99 F-150 with 130k, nothing so far and a customer's late 80's/early 90's 300E with 300k+ miles that only needed valve job and HG.[/div] 
 
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Generally speaking, I think people crash their bikes or give up riding the thing before the bike ever wears out. I've only seen two bikes in my life that had more than 50,000 miles on them, and in both cases the owners just left them in their garages to rot.

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There used to be a Currier round here with of all things a Honda super four 400/4
it had 240,000 miles the last time I saw it, no engine work but the wiring had
worn through on the frame and had to be replaced, there was no paint anywhere the
rider touched the bike it had all worn off down to shiny metal.
I have had 2 or 3 bike with 40/50,000 miles without engine work and running better
than new, most modern bikes feel better at 15/20,000 miles than when new.

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I personally have had a number of bikes over 50,000 even though I tend to trade often and I think you can find many with over 100k miles. Time will tell but I personally think this engine should have no problems going at least 100k without any issues. It is not a highly stressed unit.

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I've heard from numerous people through the years, mechanics included, that cars are 'purposely' made to last on average about ten years before they start falling apart, unlike the cars of yore. If well taken care of and you only put a couple thousand miles on it each year it can out last your average pos car (not talking about the engine alone).  Who knows how long it can last??? It really depends on you. 2c.

Beemer

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I've heard from numerous people through the years, mechanics included, that cars are 'purposely' made to last on average about ten years before they start falling apart, unlike the cars of yore. If well taken care of and you only put a couple thousand miles on it each year it can out last your average pos car (not talking about the engine alone).  Who knows how long it can last??? It really depends on you. 2c.
 
 
A couple thousand miles on it each year?
 
That person doesn't deserve a bike. Lol
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...cars are 'purposely' made to last on average about ten years before they start falling apart, unlike the cars of yore.
I know little to nothing about motorcycles, but I've been wrenching my own cars for forty years.  "Cars of yore" needed to be tuned yearly and by ten years of age, were pretty well spent.  If you live in an area that uses salt on the roads in the winter, you'll know how badly cars rotted away before the current galvanized steel bodies.  When is the last time you saw a rust proofing shop? 
The current POS, FWD, econoboxes are built to be disposable, but they're cheap to start with.  Just basic transportation, and nothing you'd want to restore or pass on to your kids.  But, if you buy a quality machine from the start, it will easily outlast "Cars of yore" with very little effort.
 
When I bought my FZ07, I wasn't planning on having it last forever.  It's really a purpose built machine with one big purpose being budget minded.  I'm assuming I'll move on to something else well before it needs its second valve adjustment.  But, if I keep it in addition to another bike, its quality seems pretty good.  A few new parts here & there ought to keep it rolling for quite a while.
 

“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
— Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)

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I've heard from numerous people through the years, mechanics included, that cars are 'purposely' made to last on average about ten years before they start falling apart, unlike the cars of yore. If well taken care of and you only put a couple thousand miles on it each year it can out last your average pos car (not talking about the engine alone).  Who knows how long it can last??? It really depends on you. 2c.
A couple thousand miles on it each year?
 
That person doesn't deserve a bike. Lol
lol, I hear ya! I've known a number of people that actually put about that many miles on their bikes each year so they are out there. They were usually just weekend riders or rode their bikes to work, occasionally, never went on trips with their bikes. They didn't appear to be serious bike lovers to me, neither. I could never figure them out.

Beemer

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ornery
 
As a well known and respected person on this site once said to me, "So much gets lost in translation when talking online." and those words couldn't be truer. I don't think we were looking at cars quite the same way even though we have both been driving and turning wrenches on our own cars for the last forty years. I wasn't talking about modern "quality" machines, nor tune ups, nor galvanized steel, I was talking about the quality of the build and not all old cars were in areas that used salt on the road and many old cars were well cared for and lasted much longer than 10 years. The proof is all around us. As you said, "The current POS, FWD, econoboxes are built to be disposable, but they're cheap to start with." You are talking about the average car when you say that. I was talking about the average modern pos myself and comparing them to the average old school car. The average old cars 'were' made to last, they weren't cheap to start with like modern cars are and I think that is undeniable. They were much better made (galvanized steel aside) than your average, current POS, FWD, econoboxes, and "A few new parts here & there ought to keep it rolling for quite a while."
It appears we agree more than not now that we understand each other. Good night, Irene!
 
 
 
 

Beemer

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I do think we agree more than not. The "average" car of the sixties was the Impala. Today it's the Accord. Which do you think will hold up longer, with less maintenance? Which would you rather see at a car show now or in the future?
 
I don't have the inclination or money to restore vintage machines. I'm VERY frugal, so always in search of the best bang for the buck. That sweet spot today would be seven year old Ford Panthers. I don't miss carburated, drum braked, bias plied old iron, but still prefer the full framed, RWD, V8 living room on wheels "of yore". Pretty hard to find today, eh? Isn't it a pisser that the finest Japanese cars have turned to RWD, while American cars are only recently reverting to RWD from almost exclusive FWD lineups?
 
While it would be cool to own a restored vintage bike, I'd still rather commute or travel on a new one. Just more reliable no matter how thorough the restoration.

“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
— Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)

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My arthritis is flaring up so I'll just say this, Give me this car from the 70's and I'll want no more, forever.
 
 
 
 
 

Beemer

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Oh hell yeah, I'd take an AC Cobra from the early sixties, but I doubt I'd drive it very often. Hell, I'd probably put it on a pedestal in a shrine!

“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
— Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)

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some people cant ride all year, where lucky to get 6-7 months of riding in upstate new york.
True that. Over here in Buffalo we can only ride from about April until the end of October comfortably. And some people will go shorter than that, but I don't mind sub-50 degree temps. And then it's 4 months of freezing temperatures and one month of 5 foot high snow.
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What percentage of the population rides at all? In our shop of about 75 people, 5 or 6 own bikes. Only two rode to work this year at all, and then only once each. Since I got my bike May 19th, I've only missed about 5 days riding. Then again, I now merely commute. Rarely ride just for the sake of riding, although I usually take the "scenic route" whenever commuting or running errands.

“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
— Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)

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Here in the UK I do about 7/8,000 miles a year mostly between March and November but
I ride on any day in winter when there's no snow or ice, quit riding on ice a few years back
as at my age I don't bounce as well as I did, but back to the org question, the bike
is likely to last given reasonable maintenance and care over 60/70000 miles likely
more, you are much more likely to trade it than ware it out, just get out there and
ride the thing it's what you bought it for and what it was designed to do. Modern
engines seem to take about 20,000 miles to be truly run in they often feel better
than new around those miles.

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Here, I answer my own question.  In Ohio, one person in thirty own a bike.  But, from what I see, most of them only ride once per year... If that!

“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.”
— Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)

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