What is Considered High Mileage For a Motorcycle

It really depends. Mileage does not really matter as the value of the motorcycle is dependent on other factors besides mileage.

A motorcycle engine with 40,000 to 50,000 miles is considered a high-mileage bike in some circles. But if this particular motorcycle has perfect maintenance records, has no evidence of physical damage, is fitted with only the best genuine motorcycle parts and the engine has no leakage of oil, then this is considered a good buy. The key to longevity of your motorcycle is like any other machine – maintenance. Oil change every 3,000 miles and regular service will keep them going a long time.

If you are looking for a second-hand or used bike, then the question of ‘what is considered high miles on a motorcycle’ will probably be the first thing that comes to mind in terms of things to consider. It’s obvious that a low-mileage motorcycle will probably be a bit more expensive compared to a high-mileage unit, simply because the motor is considered ‘newer’ than a bike with hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometer.

However, low-mileage does not necessarily mean the motorcycle is better, or even newer. It is recommended that you check not only the total accrued mileage of the bike but also dive into the full service history of the bike to understand its background. If a bike doesn’t have a full service history, that’s not a bike that you should buy.

Some motorcycle aficionados will contend that it is better to buy a high-mileage bike with complete service records, rather than buy a newer bike that was serviced only once or twice since it was bought brand new but has spotty records that come with it.

Also take into account that a damaged motorcycle will be valued lower than one that was never damaged, especially if there has been structural damage. With that in mind, a bike repaired using OEM motorcycle parts and one repaired using aftermarket parts will rarely experience differentiation in value, though some buyers would prefer original or OEM parts over aftermarket parts.

How many miles is too many? This is pretty subjective. Some motorcycle enthusiast don’t really mind. If you love a motorcycle enough, it never has too many miles on it. And if you really love the bike, you’ll put quite a few on it.