Miles

[juddmyers]

I asked this in the wrong thread.. I am sorry.  So I am posting it here.

"I have a question as a new buyer and owner and I mean no disrespect at all.  Should the miles on this bike give me concern?  If not how many are a concern?  How many miles are too many on a used bike?"

I am sure the prev owner and how he/she maintained the ride will matter but your not always going to know that information.

So the question is ... just about mileage.  How many miles would make you not interested in buying a used bike?

Judd

[s2r800]

5999 

[herm]

pretty hard question to answer without more info...
the maintenance history (or lack of a history) would go far in determining how i felt about mileage on a used bike.

[juddmyers]

How do you determine the maint ??  Ask to see it in writing??  Just take someones word for it?

[zLoki]

It's not the miles so much as the maintenance and reputation.  Treat it just like a car, would you buy a Ford with 100k miles?  How about a Honda?  

I think if you have to put a number to it, I'd shy away from anything with more than 50k no matter how cool or old.  25K would be OK.

In all cases knowing how to do a visual inspection and being able to do one at a dealer would be the MOST important thing.

Also keep in mind the major services, are you getting a bike just before a major one?  Does the seller have records of service?  Anyone that cares for the bike will have records and you should inspect them.

That being said, my 696 has 9500 miles on it and I'd probably have no trouble selling it, I have all the services done and maintenance records.  Bike still has tens of thousands of mile left on it.  Most Ducs last a long time

[Spidey]

Generally, here are some options:

1)  You can ask the seller.  The bike should have valves checked/adjusted every 6k.  Belts every 12k or two years.  Those numbers are 7.5k/15k for newer models.  Generally, by asking some well educated questions, you can get a sense of whether the buyer is telling you the truth.
2)  If they've had the bike serviced at Ducati dealers, you can give the dealer the VIN number and they'll have the maintenance history in the computer.
3)  You can also ask for receipts for maintenance.

For me, what constitutes too many miles totally depends on the bike, the rider, the kind of riding and the maintenance history.  There is no set amount.  I'm probably not going to buy a track bike with 10k on it before I buy a commuter with 30k.    

I saw that you posted in Mr. Incredible's thread.  If you just ask him, he will just tell you.  He's also unlikely to sell you his s4r as a first bike.  IIRC, he's already told a couple of prospective buyers to go home when they said they wanted an s4r as a first bike.

[Popeye the Sailor]

I saw that you posted in Mr. Incredible's thread.  If you just ask him, he will just tell you.  He's also unlikely to sell you his s4r as a first bike.  IIRC, he's already told a couple of prospective buyers to go home when they said they wanted an s4r as a first bike.

Best way is to have the seller bring it to a shop for you and have the shop check it out. That said, if it's a first bike, I won't be selling you mine-it's not a proper bike to learn on.

[juddmyers]

Come on guys..... Nobody is asking to buy it.  I do want one like it for sure,  It is pretty.  However I am not buying today from you or anyone else.  As I type I can about guarantee you that it will be a S2R or similar.  Yours is for sure is a great price but I doubt that I will buy something with that many miles.

Thanks for the concern though.

Judd

[He Man]

if you know you're not going to buy it, then why ask? seems like you made up your mind before you even posted up.

[corndog67]

Any one can buy any bike I have, no matter what their experience.  It's not up to me to decide that whoever doesn't have enough experience.  You have the money, you have the bike.  In fact, last year, I sold a CBR1100XX Blackbird to a Cal Poly kid with no experience whatsoever.   His buddy rode it home for him.  I did take him for a ride on it, got to redline in second, about 110, he loved it.   If some 16 year old kid can buy a new GSXR1000 from a dealer with cash, they can buy anything they want from me. 

Oh yeah, mileage.  I bought my S4 with 12,000 miles.  Personally, I try to find low mileage bikes, there are a ton of them out there.   I bought the S4 with that many miles because it was obvious that it wasn't beat on.  It had $6000 of accessories on it, and the price seemed fair.   My last street bike was a CBR900RR that had 7000 original miles on it, I just sold it to my brother with 20,000, and it is still going strong. 

Lots of close to new bikes out there.  Keep looking.  I'm sure I could have found a 5000 mile example of the bike I wanted, but I wanted it now. 

[psycledelic]

Maybe you said and I missed it, but is this potential deal an internet type thing, or a face to face sale.  If you are meeting in person, chances are the dealership that serviced should be somewhat close by.  Get both parties meet there for an inspection, or at least talk to the dealer about the bike.  Personally, I would not purchase a bike that wasn't maintained at a Ducati dealership.  I am sure there are plenty of competent owners that can do there own servicing, but I don't have the knowledge to look at a bike and tell how well the bike was maintained.   

[red baron]

pretty hard question to answer without more info...
the maintenance history (or lack of a history) would go far in determining how i felt about mileage on a used bike.

+1  there is a local Monster here that has 150,000 on the clock.

[juddmyers]

Thanks for all the information!!

To answer  HeMan, I was asking because he has a bike with high miles or what I thought was high miles.  Made me wonder what is high miles on a bike and what should I look out for.

psycledelic, No deal anywhere yet.  I am just trying to figure out what I want and what to look for and maybe what to avoid.

As usual, you guys are a great help.... thanks for teaching me.

Judd

[the_Journeyman]

I bought a M750, just after the PO did the 12,000 miles service.  Picked up my 900SS right about the same as well.  The 750 has over 31,000 miles on it right now ~

JM

[Slide Panda]

pretty hard question to answer without more info...
the maintenance history (or lack of a history) would go far in determining how i felt about mileage on a used bike.

Yep - I bought a 900 with just under 18K on it.  But the PO had receipts for everything and answers for any of my questions - so though it was a well used bike I knew it's history.  10k miles later and there's been 1 issue and it wasn't related to it's previous life.  I've carried on the tradition of keeping all the info - the PO gave me copies of *everything* I've added to that and even keep notes in a google doc for any twidding and DIY maintenance work I do.