Just like boats, I have cme to assume bikes have a different stature in what constitutes "too many miles".

I'm looking for a bike just to start on and have found a few examples. One that strikes my eye is a Kawi Gs500 (2004) w/ 18K (km) for an asking price of $3400

does that seem reasonable?

 

Ten years ago i would have thought anything over 10,000 miles but i have no idea these days.

It's an interesting question and am looking forward to hearing the responses.

 

Depends on the bike, the kind of riding that's been done on it, and the maintenance, like anything.

Most modern bikes are perfectly fine with 20k+ miles on them. Though, things do start to wear out, so it's a good idea to have it checked out by a shop if you're not able to do so yourself.

 

Varies hugely. MX bikes need rebuilding before 100 hours (1000 miles?). A single cyl, small bore, high compression bike might last 20k while a low-stress, big bore cruiser might go 100k between rebuilds. 18k kms on a GS is nothing if it didn't spend all of those miles racing or anything.

One thing you can do if you feel ambitious is run a compression check. A tester runs about 30 bucks here and can give you a relative gauge of the wear on the motor. You need to look up what "new" compression for that motor is though, since most bikes have auto decompressors. You'd need to do a full leakdown test to get real accuracy but it's a decent gauge.

But that's totally unnecessary. I would say those miles are nothing to worry about on that bike.

 

Depends on the engine, but I wouldn't want anything above 40k (25k miles).

3400$ sounds high, although I haven't checked lately.

Have you looked at a suzuki sv650? Supposedly a far better bike ...

 

I have looked at them, this was just a preliminary search at what I can afford right now. by may (when Im looking to buy) I'm sure my budget will be a little higher. right now Im budgeting $4500 +/- 500 for the bike itself (including tax/registration etc) and about $1500 for safety gear (is that enough?)...

After my mishap playing hockey last winter, I have a new found respect for all things safety - especially when it's preventable.

 

Glad to hear you're budgeting that much for safety gear - i think $1500 is just about spot on.

 

Glad to hear you want to get the right gear. Just make sure you wear it every time you ride, even if it's a 2 mile trip.

 

Kawasaki didn't make a GS500 that I'm aware of. Suzuki made the GS500 and Kawasaki made the Ninja 500R.

Price is high for the mileage.

Consider these for comparison purposes:
2004 Kawasaki Ninja 500

2007 suzuki gs 500

Your best bet is to find a local rider that will help you out with a purchase. Most riders are more than willing to help out someone new to the sport and will gladly go with you to test ride a used machine. They'll be able to spot things you wouldn't even think to look for. Plus, the test ride will reveal a lot about the bike.

As far as mileage goes, stay away from anything over 25k if it's an in-line 4. This is right around the time that you start needing repair that goes beyond the scope of trivial tire and oil changes.

I wouldn't get a v-twin for my first bike. If you do, make sure it's had a valve and belt job within the last 12k.

The big thing to look for is service history. It seems that for the most part, riders are either meticulously fanatical about maintenance and oil changes, or they don't give a crap at all about the bike and fix things only when they break.

You'll be able tell right away (like anything else really) if the owner took care of it or not.

Things to look for and do...

1. A clean, lubed chain. This actually takes a bit of time to keep up, so if the chain looks rusted and dry, odds are other areas were neglected as well.

2. Truth under the seat. Have the owner pop off the seat. Even if it means that it needs to be unbolted. Most bike battery's are under the seat somewhere. This is a good place to look for wiring hack jobs and other forms of electrical retardation.

3. Request a cold start. Have the owner promise not to start the bike a day before you go check it out. When you arrive, feel the engine casing for heat (if it's warm you know he's a lying dirt-bag and the bike may take who-knows-what to get started when cold). A cold start will tell a lot about what you're getting yourself into.

4. TEST RIDE! Don't ever buy a bike without a ride. Flat spots, slipping clutches, tweaked wheels/frames, and mysterious vibrations can all go unnoticed despite the bike looking mechanically sound.



Whatever you get, buy some frame sliders. You're going to crash so you may as well avoid as much damage to the bike as possible.

Post up some pictures when you get her!

 

Disagree. Most of the best starter bikes are twins. Sv, Ninja 250 / 500, GS, etc.