Should you buy a bike with high mileage?

By Rehann Coetzee

There is a saying that you can buy anything, as long as the price is right. High mileage is a little bit like how long is a piece of string. On a 125cc scooter 25 000 km would be very high, but on a tourer 80 000 km would only be fairly high.

As a rule of thumb, just like with cars, bigger engines tend to last longer because they don’t have to work as hard as smaller engines. But of course, it would be reasonable to assume that a 600cc or 1 000cc superbike had been worked harder than a tourer would have been.

The secret is in service history and price. If the bike has a complete service history, it shows that the owner had looked after it properly. The bike might have been ridden hard, but if it had been properly and regularly maintained, it shouldn’t be too much of a risk to buy.

Now for price. If the price is lower than bikes of the same age but lower mileage, the risk might be worth it. Decide if you feel the price has been discounted enough to make up for the higher mileage. Coupled to a complete service history, that should make for a good buy.