How much does the odometer influence your purchase price?

Nightmare

Nightmare

Joined
Oct 10, 2025
Messages
80
Location
Calgary
Bike
2008 ST1300
I like looking at the bikes listed on the Buy/Sell here on the forums but an interesting trend I've been seeing is how "high mileage" bikes sell for a lot less (lets say $4k vs $6k). But this is a Sport TOURING motorcycle, shouldn't anything short of very high number of miles be expected and the price to be nearly on par? I'm basing this under the assumption that the engine in this vehicle is built very well and is expected to easily to rack up a LOT of miles (500k?) so the difference between a 30k and 150k odometer bike shouldn't be that significant considering the engine should last another 20 or 30 years.

Part of what got me thinking about this as well is, I'm considering selling my 2008 ZX14, when I last looked people were listing them for $9k here in Canada, for reference I paid $11k (including tax, etc) for it BRAND NEW. The difference between their bike and mine, mainly how many kilometers on the bike, theirs has 20k mine has 140k (I actually RIDE my motorcycles not own a garage queen).

Also, I bought my 2008 ST1300 last year for $3500 (Canadian) with about 137,000km, which I thought was a great deal even though I needed to fix a dent in the front rim.
 
It does for me, slightly. After seeing the miles some people have put on theirs, more important to me is the mx that has been done, talking with the individual, etc. I bought mine here used for $10K based on conversation and pictures. It had 22.4K miles on it. Just turned over 154K on the way home from GA-STOC in Suches, and IF I were to sell it for a newer model so I could ride faster than 70mps without a FI light, I wouldn't expect to get much for it. But if I do sell it, I'll be taking off the wind deflector set and McCruise to put them on the new one! The rest of the farkles are easily replaced and not worth the trouble of removal.

New vehicles lose so much of their value almost immediately that it's difficult for me to rationalize wasting that kind of money up front. And I usually drive/use vehicles until they're no longer driveable so don't get much out of resale either.
 
I've got 3 bikes in my garage, a 2014 Honda CB 1100 dlx with 79,000 miles, a 21 Honda NC 750X DCT with 71,000 (both bought new) and a 23 Honda NC 750 DCT I just bought used with 1290 miles on it. I'll be 76 in a couple weeks and slowing down. Would like to sell the 2 high mileage bikes and get down to just the one, but nobody wants them unless I just about give them away. Selling moyorcycles with over 20,000 miles on them is difficult imo.
 
I have two 2005 ST's. 50K and nearly 100K. Both machines have been properly maintained and loved since new. One a daily commuter from new.

With the odometers obscured,.....can't tell the difference. Even the seats....look and feel like the same....errr...semi brick...

Everything works and feels 'tight' That said...new rubber coming up on one of em.

For sure mileage is a factor regarding pricing. For me, though, not a deal breaker. That said...old is old. High is high etc.

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When I shop for a particular bike, I look for the lowest mile example in reasonable, preferable excellent shape that I can find.
I know whether a bike has 9000 miles or 50,000 miles, I'm going to tear it down and go though it, so it may as well have lower miles on the odo.
 
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Mileage always influences price. Should it? Depends on a lot of things:
- how knowledgeable is the potential buyer? Less knowledge the more it will impact price.
- condition?
- maintenance - both obvious (eg brakes,tires) and recorded (eg valves)
- brand - I would buy a high mile Honda. I would shy away from a high mile KTM unless it was very low price and I could go through it.
- how motivated is the seller?
 
jdmccright said:
Mileage ALWAYS affects the sale price. Period...
Click to expand...
Yes and no. ;)

When I came back to riding, I had two Burgman 400s. One had 48K, the other about 39K when I sold them. The buyers didn't care about the miles or maintenance records. All they cared about was the condition of the bikes. I was able to get within a couple hundred of what I purchased them for.

I bought a 2011 NT700V. It had every conceivable option on it. It was in excellent condition and in black, it was breathtaking (IMHO). It had 30K on it. I couldn't move it. I had two people interested in it in about 9 months. One guy in California wanted it...but only if it had less than 5000 miles on it. Five thousand miles?!?!?! It's a sport touring bike, made for crunching miles!!! Did I have a problem moving the bike because of the miles? Or the model of bike? I don't know.

So did mileage affect the price? Or demand for that kind of bike? I'd go for the latter.

Smart buyers realize that a low mileage garage queen is not as good of a buy as one that has lots of miles and has been maintained.

Chris
 
Like others said already; miles/kms play a large part in the price. Mostly just to make it palatable for someone else to even wish to look at it. The market is so flooded with good used motorcycles, why would someone not want something with lower miles/kms (assuming good maintenance on all machines you are looking at). Here in Canada, my Honda dealer sold my traded 2020 Yamaha FJR1300 with 57,000kms for $12,900 with new Pilot R6 tires (one year ago). And it took him months to move it. The bike was pristine. The bike would go for a couple hundred thousand more kms. But there are too many good examples with low kms for a couple of thousand dollars more.
 
for bikes like the ST1100/1300 my only mileage concern would be if it didn't have enough miles on it, which means it has been sitting around unridden for a long time. That's worse than high mileage because it will probably have running issues.

I've rolled the odometer over on sport bikes, so I'm not worried about an engine getting too many miles on it.
 
Time and mileage affect every vehicle. Plastic becomes more brittle and more prone to crack, rubber becomes less pliable and compliant, rubber on the foot pegs is more worn, the windshield will not be as clear, etc.. Precious few people are replacing a radiator just because it is X number of years old. All things being equal a radiator that is 20 years old and has high mileage on it is more likely to fail than a much younger one with fewer miles. The same is true for the water pump, the fuel pump, the ignition coils, the alternator, and with many other parts. Age and mileage affect all machines and increase their potential for failure of some sort, and this affects the value placed on that machine. While time and mileage may be less of a concern on this particular model of vehicle the paradigm for buying and selling vehicles is based on the market at large, not on the sales of ST1300's, and they can't escape a buyers desire to pay the least that they have to and to use the age and mileage in their favour to achieve that.
 
Yes it does for me.

I live in Oregon and in 2020 was searching nationwide for a clean, low mileage, *unmolested* 2008+.

The few local bikes were in the 30-60k mile range and asking premium prices. I found mine current ride in North Carolina with 3,600mi. Stone stock. $7500. Lots of photos and exchanges with the seller later, I had friends arrange shipping and it's been my boon companion since.

For me it's as much the miles as it is the age that influences my opinion of the bike. You can store it indoors, but you must be out in the elements to put 100k+ on the odo. Few riders perform thorough, tupperware-off detailing of their bikes, and that dirt and grime does deteriorate the bike to a measurable extent.

Would that completely dissuade me from buying a high mileage bike? Probably not, but I will pay a premium for a low mileage example, and will be more inclined to keep looking if the miles are high and I'm willing to wait.

There's a sweet blue/gray VFR700F out there somewhere with my name on it, and short of suffering from severe exposure and neglect, I may have to find a way to give it a home. :) Except for that bloody 16" front wheel...

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Andrew Shadow said:
Time and mileage affect every vehicle. Plastic becomes more brittle and more prone to crack, rubber becomes less pliable and compliant, rubber on the foot pegs is more worn, the windshield will not be as clear, etc.. Precious few people are replacing a radiator just because it is X number of years old. All things being equal a radiator that is 20 years old and has high mileage on it is more likely to fail than a much younger one with fewer miles. The same is true for the water pump, the fuel pump, the ignition coils, the alternator, and with many other parts. Age and mileage affect all machines and increase their potential for failure of some sort, and this affects the value placed on that machine. While time and mileage may be less of a concern on this particular model of vehicle the paradigm for buying and selling vehicles is based on the market at large, not on the sales of ST1300's, and they can't escape a buyers desire to pay the least that they have to and to use the age and mileage in their favour to achieve that.
Click to expand...
Hear, hear, Andrew. Your post with a similar sentiment beat me by 2 minutes! :)
 
For many buyers, there's a psychological threshold related to mileage.
Around 100,000 km and more, a motorcycle is considered to be nearing the end of its life, even if it's in very good condition.
Conversely, a motorcycle with less than 50,000 km will be overpriced, even if it has been very poorly maintained. Furthermore, a motorcycle that has sat for a long time without being ridden presents a greater risk of breakdowns.
Personally, this way of thinking allows me to get very good deals on motorcycles with high mileage. My 2005 ST1300, bought for €4,500, is a one-owner bike in excellent cosmetic condition, with a new shock absorber, new tires, virtually no scratches, completely original, and perfectly maintained.
 
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