So I've been searching for a bike, ive found one but the guy selling it says that the odometer has been bleached out and he believes that the mileage is around 20,000. Is this a common problem with bikes? or should i just forget this bike for being too suspicious?

 

Don't bother, just keep looking. There's plenty of decent priced bikes out there.

 

No, it's not,, It's a Red Warning Flag(!)

 

It should tell you that the bike was left sitting outside for long periods of time. And bikes that sit outside for long periods of time are usually not taken care of very well. Keep shopping.

 

I would keep looking.

 

around 20k could end up really being 80k...

 

Get the VIN numbers off the bike and have your local dealership run them.

 

Hello and welcome.
You have provided minimal information.
Someone says? bleached out? believes ? Common problem?
Almost no description of year, model or bike.
For example,if you are describing a harley motorcycle from 1997 or 1998 with a tank mounted speedometer.
Maybe a heritage or Road King with the gas tank mounted speedometer and LCD odometer, then it might be easier to understand.
Those years had an LCD odometer window that tended to leak the black fluid from LCD numbers.
LCD liquid crystal display...not LED.
The odometer would look like black ink was leaking on the grey screen and it made reading the numbers very difficult to impossible on some bikes.
The mileage was store in the speedometer so a replacement required a dealer call to order a speedometer with miles corrected.
It mostly affected the last three digits in the odometer screen.
Those speedometers are not plug and play and have about 12 wires behind them.
A plastic window fading (getting white) on some other models might be observed but it would likely be an example of a poorly stored bike or maybe even a flood bike.
Not given much information to provide a more valuable response.
Everything has a value.
I have seen very poor looking bikes with a clean title and unbelievable low miles showing.
Also seen garage queen looking bikes with high mileage odometers...speedometer was probably replaced with a used unit..words do not mean much anyways.
Sometimes a bike has been in an accident and been rebuilt with left over pieces.
Other times a bike was ridden 20,000 miles in 2 years but then placed out doors in the back yard for another 10 years with no one ridding.