I have recently seen quite a few decent prices on used bikes in my area. Several have higher mileage (20K-40K). I typically ride about 5K a year. Realistically, what is the life span of a newer bike, say model year 2000 and up? Could I expect to get several years of reliable service from a bike with 40K miles? Barring any major service issues of course.
Joe

 

JoeJoe,
I wished this were an easy answer, but unfortunately it is not. Let me try to explain a few things here. If you know who was riding the bike the whole time and know they did not obuse it, keep the maintenance up, ect. then the ride should be good, but at 40k you are getting close to some major maintenance issues, which can be expensive. There is also the issue of how good of a deal is it? A deal to one man is robbery to another.
So to give you a final answer, there really is not one easy one to give. I would personally prefer to look for something close to 20k or less. I bought used, well it was 6 mnths used, by my buddies wife, with 1200 miles on it, and for 3500 less what she paid. Good luck!

 

come on, I know there are a few more opinions out there.
joe

 

If your looking at a late model big twin for under 10k (there's pleanty out there) 20-30k on the clock would not bother me. If your riding 5-6K a year, it's not like your expecting a whole lot. Ask for receipts, ask if it was dealer serviced,check with that dealer, & giver her the once over... Take it to a local Indy for an opinion, can't hurt.

Dave......

 

Bought an 06 dyna with 2K miles on it for 9.5K around 8 months ago. So there are alot of low milage bikes out there for a good price. You should be able to find what you are looking for >@10K with low miles. Remember folks are losing there homes so they are having to sell there toys. I bet you could find an 06-07 for 10K just about anywhere. Granted I havent looked but 40-50K miles on a Harley isnt like a bad thing for the right price, meaning $5-$6K. Things are tough financially so I would think the bike market would be flooded.

 

You can get a 2006-2008 Harley big twin with under 10k miles for around $8,500-$10,000. There are hordes of people who are dumping their bikes. I wouldn't buy a bike with 20,000 - 40,000 miles unless I was a super mechanic and the price was around $3,500. If the bike is a classic and has a rebuilt engine and trans, then the story is different. But to get an 8 year old motorcycle with 40,000 miles on it, it will need much maintenance and very soon. Be a smart shopper. Check out Craigslist, eBay, multiple Harley dealers, etc. There are excellent deals out there.

 

I use to have an '02 carburerated Sporty 883, I put over 36,000 miles on it, did all the services myself and it still rode like brand new after 7 years. Look at WHO the rider was before buying.

 

I would not buy a used bike off any person I don't consider obsessively meticulous when it come to their ride. JMHO.

 

I have never bought a new bike and rarely had a problem(never with a Harley). Like other have said now is a good time to find a good deal. I would rather find a bike with msot of the mods I want(or think I want) and pay $1000 or $2000 more so it is already set up. Around my neck of the woods it is quite dificult to find much for less than $10K that is less than 4 or more years old. Be patient and try to find a meticulkous owner as there are many. Lower mileage is better obviously. My bike has 10K miles on it when I got and ahve not had a problem in 3 years. I ride about 10K miles a year. Check Craigslist, HDtrader, Cycletrader, Ebay, local papers, Recycler, etc. Nothing wrong with a used bike. Also try to find someone with ALL the maintenance records so you know what has been done and how it has been maintained.

 

Did a quick search in my area...
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/mcy/962110474.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/mcy/959152716.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/mcy/957627288.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/mcy/955700079.html

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/mcy/954706025.html