How much maintenance do motorcycles require?

Question

Im about to spend about 2.5k on a motorcycle. I dont have one picked out yet, but most are under 10,000 miles.

So how much maintenance do they require? And how many miles is too high for a motorcycle. Thanks guys

Answer 1

ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF MOTORCYCLE YOURE IN NEED OF.......

    Oil change every 2-3k miles, new rubber on the back every 4k, maybe less, maybe more, depends on the type of bike, cruiser, sport etc etc....

    Valve adjustment about every 10k miles.

mileage isnt really an issue if the oil has been changed on a regular basis. fact is, if your looking at spending only $2500 on a bike youre getting junk to begin with....its a waste of money as all motorcycles depreciate quickly, if you buy junk youre spending more in repairs to start with than the bike will ever be worth. harleys tend to hold on to their price a bit longer, but that too will fade in time. and you wont get one for $2500.....

Answer 2

Oil changes are easy to do yourself, and easily under $50 even with synthetics.  Fork oil changes are more involved, and may run a couple hundred $$$ at a dealership, but it's almost all labor, so if you know what you're doing that's cheap as well.

What motorcycles eat up fast are tires, and a good pair of sportbike tires will run you $300-$400 and will wear out in about 5000 miles.  For me that's only a year or so, for you it might be longer.

If you can resist chrome and bling and all the other frippery that costs money without improving performance or ride quality, then you should do fine.

What they eat in tires they more than make up for in gas savings!

Answer 3

about 500/yr in maintenence, between new tires, oil changes, tune-ups, and adjustments...

Answer 4

Not a lot, and most is pretty simple.  Get a manual for the bike and follow the routine maintenance schedule and you'll be fine.  Most of it is fluid changes and wear checks.

A well maintained bike can get you 50-100K miles if ridden correctly, so don't worry too much about 10k.  The problem with motorcycles is some people have a habit of neglecting them if they start to lose interest in riding.  Ask a lot of questions about maintenance history and how the bike was stored if wasn't ridden for long periods.

Answer 5

Entirely depends on how many times you have layed it on the ground , BUT seriously I've always considered 5 k miles to do a good check check ,

Answer 6

It will be a piece of junk for 2.5k.  That will get you a nice dirt bike though.  All you have to do is change the oil and put gas in it.  Little maintenance.

Answer 7

If you maintain a bike like most people maintain their cars you aren't going to enjoy it for very long. Most bikes utilize highly stressed engines and their drive trains are subjected to harsher loads than most cars. I ride a 40 year old bike that has been reconditioned ( not rebuilt ) and it would have been on the scrapheap decades ago if the previous owner(s) and myself did not maintain it religiously.

Just ask yourself; if the Japanese build such good bikes why don't you see many old ones on the road today. The reason is that the owners drove them into the ground and didn't maintain them.

Classic bikes such as Harley and BMW last longer not because they are better built machines. They just get looked after better by owners who care.

Answer 8

Jo J doesn't know anything. Stick to breeding dwarf rabbits Jo J like since your on your high horse.