170 miles per year, that's an average but I doubt that is how the bike racked up the miles. It is way more likely that it was ridden 1000 miles the year it got out of the dealership, 700 miles the next year and then it was stored and forgotten...

Properly mantained? What manteinance? At this point it will need new tires, brake lines, probably the coolant hoses might be on their way out, etc. But any other R1 of the same vintage will need the same stuff, so...

I think it might make for a good deal, it is likely that it was less abused than other bikes of the same age. Notice that I said "likely", you should still check it out like any other bike, don't assume anything, for all we know the guy that bought it could have killed himself riding it and the bike was rebuilt.

 

This kind of stuff happens all the time. People always think it would be SO COOL to own a bike. They get one, tool around town for a few months, winter comes and it gets put away and forgotten. Life happens. Girlfriends/wives happen. Interests change. The list of reasons that some people don't ride is near endless.

It's not just sportbikes. I have a guy I work with who bought a used police Harley from a car dealership on a whim this past spring/summer sometime. Rode it around the block a few times. The bike has still never left his neighborhood. First he had to have it lowered so his feet would touch better, then the seat wasn't right, then he was having trouble with some knee pain. Before he knew it the snow was flying and he didn't even put two miles on it this year.

 

The other thing I would consider with a low mileage used bike is how it was stored. Inside a garage on stands, change fluids and go. Not on stands, probably change fluids and tires.

Outside, forgetaboutit.

You should easily be able to tell the difference in person.

 

My bike only has about 10,000 miles, and its and '03. I just don't ride like I used to, and I certainly am not taking it on any big trips. Got it with 1500 miles, the guy was scared of it. I would be too if I had any sense.

If the bike is used regularly I wouldn't worry about it at all. But if it sat for a long time I'd worry about engine corrosion. Rubber will rot after awhile too.

 

It has 1700 miles. There's literally no way it could be "used regularly"


Walk on by this one unless you have copious free time to spend replacing anything rubber.

 

I would not dismiss it solely on its lack of miles or being ridden. However I would be very skeptical of whether or not that is actual mileage and inspect everything even more closely than a bike with more "normal" miles for its age.

Those could be gauges off another R1 that was totaled early etc, look it over very closely but the "low" mileage really does not add any value IMO, so if you like it and it looks good, negotiate down to what other 05 R1 are actually selling for.

 

Lots of possibilities for why its so low miles. It could have been a stunt bike but that would likely be obvious, it could have been a drag bike but there are things to look for on that as well, could have been the owner got scared or many many other things. Find out as much as you can and inspect the hell out of it.

 

I think I'm gonna pass on this bike. There's another 2006 R1 about 5 hours away from me and the guy said he'd take my 2002 F4i plus $2800 for it. It's got 14,000 miles and no visible damage. I think more mileage and no damage might be indicative of someone who took care of it and actually used it.

You guys think that's a good deal? My F4i is right at 30,000 miles.
here's a link:

2006 YAMAHA R1 YZF R-1

 

You must inspect ANY bike, never trust the buyer. For example, on the 1700 mile bike I'd look for:

- OEM tires and check the date, I've seen "low mile" bikes with tires older than the bike.
- Wear on the levers.
- Wear on the brake rotors.

You can replace the gauges, but there are many areas that will give away a bike's true mileage.

One more possibility is that the bike could have been a race bike. Guy buys the bike, puts on race fairings and stores all the tuperware in a box. Once he is not racing anymore then the bike gets back it's new, unused, street tupperware. Race bikes don't rack up many miles.



That bike has been wrecked BAD. 2006 blue and yellow (aniversary edition) R1 had golden forks, the raven and red had black forks. That bike has either been crashed hard enough to repaint it and/or crashed hard enough to need new forks.

Walk away from that mess.

- "Chazzo" levers.
- Chinese windscreen, usually free with a set of Chinese fairings.
- Too much orange peel on the paint.
- Poor fitting fairings, easily seen on the RAM air cover.
- Yamaha in the tail seems to be painted over.
- Forks do not match the color and year.

Usually bikes look better in pictures than IRL, if I can spot so many wrong things about it with simple, low quality pictures, I'm not going to waste time looking at it.

 

If I got that one I'd either get it painted or buy chinese fairings. I really really like the white on white R1.

 

Check for wear over 1700 miles. Too often, bikes are repaired from crashes and the speedo is replaced with a low mileage speedo. Check the miles on the title too.

 

Around here that would be nothing out of the ordinary. I think Craigslist considers anything over 15k high mileage and stuff under 5k low mileage.

 

In 1982 I bought a new in the box 1979 CB650. 3 years of sitting. The fork seals went out

In 2012 I bought a used Buell 1125R with 129 miles on it. 3 years of sitting. The fork seals went out. An engine gasket went out


YMMV, but I do think they have issues when they sit

 

I too purchased a brand new 79 CB650C in 1982, and I had it for 3 years and 50,000 miles without a single issue.

 

I doubt anything on it is dry rotted except the tires.

I have an 03 and it needs nothing. every hose is stock.

 

that white R1 looks good to me and a decent price too. Personally I dont care about chinese fairings and windscreens....it's superficial stuff. The chain looks like it's been taken care of....that's a good sign.

 

How much wear could you put on a chain in 1700 miles of sunny slow days? I would much prefer a bike of that year to have 10k miles

 

Why?

Chain is just $150, SS brake lines are always a good upgrade, oil has to be changed either way.

- Brake lines and brake fluid
- Chain (depending on how it was stored it might be good)
- Oil
- Coolant

Then just ride the hell out of it.

I got this bike in '11, its a MY03 XJR1300 that the guy bought new in '05, he rode it a couple times around the block and decided it was too big for him. He parked it in his garage for the next 6 years. I bought it non-running, but I checked the following:

- Bike that the OEM Macadam 90X with the correct build date for a 03 bike.
- The OEM tires had no wear at all.
- Brake rotors still had machining marks.
- Grips and levers looked new.
- No wear on footpegs.
- No wear on the tank paint.

Here it is:

The bike now has 11K miles. I rode that bike from Mexico City to San Antonio on the OEM tires and wore them out on weekend rides. Chain is the original, and also the brake lines, although I did flush the fluid.

All it took to start her up after 6 years of slumber was:

- Drain the tank, add fresh fuel.
- New battery.

Then crank and crank, one cilinder started catching up and after a whle, lots of cranking and lots of smoke, it was firing on all four cylinders. Once it was firin on all four cylinders changed the oil.

I rarely ride it anymore, XJR1300s are as rare as hen teeth around here, she just goes on weekend rides every now and then. It is my unicorn


A very important part of this is "how the bike was stored" My XJR1300 was stored indoors, in a garage, with a cover for years. It wasn't subject to moisture, chemicals or weather... In fact, being in Mexico City, the temperature changes are pretty mild. If that XJR 1300 had been parked under a tree and left to rot... It was also stored with a good oiled chain, still with the factory grease on it, tires weren't scuffed in, etc.

For example, if the 1700 mile R1 was finally stored after the guy went for a ride, got rained on and hated it... Well, probably the chain will have sat for years without oil.

I once got an ER-5 that had like 6,000 miles and it was almost 10 years old. The bike had been seized by a government agency similar to the IRS and years later, after trial, it went on auction. That bike had rotted tires, the brake line had visible rot, the shocks puked all their oil out and the chain had almost seized. The chain was so bad that if adjusted at the tightest spot, the lose part of the chain would drag on the centerstand!

Key here is, do not assume anything. You can't assume that because it has low miles it will be mint, or the opposite, that it will need a ton of maintenance. Inspect the hell out of it before buying it. I do rather have a low mileage bike that was properly stored, and they do exist, my XJR1300 is a prime example.

To avoid problems with the fork seals, just smear a big of petroleum jelly on them. Fork seals always allow a bit of oil to get past, they do need lubrication. When a bike is sitting dust will collect over the oil seal and there will be little to no lubrication. Usually a fork from a bike that has been sitting works just fine after disassembly and cleaning.

 

Nothing wrong with buying low mileage used bikes. That's the way I've done it most of the times. My two recent low mileage purchases?
2008 V Rod 5K miles; 833 avg miles per year. I now have 12K miles on it.
2012 GSXR 750 350 miles; I now have 2K miles on it

I don't fall into the buying a 15K mile bike. While you are right that is not much on a bike; why buy something with so many miles when there are so many to pick from with much less miles? Think of resale time. How easy will it be to sell when you put another 10-15K miles?

 

I usually dont care about resale value. I dont usually sell my bikes and just run them till they die instead. I did however sell my 08 ZX14 but I sold it to the dealership with over 60k miles on it in 2012 when I purchased the BMW. The BMW I am sure will be in my posession till the end of its life or mine. However a very low miles bike does not scare me .... just check it out.

 

I just bought a bike with almost 38k miles on it without hesitation. Who cares about resale time if that low mileage bike has more basketcase issues from sitting than the high mileage, well-cared for bike? I care about the time I own it, not the time I'm selling it years later.

 

Here it is, with the full accompaniment of Vetter fairing, bags, trunk, cassette stereo and CB radio

 

Alright, here it is---it did not attach to previous post.

 

Well I did (do) like my wheelies.

Here's my '79. I changed the bars to lower ones immediately. The shop had put higher bars and the sissybar to make it more appealing to the masses

 

I see more of an issue about a guy wanting to get rid of his newer R1 but willingness to trade for an older smaller bike?

I don't get to ride much but if I get a chance to run somewhere I need to go on the bike I do. So my bike goes out from time to time but not for long. hence not many miles but also not sitting forever.