why are so many bikes 'returned' with such low miles

[nickjpass]

they generally are posted when they're still nearly brand new...and have nearly no miles. many arent even broken in. why does this happen

actual examples in my area:

a secksy 09 klx250sf up for sale for $2999 with 524 miles...



a much more secksier 13 sfv 650/gladius (a bike i love to look at - wish i could ride one) up for $6695.95 with 312 miles


she's beautiful i know

and finally a secksy 250 with only 300 miles up for $2999...and she was owned by a female, which somehow makes a difference. guess some guys just want to sit where a girl sat

[Brian]

The most common "excuse" I see is that the owner is too busy / doesn't want to put in the time and money to enjoy their ride, thus explains the low miles. Or they are in a bad situation and need to sell things fast for a payment of some sort.

Still don't understand how a human being can put so much money into a machine with out knowing what they're getting themselves into.

[dcj13]

People buy bikes because they think they want to ride. They take a class and get an endorsement (or not), buy the gear, buy the brand spanking new bike. Or the girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband gets the bike because they think they want to or get talked into riding with the significant other. Or mom/dad gets the bike for the teenage/early adult daughter/son.

They go for a ride or two. Then life gets in the way: they have to go to work, travel, go on vacation, get sick, finish schooling, get a girlfriend/boyfriend, whatever. Or they get scared. Or just don't enjoy riding. A riding season goes by. Then another. Sometimes 8 or 10 or more years go by.

Then one of us gets to buy the bike.

[DEFY]

My bike was previously owned by a female, just means the likely hood of it being bet to shiz and ridden hard is less likely.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by Brian

...Still don't understand how a human being can put so much money into a machine with out knowing what they're getting themselves into.

Amen to that!

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by dcj13

They go for a ride or two. Then life gets in the way: they have to go to work, travel, go on vacation, get sick, finish schooling, get a girlfriend/boyfriend, whatever. Or they get scared. Or just don't enjoy riding. A riding season goes by. Then another. Sometimes 8 or 10 or more years go by.
.

I hate it when my life gets in the way of riding... A reason I don't have a girlfriend is because I'd rather spend the money on a bike (obviously not the main reason lol)

Originally Posted by DEFY

My bike was previously owned by a female, just means the likely hood of it being bet to shiz and ridden hard is less likely.

Not sure I entirely believe that. Some girls will drive just as hard or harder than other guys. I think it depends entirely on who they are, not their sex. I'm sure their testosterone and hormone levels can influence it, and the statistics probably prove me wrong, but I disagree. PLUS, girls are usually less strong, so it's possible that they'd drop the bike more easily...

maybe...

[Brian]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

Not sure I entirely believe that. Some girls will drive just as hard or harder than other guys. I think it depends entirely on who they are, not their sex. I'm sure their testosterone and hormone levels can influence it, and the statistics probably prove me wrong, but I disagree. PLUS, girls are usually less strong, so it's possible that they'd drop the bike more easily...

maybe...

Well yeah statistics, shmatistics. Usually though, because there are more guys than girls who own motorcycles when you find a girl who had a bike that she's selling with low miles it means maybe she had a boyfriend that got her into it and they broke up or something and now she wants to get rid of it. Again, being stereotypical but it doesn't mean it can't be true, lol.

[nickjpass]

I need a girlfriend to buy me a bike... LOL

[azn370z]

I think the biggest reason is because people are scared to ride. I think people use the excuse I'm too busy or I need money. Not many people will admit riding is difficult and scary, the first few months anyways.

[Yarhj]

It's time for everybody's favorite thing! GRAPHS!

But first, some context.

A while ago a blogger I follow, Geezer With a Grudge, decided to try to quantify the low-mileage effect. His idea was simple: find bikes on craigslist that list both the year of manufacture and the total mileage, and calculate the average mileage per year, and see what the life of the average motorcycle looks like. I put together a google doc to keep track of everything, he put a link to it up on his website, and ever since people have been slowly adding data to it in dribs and drabs.

Now obviously this could be more accurate -- for instance, a bike with 10,000 miles over 11 years could have racked up 9,000 in the first year with the first owner, and 100 years for the next decade, and some motorcycles may end up being double counted due to duplicate craigslist ads or what have you -- but short of attaching a GPS transponder to everyone's motorcycles, it's hard to do better for less work!

Here are some snapshots of what the data look like right now:



This is a cumulative distribution, so the y-axis is the fraction of motorcycles listed on craigslist with a given mileage or less. So, for instance, the median bike (50th percentile) listed on craigslist gets around 1200 miles put on it every year, and 75% of bikes get less than 2100 miles put on them every year.


And here's a histogram, to visualize the data in a different way.



That big spike at the end is for all motorcycles with 5000 miles per year or more. It looks like a lot, until you realize that the number of motorcycles for sale on craigslist with 5000+ miles per year is the same as the number of motorcycles which get 200 or fewer miles per year put on them.

If the images aren't working, you can find a link to the google doc here.

[Klondike1020]

Those adds are often fake .

Bike 300 miles on it 2900$ seems fake to me

[Klondike1020]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

Those adds are often fake .

Bike 300 miles on it 2900$ seems fake to me

Haha nvm . I didn't see the 2013 was 6k+

Lots of people buy motorcycles and realize its not their thing .

That's how I got y Gsxr for next to nothing lol

[Sirref]

I'd get that klx if I were you
dual sports are the **** and make great commuters if you don't have a highway commute.

for supersports it's usually that the person bought in way over their head and got scared of the power
for pretty much anything else the most common reason is that life got in the way or they just don't like riding as much as they thought they would

[NevadaWolf]

Another reason is "ok, got a little bike, learned how to ride in a month, now have to upgrade cause I know everything."

They ditch the baby bike for something "big" and real riders profit. LOL

[mania]

Don't know about the rest of the world but what I see a lot of here
in Asia is easy financing then hard to make payments.

It is amazing how many folks seem to buy a bike on payments here
then make 1 payment before deciding it is too hard financially
Really amazing they did not see it coming.

Other than that like others said buyers remorse
The idea of riding sounded good...The reality was different

[Aufitt]

Never finance a toy.

If you are not prepared to throw it in the dumpster if things go pearshaped, ya cant afford it.

[c-dog]

Those are some great prices! That KLX is a really good deal. It would be hard to pass up for how much money you'd be saving vs new.

I never see that great of stuff in my area used. It's always super overpriced so much that haggling seems like a waste of time.

[nickjpass]

All of these are from stealerships...

[ally99]

Originally Posted by DEFY

My bike was previously owned by a female, just means the likely hood of it being bet to shiz and ridden hard is less likely.

Maybe, but not necessarily if it was owned by someone like me.

[nickjpass]

Originally Posted by ally99

Maybe, but not necessarily if it was owned by someone like me.

See...she rides on the track...it can take a toll...

[DEFY]

Originally Posted by ally99

Maybe, but not necessarily if it was owned by someone like me.

Hence the reason I used likely hood, I know some women can give the guys a run for their money if not out right beat them in cases.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

they generally are posted when they're still nearly brand new...and have nearly no miles. many arent even broken in. why does this happen

The kitchen commander puts her foot down...

The other way it goes is someone who wants ridiculous money for a POS bike. may even say in ad wife want's this sold (i.e. this is not actually for sale)

[nickjpass]

I hate looking at stuff that is priced WAY too high...makes me angry lol

[ez12a]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

PLUS, girls are usually less strong, so it's possible that they'd drop the bike more easily...

maybe...

i don't mean to generalize all girls, but i have come across listings where a female owner dropped the bike shortly after buying it (or bf buying it) and then sold it.

My bike in particular was dropped on both sides from a stand still, previous previous owner was female. The guy i bought it from only rode 700 miles before storing it.

[LNasty]

Originally Posted by Aufitt

Never finance a toy.

If you are not prepared to throw it in the dumpster if things go pearshaped, ya cant afford it.

I financed mine, but mine is also not just a toy. It's how I get to work and back everyday. I log 10,000-12,000 miles a year on my baby

[Ytse Frobozz]

I got my bike with 100 miles on it. I guess it falls into the 'scared rider' category. Bought it from a girl who had been in an accident on her previous bike, then got this one, decided she wasn't ready to ride again and didn't want to make payments. I got an essentially brand-new '09 for $3500 so I was happy to help!

[Bill N]

Originally Posted by Ytse Frobozz

I got my bike with 100 miles on it. I guess it falls into the 'scared rider' category. Bought it from a girl who had been in an accident on her previous bike, then got this one, decided she wasn't ready to ride again and didn't want to make payments. I got an essentially brand-new '09 for $3500 so I was happy to help!

I don't know why owners sell with low miles but I do know I will always look for a low mile bike anytime I'm shopping for a new ride. In 2010 I bought a FJR with only 4800 miles on it looking like new. Paid $8500 and it came with extended warranty untill 2013. Saved almost $8000 compared to buying a new 2010. Likely I'll never buy a new bike again.
Bill

[nickjpass]

Damn @Bill N

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by Bill N

I don't know why owners sell with low miles but I do know I will always look for a low mile bike anytime I'm shopping for a new ride. In 2010 I bought a FJR with only 4800 miles on it looking like new. Paid $8500 and it came with extended warranty untill 2013. Saved almost $8000 compared to buying a new 2010. Likely I'll never buy a new bike again.

I agree, although the old saying goes:

"Get your bikes new, your cars used, and your women experienced."

[RedPepper64]

Originally Posted by dcj13

I agree, although the old saying goes:

"Get your bikes new, your cars used, and your women experienced."