How mileage affects motorcycle value (and what counts as high)

Riders overweight mileage. Buyers do too, which is why it matters — but the number only means something next to the bike's age and category.

What is typical

• Touring and sport-touring: 4,000–5,000 miles a year.
• Adventure: about 4,500.
• Cruisers, nakeds and modern classics: about 3,000.
• Sportbikes: about 2,500. Many do far less.
• Dual-sports and scooters: about 2,000.
• Dirt bikes: hours, not miles; the odometer is meaningless.

So a ten-year-old Street Glide with 45,000 miles is exactly average. A ten-year-old GSX-R750 with 45,000 miles has been ridden nearly twice as much as its peers.

How far off typical starts to matter

• Under 50% of typical: a premium of 5–8%. Buyers pay for a bike that has sat in a heated garage.
• 50–80% of typical: a small premium, 2–3%.
• 80–125%: no adjustment. This is the middle of the market.
• 125–180%: 5–8% off.
• 180–250%: 12–15% off.
• Over 250%: 20–25% off, and a smaller pool of buyers.

The exceptions

Very low mileage on an old bike is not always good news. A twelve-year-old bike with 1,800 miles has almost certainly sat for years: expect dry seals, a varnished fuel system and tires that are original and dangerous. Buyers know this, and the premium shrinks. Conversely, high mileage on a touring bike with a complete service record barely hurts — those bikes are built for it and the buyers are the type who keep records.

What to do about it

Nothing, mostly. Mileage is what it is. But if your bike is at the high end for its age, the service history is what sells it: recent tires, a valve check, a fluid change with receipts. Those three things recover most of the mileage discount.