tmysl Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Hey, everyone! I know there have been other conversations on the life expectancy of these bikes, but I was looking for some input on a specific scenario. I am a 24 year old new rider looking for my first bike. It's been a dream of mine since I was very young, and I've finally reached the tipping point on my wife's anti-motorcycle campaign. My plan was to sell my old truck (1998 Ford Ranger, 155k miles) to work towards my first bike, and I now have a potential offer for a trade to happen instead. I'm potentially being offered a 2015 Yamaha FZ-07 with 39k miles in exchange for my truck. I have another daily driver (2013 Volkswagen CC) that I use to drive my daughter to school and take the brunt of the commuting, so I don't need the truck and the bike wouldn't be the daily driver. But, let's be real, I'd still be riding itĀ a ton. I also love doing maintenance on my cars myself, and I'm super excited about learning the ins and outs of motorcycle maintenance as well. Is this a good idea? Horrible trade? Is it likely to last me a while, or should I leave it alone with the mileage? Let me know what you guys think. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raayoni Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 3 hours ago, tmysl said: Is this a good idea? Horrible trade? Is it likely to last me a while, or should I leave it alone with the mileage? Let me know what you guys think. Thanks! I just saw that @GEVOĀ is up to 85,000 miles on his FZ, after purchasing it at 79,000 miles. You can read his thread about some of the maintenance/mods he's done to keep it going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator sorkyah Posted July 19, 2019 Global Moderator Share Posted July 19, 2019 39k isn't that much There are several bikes out there upwards of 70kĀ @zombiphoneĀ put over 60k in roughly one year on hers doing a cross country then international trip through South America Ā I'm sitting about 30k on mine right now and the only thing I haven't done is the valves.Ā Ā If you wanna teach your daughter to be a passengerĀ Wouldn't be a bad bike to start on eitherĀ Compared to some other sportbikes the fz has a rather large pillion ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by. Ā Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbo10 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 For me, the mileage is not so important. The question should be: how has it been treated/maintainedĀ so far?Ā Ā Just do it!Ā Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbatrossCafe Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 2015 with 30k. Checked the valves at 25k and they needed no adjustment. I have done oil changes every 3-4k. Did coolant and brake fluid at 25k. Spark plugs every 8k but TBH could probably do every 10 as every time I change them they are clean. It's all super easy without fairings. Not that high-strung of an engine, and most of the time you ride in low-mid RPMs where the torque is. I want to keep mine till 100k Dual headlights or deathhttp://fz07.org/thread/5384/albatrosscafes-galleryhttp://fz07.org/thread/5174/dual-headlight-upgrade-completed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleverriver Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 while the engine can certainly go high mileage, I would err on the side of caution and try to get something a little fresher. Other wear items you should consider would be things like sprockets (front/rear), chain, chain guide, gaskets, etc should all be looked at as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossrider Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 If you want to become familiar with the machine and look forward to putzing with it then I would have no qualms about a medium mileage machine. The regular maintenance items like brakes, tires, oil, chain and sprockets are easy to deal with and relatively cheap to purchase. I would try to figure anything it may need along those lines into the deal however.Ā A first bike is an opertune place to learn some basic skills both on and to the bike and a low cost FZ a perfect starting point. You're talking about a $3000ish dollar deal give or take, that leaves plenty of room for some parts and education.Ā Good luck either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.