bikes in my area

I'm thinking about a bike for after I sell my car on Wednesday. The ninja 500r is what I was leaning toward, but after looking around in the area I can only seem to find 600cc bikes like the katana's and cbr's. I found a katana for 2900, but it's a 1997 with 16,680 miles. Is that a lot of miles for a bike like that? How long do sportbikes tend to last with good upkeeping? The 600cc models have a lot more power than the 500cc's so thats why I've been a little wary about them. Also from reading the posts here it seems that everyone is split down the middle on starting on a 600cc bike. I know you guys answer a lot of questions close to these ones, but thanks for the help.

these r great questions, ive also wondered about miles on a bike, n how many they can handle b4 its theres jus too many miles to get...also, wut kinda gas mileage do the average 600cc bikes get....

I think 40's to 50's depending on driving style.

With good up keep, valvle adjustment, oil change, tune up and mild riding a bike can last as long as a car respectivily. Bikes dont get as much road time here as cars, but over seas they are a main form of transportation thus higher miles.
The difference between 500 and 600cc is neglicable IMHO. As long as you are careful and respectful of your bike and its power then you should be fine. If this is your first bike then EVERY bike is going to feel too powerful. Just take it slow and know the limits of your riding abilty.

you guys are right. My super "ragged out" ninja 250 has over 20k miles on it, we always ride it hard but the engine still doing good and pulling strong(for 4 stroke 250cc level). All we did is regular maintence that manufacter recommended.

I found a katana for 2900, but it's a 1997 with 16,680 miles. Is that a lot of miles for a bike like that?

No that is not a lot of miles but like some others said it depends on what kind of miles those are. If the bike has been abused and riden hard then those would be considered high miles. But if they guy just used to get to work or something like that then shit that bike should be running very strong. It all depends and thats a risk you take when buying used.

I would recomend a BMW k75 (750 cc), Not a rocket, low maintance. good handling, etc.
I have an 85 K100rs (1000cc) It is a great bike. 90,000 + miles, I would hop in it and take it to alsaka without any heastation. It is a very comfortable on long rides, (with a tank bag to lay on).
As far as how many miles is alot. I have a friend with a k100 with over 200,000 miles.

Chuck

About the mileage I get between 200-270 miles on 3.5gals so that would be between 57-77mpg. It's really dependant on how you ride em.

Blue02, Umm defintely not on an R6. R6 does NOT get that kind of mileage.

Mine did, It doesn't now but it did. Like I said It's all in how you ride, most of the time I ride at about 40mph in 6th gear so with stock gearing thats about 3500 rpm. Even an R6 wont use much fuel at those revs.

That's VERY conservative... My 1991 GS500 only got about 55-60 mpg on average (city and hw) and my 1994 Seca II (600cc) only gets like 50-55 mpg (city/hw).

Yeah 50 something miles per gallon is believeable on an R6 but NOT 70s. IMPOSSIBLE!

Perhaps my od is off a bit but I have seen about 250 miles on a tank before, and since I've never put more than 3.75 gal into the tank. My gas mileage is 66.67mpg TOPS! My question for you all is "Do you regularly ride at low speeds in top gear with an R6?"

On a second note gearing would have every thing to do with this mileage question. Say if you gear the bike up you'd get better mileage (to a point) conversely if you gear the bike down you'd expect to get worse mileage. To say it is impossible to get 70+ mpg on an R6 is not a good thing to say. I've come close and believe it is completely possible, knowing how close I've come.

Yeah dude no offense but I think you ride your bike like a Nancy. If your in top gear at slow speeds all the time yes you will get the BEST MILEAGE that you can but I mean do you even use your bike? Sure you can do that but im being more realistic in which sometimes the bike is being used and sometimes it isnt. Im just averaging it out and being realistic. Again dude not trying to offend you or anything but I got my bike to RIDE IT not cruise on it.