Sounds like a pretty good price if it looks taken care of and the obvious bits like chain, sprocket, and tires look decent. Compared to what I've seen, it definitely has more miles per year than usual, though not super uncommon.

Like you, however, I don't know how good the age is vs the mileage.

 

Yeah the price makes it very inticing. And the bike is clean. Just the mileage thing that is keeping me from pulling the trigger.

 

The engine in the DL650 is typically completely worn out in the 110K-130K mile range.
From strictly a reliability point of view, the question to you is, how much mileage do you expect to put on the bike? If you're a "normal" or "average" rider, that's going to be less than 5k/year. If that's you, then that bike will be fine. On the other hand, if you have visions of being an everyday commuter, or of taking frequent long trips, then I'd look for a bike with less miles.

Financially though, IMO it's best to look for a bike about that age, but with far fewer miles. Most bike get ridden only 2-3k miles a year, so they are not hard to find. I've bought dozens of used bikes over the years, I think the max mileage on any of them was 17k.

 

The engine in the DL650 is typically completely worn out in the 110K-130K mile range.

I think the top-end is worn and burning oil by that point but I don't think the whole engine is worn out. I know an SV racer that says he rebuilds the top-end all the time in his race bikes but gets double that mileage on the bottom-ends (but not the clutch). Some riders have done a top-end refresh (rings, valve seals and seats, etc.) or lower mileage head swap and kept riding. Apparently the Suzuki SCEM cylinder coating is pretty tough and new rings is all that is needed unlike some bikes that would need a bore and new pistons, etc.

Financially though, IMO it's best to look for a bike about that age, but with far fewer miles. Most bike get ridden only 2-3k miles a year, so they are not hard to find. I've bought dozens of used bikes over the years, I think the max mileage on any of them was 17k.

Agree. Tons of bikes with super low miles if you can wait (but that varies by region).

That said, the bike the OP is looking at is a good deal despite the mileage because it sounds like the owner really took care of it. My first 'Strom was K7 Wee with 80K miles because bikes with ABS were hard to find and I got tired of waiting. It was a bit trashed but I fixed it up and rode it for a few years then last April, when I wasn't even looking for a bike, someone posted a L4 Wee in Red with 3700 miles for $5K and I couldn't pass it up. So I got a bridge loan, bought the new bike for $5K and then sold my old bike for $3K. So the point being, 'Strom prices tend to bottom out at around $3K regardless of the miles (with in reason and as long as it isn't blowing blue smoke) so OP could buy this and ride it for a few years and even if he put 10K on it he can probably sell it for what he paid.

I remember reading that around 100K miles, the cam chains and cam chain tensioners could be a cause for concern on the Wee or at least they should be carefully checked at that mileage. Otherwise, one can expect far more than 250K miles from these motors, depending on how they where maintained and treated.

I don't think this is a general problem with the DL motor but I have heard of this happening a few times. My guess is a plugged oil jet starved the top-end of oil causing the premature failure. I have no idea what the lifetime of the chain and tensioner is but I would guess at least 200K. Most motors need a top-end refresh by 120K miles or so any way. I also know that my K7 Wee needed a new throttle body at 80K miles since the shafts were worn and leaking but I don't know how common that is. Also, there are suspension, steering head, sprocket carrier bearings that all would need replacement around 100K miles, sooner if used to cross streams or used in the Winter on salted roads.

 

Thanks for your input. I won't be an every day commuter. Probably would be average about 30 to 40 miles a week. So if the engine fully wears out at the mileage you mentioned this bike is about the half way point.

 

110-130K miles. Golly My bike is nearly done in but I'm willing to bet there are a lot with far more miles before sudden death.

 

I remember reading that around 100K miles, the cam chains and cam chain tensioners could be a cause for concern on the Wee or at least they should be carefully checked at that mileage. Otherwise, one can expect far more than 250K miles from these motors, depending on how they where maintained and treated.

 

I don't believe there has EVER been a 650 reported with more than 200,000 miles........

 

As mentioned, if you're planning on a only a few thousand miles a year the mileage is fine. Is the price firm? Any accessories? I have 73K miles on my '09 and have just done basic maintenance, which includes a few valve checks/adjustments. I predict I'll soon be be replacing things like rubber hoses, wheel bearings, and other items due to age or wear, these could be bargaining points for you. The bikes are very reliable, I've had no real issues. I was originally planning on keeping mine to 100K miles, but after 10 years with it, I'll most likely push it to 125K+ miles.

Also as mentioned, there's lots of low mileage bikes for maybe not much more $, but sometimes a bike develops more problems from sitting than being ridden. For some reason my gut says $2500 is the right price.

 

I'm not sure if it's negotiable bit 2500 is what I was also thinking. Thanks for your insight. I appreciate it.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

 

The service tech at a local shop has 280,000 KM on his 650 Vstrom.

 

Interesting points raised. There is a difference in type of mileage racked up and how the motor has been treated, when it comes to engine life. Take for example, when riding in town / country roads only, vs mostly riding long distance, hence my wording "one can expect far more than 250K miles". The average rider would most likely want to upgrade, long before hitting the 150K mark anyway.
Modern oils / technology helps prolong the life of the engine, if the rider does his part. No cowboying when riding, or flogging the motor to death, regular services plus fixing things as / when they go wrong, play a huge role in how long a machine will last. Agreed, there are other components that may not last as long, but is this not covered under the maintenance?
Hell, if a DL1000 can get 400K, then why can't a DL650 be expected to get 250K? And before you say the one works harder than the other, I believe it comes back to exactly how the motor was looked after.
https://www.stromtrooper.com/dl1000-2002-2012/347681-424-303-mile-last-k3-dl1000-writeup.html

 

Pina,
What region are you located in? Depending on the region that might or might not be a good deal. It really depends on where you are at in the world, and how far you're willing to travel to find a good deal. I just picked up my 2007 DL650 in Ohio (I'm from PA so it was a couple hour drive) and there were several on the market with asking prices in the $2500 - $3500 range between 2005 and 2012 with various mileage and various accessories. Anything in the 2012+ body style and the price really went up (too much IMO, you can get a 2017 leftover for ~6K plus fees right now if you can find one). From what I saw though, 61K miles would have been high at $2800 for the region. In the end I was able to wait a few weeks and ran into a 2007 with 6700 miles for $3K.

In the end, when you're buying a 10+ year old bike you're really buying the mileage and condition. The two have to go hand in hand because a low mileage bike can be in worse condition than a high mileage bike depending on how it's been cared for. Using my example, 6700 miles sounded incredible when I found mine but it brought up all kinds of questions about how the bike had been cared for, how long since it was run, serviced, condition of the tank, how long has old fuel sat in it, etc. Hell... the bike still had the original 11 year old tires on it, so you know what condition those were in.

I guess what I'm saying is that the condition and maintenance is probably more important than the mileage at 61K, but, don't be afraid to offer him less than he's asking for at $2800 asking price.

That's my advice. I'm not the most knowledgeable or experienced guy here for sure, but I did just go through this same decision making process.
Good luck!

 

I'm northern California. Most bikes at this price range around here have over 50k miles on them. This particular bike looks really good. I'm leaning towards saving up a bit more and get something with less miles. I'm also thinking about resale ability once I want to upgrade. It'll be hard to sell a bike with 80-90k miles. Thanks for your input.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk