Hello,

I'm currently considering buying a used Savage and I have one question. How many miles are too many? In my limited exposure to this topic it seems 15k+ miles is an awful lot, equivalent to 150k+ on a car. I definately have seen a couple cases of bike owners who have upwards of 200k miles on their bikes, but this is few and far between. Besides any obvious problems, if a bike runs, looks, and rides well how many miles are too many?

I'd say - get a friend who knows these bikes. Other wise everybody can feed You the line that everything was just done.  Over 20 K on a Savage, You should be cautious.If properly maintained there should not be a problem to go about 40K without anything else exept regular maintenance. Over 35-40 K there will be some replacements if You want to keep riding without problems. Below 20K is very hard to wear major part over the limit even with bad maintenance /this doesnt't include lack of oil/.
Take a careful look and the exterior of the bike will tell You a lot about the owner.

Nat, what kinda shape does the bike Look to be in? If you cant ride it, have the owner ride it a while. Pace with the car. See if its blowing smoke after its warmed up. Check oil usage. If you propose the owner ride it a bit & he looks like hes gonna puke, just go away. You can find a better deal elsewhere.  I have 15,000 on mine & the cam chain is done. I expect yours will need it. If he cant show you he's done it. I doubt he has. I did mine at 14,000. I cant imagine spending the $$ to do a cam chain & then sell immediately.

Thanks for the responses. The bike is an 87 with approximately 17k miles on it. It seems to run great. The paint is a little faded but not bad and it's missing the back right turn signal (saw replacement for like $18 on Ebay). There is no rust, tires are good, and it has some mods and new parts (drag bars, new battery, nothing major). Right now he wants $1,000 for it, partly because he selling his two helmets and a new bike jack/lift with it. I could use these so it's not necessarily a negative. I'm not sure about the Cam chain, is that an expensive job to have done, any ball park figures? I'm going to look at it again tomorrow to decide for sure. Let me know. Thanks again for the direction.

Considering Nat wants the lift, I am guessing there will be some wrenching done. The cam chain is no big deal with some patience & a willingness to ask questions here.A shop manual would be nice, no, it is essential if you are gonna work on it. maybe he has one to toss in? If not, I wonder how he has managed to keep it maintained?  What tools are available makes a huge difference. If you have compressed air & an impact you are in good shape, for sure. Takes a lot of the grunt out of it & makes it possible to run the clutch up without any special tool for holding anything.

   There is a 1986 Savage for sale in my area with 3200 miles on it.Owner says zero rust,no dents etc and runs fine.He lowered the price now to $1700.00 from $1850.00. Photos look good and the bike is stock.Of course its a 4-speed. I may have to finally go take a look.



   jon