Topic: Motorcycle "Useful Service Life", No such thing.

[fhoffman]

Has anyone ever worn a motorcycle out?  Has any motorcycle reached the end of it's Useful Service Life?
My experience is very short, but most of my efforts on old bikes are in respose to their dis-use or mis-use rather than use.  Stored wiring gets eaten by mice, rust freezes fasteners, gas becomes varnish... and the bike gets broken up for parts.  Or it is involved in an accident, even a minor one, and meets the same fate.
So I ask again...
Has anyone ever worn a motorcycle out?

Frank in Ohio

[Jonesy]

I think Robert Persig summed it up best in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance" (My signature line):

"I don't think I'll ever sell it. No reason to, really. They're not like cars, with a body that rusts out in a few years. Keep them tuned and overhauled and they'll last as long as you do- probably longer. Quality. It's carried us so far without trouble."

[ofreen]

Has anyone ever worn a motorcycle out?
Frank in Ohio

If a motorcycle is well maintained, and is basically a sound design, it can go a long way before anything major needs to be done.  I have a CB750F that has 350 miles short of 100,000 miles and is still going strong.  I have heard of other 750s going 150,000+ with no major work.

Anything mechanical will wear out eventually.  After that it gets down to how much time and money you want to put into it to keep it going.