How many miles will a gs travel untill she gives up?  Obviously it depends upton the tlc, but what do you think the average is?

well if it's a noobish kind of rider they tend to crash with in the first 10,000 and the bikes are scrapped. for those of us that are semi responsible 40,000 is the going avrage, before you either trade up to a beemer or a triumph

Thruxton!!!

If it's properly maintained it will last forever.

Quote from: GeePIf it's properly maintained it will last forever.

Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.

Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain... :lol:  

I thought it was taxes that lasted forever.. oh, and my imagination.  

12 miles.

properly maintained will last a good 30,000 , though mine needs a ring job after 18,000 , which i think has something to do with the fact it sat in a storrage building for 4 years i had to completly go through the whole thing. plus it was rode hard before that .

I had a 1977 GS400, engine same as 500 except for the jugs, it ran 27 years and about 25k miles. Still running fine when I sold it for a 2001 GS500.

The main longevity factor is frequent oil change and valve adjustment. The old 400 was all original except for the seat, chain and sprockets. The metal seat pan rusted out. Even after spending most winters outside and rusting pretty badly,  it ran just fine. The gas tank had to be welded in the corners where it rusted through.

So hang with the GS, you don't need a bigger bike! Ask GS Jack! Ask Kerry!

My GS has 53 K on it, it's an 89.  I bought it with 50 K on it after it had sat in a shed for a few years.  The engine is still going strong (though I have no idea if it is original), some other parts were repI'm trying to get one more year out of her before takig her off the street and converting her into a play/track bike.

My 97 purchased new in 99 now has just over 80k miles on it.  It was totalled out in 03 and I bought it back for $100 salvage and fixed it up for $250.  Bought the 02 used with 4k miles on it in 9-03 and it now over 33k miles on it.

I expect a minimum of 80k miles from an air cooled mc engine and have had 6 of them:

81 CB400T put on 6k and traded on a
82 CB750K put 80k on.
81 CM400A bought with 2k and it had 98k when I gave it away now has over 100k on it.
85 CB650SC bought with 10k and traded in with 58k on my
97 GS500E with 80k+ miles
02 GS500 with 33k+ and just nicely broken in now.  

Just change the oil regularly and don't abuse too much.   :lol:

Quote from: Roadstergal12 miles.

Twelve miles seems like the distance that you ride a bike (after you finish tweaking it) before you start pining for a new one.

Jack has been around the 12 times on a CB/GS.  He figured a way to make them float.

No wonder he is a tire/tyre expert.

Quote from: Badger

Quote from: Roadstergal12 miles.

Twelve miles seems like the distance that you ride a bike (after you finish tweaking it) before you start pining for a new one.

Oh, I thought he was asking how long we can ride on a GS before we have to let 'er rip.

Quote from: RoadstergalOh, I thought he was asking how long we can ride on a GS before we have to let 'er rip.

Depends on what we've had for lunch/dinner!  :mrgreen:

My friend was a courier with his GS500 and he beat the hell out of it but was good about the maintenance. He got 100,000 miles before it needed a top end (rings and valves). He got another 50,000 miles before the frame/forks/everything but the motor was shot. He told me that he's putting that engine into some 250 that he blew up.

I think the main thing that kills bikes is lack of use and lack of maintenance, rather than lots of regular use and care.

I think people get too obsessed with miliage. How hard the bike has been ridden and what maintenence has been done plays a big part. A bike which was used at low revs for going to work and back and serviced will last a lot longer than a bike which has been raced and abused. I have had 2 gs500 and one of them was a 1996 with 75000 miles and was still going strong.

wow i thought i had a lot w/ 53k miles...

Quote from: DestroNothing lasts forever, even cold November rain... :lol:  

+1 :lol: