Mileage on motorcycles often reflects their comfort and reliability. No one puts much mileage on a bike that's uncomfortable and bikes that sit in a shed broken down aren't used much either. Both kinds will always have lower mileage than those that have been ridden long and often. You should only be concerned about the mileage if the bike isn't running to your satisfaction. The Katana is 13 years old, average car mileage for a vehicle that age would be 130 - 175,000 miles.

 

Bike mileage is funny too. It depends on where you live. Here in PA it's not uncommon to have a bike 15 years old with 20k miles on it due to our ridin' season. I've owned bikes with 70+ thousand miles on them and they don't burn a lick of oil then again I've had them with well under 20k and don't run for ****. The truth is have it checked out by someone who knows bikes. Modern bikes, I would say 30k isn't unrealistic and it should be alright if it wasn't abused.

 

I think the NADA assumes 4K per year when they figure values. The Katana is a simpler bike, which is good for longevity.

 

thanks for the info

i gotta another milage related question. So now i came across a 02 ninja 500 with only 78 miles on it. supposedly the first owner droppe it while in her garage and got pooked to didnt ride it and the current owner got it for the wrong reasons and now wants to get rid of it, so i wasnt really ridden at all in 5 years. Should that be thought of has a problem for the engine since it has been sitting around for so long?

 

That is a big YES, it could be a problem, I'm in the midlle of that situation now, and it is not a lot of fun. But if the bike is running to your satisfaction you could be getting a good deal. Have the bike checked out by a reputable mechanic and go from there.

 

At the minimum it will need the carbs cleaned and rebuilt. At worst the cylinders got rusted up and you could have accelerate engine wear if it was not stored right and the gaskets may have dried up from not havin' oil on them.

 

I'd go for the bike that's already running. I just now got mine on the road after it had sat in my uncle's garage for 3 years. It took me about 6 months of work altogether and its still not doing as good as I'd like. Getting it going was a very frustrating process and something I never want to do again.