Motorcycle Hammock-Camping

If you’re looking for a solid used motorcycle that won’t cost you an arm and a leg in repairs and maintenance, you might think low mileage is a bonus.

And it could be, but only if the bike is just a year or two old.   But let’s think this through: if a bike is — say — ten years or older, and it’s only got a few thousand Kms on it, what’s it been doing all this time?

That’s right: it’s been sitting in storage.

And what happens to bikes that sit in storage?  They dry up.  Seals, gaskets, and hoses don’t seal properly anymore.  Forks get mushy and brakes don’t grab.  Parts of the engine that should be constantly bathed in oil get dry and dusty.  Cylinder heads get gummy.

“Always ridden, never stored” is the second-best thing you can hear from a seller, right after “every maintenance milestone met.”  A motorcycle that has been properly cared for and never left in storage is going to be in much better (and much less expensive) shape than a bike of equivalent age with low mileage, because keeping a bike running is much better for its functioning than keeping it pristine is.

Take these two m-h-c.ca bikes for sale as an example:

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/mcy/d/vancouver-black-2008-yamaha-fz6/6950464868.html

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/van/mcy/d/vancouver-red-2006-yamaha-fz6/6950467883.html

Always ridden, never stored; every maintenance milestone met.  Always kept under cover.  Detailed service records available.  

m-h-c.ca is about to go adventuring much further off the pavement, and you could own one or both of m-h-c’s beautifully-kept sport-touring motorcycles!  Discount available if they’re sold as a set.