Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Motorcycle lifespan /expectancy, average lifespan, honda vfr

Question
Dear Pat,
Do you know if the average lifespan of a motorcycle differs by the style of bike (e.g. scooter, tourer, sportsbike etc)? I think the average lifespan is around 7 years across all types of bikes but I would like to find out if this varies by style at all. It would be great if you could let me know (either in years or maybe miles driven?).
Many thanks in advance,
Lisa

Answer
I don't have access to data so I can only give you my impression. I think the biggest determinant of how long a bike lasts is how well it's maintained, but a close second is literally the price of the bike. Expensive touring bikes seem to last longer.

The average bike, with proper care, is probably good for 25,000 miles before it needs any major maintenance, and you could expect 50,000 miles in total lifespan from your average motorcycle.

However, some bikes are all but dead at 15,000 miles while others can go 300,000-500,000 miles. The ones that get the real high mileage are the expensive ones like Gold Wings and BMWs, and some of the full dress H-Ds.

My Honda VFR (middle of the pack) currently has about 60,000 miles and is going strong, though at 50,000 I had to give it some serious TLC.

Water-cooled bikes tend to last longer than air-cooled bikes. Shaft drive bikes tend to last longer than chain or belt-drive bikes.

I also believe it has a lot to do with how a bike is stored when not in use. Bikes left outside are going to die quicker than ones in a garage, or better yet, a heated garage.

I hope that helps.

Pat