I have farkled her to perfection, she has more than enough scuffs and scars to make her mine, and the reality is that, until the last year or so, nobody had made anything to make me like another bike more than I like this one. The final reality is that I'm cheap, and this one's paid for.
I have a few friends in the LD riding community, and 87K is just about broken-in in their eyes. In fact, some of them probably wonder what took me so long. (It's a 2008, purchased in 2009.) One of my most reliable mechanical assessors, who rides BMWs, had shrugged over the mileage on my bike even as his wife was convinced I needed a new one. Her BMW 1150 Rockster had about the same miles as mine, but somehow the fact that the Versys only has about half the displacement of the big Beemers has her worried.
I have kept up with the maintenance, and everyone says that the Kawi 650 twin is bullet-proof. I do basic maintenance, but fork seals are a thing of the devil, so that kind of stuff, valve checks, and steering head bearings, I leave to the Iron Pony service dept. Last time in, the mechanic said that the cam chain is getting worn. Not an emergency, he suggested having it done over the winter. Just like an older car or truck, I realize that maintenance needs are more significant as the years and miles pile up. I'm okay with that.
My BMW buddy finally expressed some concern that my bike is aging out, at 87K. His thought is that if the cam chain is going--not just the tensioners--then other important parts may be starting to wear as well, such as the cams themselves.
I'd like the opinion of some others on the forum. To be honest, I'd like to get 150K out of the bike before really retiring her. I don't know why, exactly, except that we've been through a lot together. I have other bikes in the garage I can ride if she's on an extended hiatus. But I'm wondering what some others think about higher miles on the Kawi's 650 parallel twin, and what their experience has been. Do I need to keep her to local rides, as long as I'm keeping up on all the maintenance?
I realize this post is long, so thanks for slogging through to the end.