Is there a consensus on how many miles you're likely to see out of your fork and shock before performance starts to drop off (i.e. they get sloppy - before any fork seals blow etc). Thinking specifically of RR6 / RR7 era suspension. Or to put it another way, at what mileage should you start to factor in the cost of suspension refresh when looking at used bikes?
So many variables re this. A 5,000 mile bike could need seals if the bike's consistently ridden on dirty/dusty roads, or if the bike is laid up and rarely used with the consequence that the seals perish. My rear shocker had seized on 9,500 mile VF1000R through age and lack of use. Under normal circumstances I would have a serious look at around 20,000.
I think the book will say every 12k for change of oil and general service? I have done 36k on mine and one of the seals has gone but that’s on some really rubbish roads in all conditions
The rear on my 04 and my 14 were replaced around 30k - and I noticed a huge difference. I have not had any seals go, but did change the forks on my 04 around the same time, not found suitable ones for my 14 yet though.. Much will depend on how many miles you do per year, but fresh oil and maybe springs make a noticeable difference after a bit.
it's just as much about how long it takes you to reach the limit of your bike's suspension as you get faster. FWIW I had my RR6 suspension upgraded and serviced at around 13k.
I've done 33k miles mostly road use, serviced according to Honda spec and one fork seal recently let go.
Can’t really say to be honest. I’ve done fork seals on my bike at 6000km+, it’s pretty much wear and tear i.e. weather, uneven pavements, if the previous owner was a mono jono and whole bunch of other factors. If the front forks have a fine grazing all around the inner sleeve, usually it’s a indication that the forks seals have been done (either in the past or recent). If it’s more like a mirror finish I would like to say it hasn't been done, but in all honesty it could be 50/50. It really comes down to how the mechanic works, what steps they do or what the general rule of thumb is in the trade. Hope this helps.
