I'm looking at a 1984 Yamaha Venture Royal with 103K km (60K miles). Is this high? I've only seen pictures, and was wondering if it would be worth going to look at. The asking is 3500. Is this a good price? Looking forward to your replies.  

i would consider how it was taken care first. oil changes, cleaning, ect....  

Ask your local dealer about a carb rebuild. The gaskets are over 20 years old. That would also give you a chance to chat about the availability of parts for the bike.

The mileage is bubkas.  I put better than half of that on an 800 in 5 years, and when I sold it, I hopped on and did 600 mi to do the delivery. Given the reliability of the bike, I'm pretty sure I'd have done exactly the same if the bike had 60k.

Realistically, you should expect the same kind of life out of a bike as a car (assuming reasonable care).  

Motorcyclists tend to get hung up about milage. Any modern motorcycle-manufactured in the last twenty years is every bit as good as an automobile. What you should be looking at is the condition of the machine and how well it has been looked after. 60 odd thousand miles on a well looked after machine is pretty good. Remember though the higher the milage the more bargaining power you have....this has to be a good thing!  

My experience with inline fours are they usually get a little ratty after around 20,000 miles.
They still run decent,but you can surely tell they have some miles on them.
My valk has almost 40,000 miles and it still runs as new.
I would consider 100,000 miles high mileage on any motorcycle.  

Fortunately, your bike is a v4
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/yamaha/yamaha_xvz1200td_l.htm

BTW, looks nice (don't know if that's your color) but the fairing looks a little more integrated than the GW's of the era.
BlownCenturion455 is right on the negotiating of course. Even assuming a 200k life, at 100k, half the life has been sucked out. Doesn't affect short term reliability, but, it affects long term.  

I have a 1983 Gold Wing Interstate with 97,000 miles on it. When I got the bike, it had sat for a couple of years. It needed carb work, all the bearings were bad, the fork seals and front springs were junk, the tires were trashed, and the seat needed recovered. The bike was beautiful with all of the chrome accessories I was looking for. I paid $1500 for it and have sunk approximately $2000 more between repairs, upgrades, and maintenance.

So, I dug in and between me and a friend of mine we rebuilt the old girl. Now, the bike runs fantastic and I have even added a Pioneer CD player and speakers.

Here is the problem: although it is a great bike that I am sure will easily go another 100,000+ miles, it always has some repair (big or small) lurking around the corner. I am a pretty good mechanic, but frankly, I am getting tired of wrenching. Maintenance is one thing, repair is another.

I think ultimately it is important to consider bikes that fit into your price range, allow the type of riding you will be doing, and how the bike fits you ergonomically. If you are only going to commute or take day trips within a 200-300 mile radius of your home, mileage probaby isn't a real factor. However, if you want to hop on and ride across country you really need to consider your mechanical abilities AND the availability of replacement parts. Being stranded in a strange town 1000 miles from home while you wait a week for repair parts really sucks (trust me on this one).

Old motorcycles can be a very economical way to enjoy riding, but they can quickly drain your bank account if you have to pay someone to do repair work.

Good luck!!!  

I agree, on economics, there is the simple cost vs fun cost.
I had a friend who was the original owner of a '46 Velocette. In about 2003, the man was riding the bike to British Columbia for the annual rally.
In one conversation, he casually mentioned that at some point in the past 5 years the clutch went, so, he put together the parts, and milled them in his shop.
That's the part of riding that has been squashed. A man goes in his basement, and mills a new clutch!!!!  

Well I bought the bike. frbock, that is the color, Maroon/Red. The last owner has maintained it very well. I have all maintenance records from new. There is a couple of little things, the high beam indicator light is out, the radio antenna is missing, etc. All in all a good bike, and very comfortable.  

I think you're going to be happy.
DUH!! What am I saying????

You've got a motorcycle.... of course you're going to be happy.

To paraphrase the original Star Trek "Mr. Jones says 'motorcycles' are the only form of love you can buy". (originially, it was tribbles)