motorcycle reliablity, high mileage? Options

[Hanyo]

Whats consider to be high mileage on a sport bike? At what mileage should you expect a sport bike to get to?

[Bitter]

depends how well maintained it is, but i'd call 20K high miles but they'll go farther than that.

[blu94gt]

my Kawasaki had 28k on it when I bought it, over 30k when I sold it. Ran real strong, it's just all about how well it was taken care of. I've seen bikes for sale around here with well over 50k.

On the same note I've also seen bikes with really low miles on them that are just mechanically falling apart. My buddy's 07 Honda has less than 3k on it and barely runs, he just doesn't take care of it.

This post has been edited by blu94gt: Jun 22, 2009 - 8:54 PM

[playr158]

CBR F4i turning 100,000 miles.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwiOyq2Q9-I

they are VERY VERY reliable.

[razor7]

Hey,
When it comes to motorcycles, keeping up on maintenance is absolutely key. Most bikes require valve timing checks every 16k, along with various other replacements at other intervals. Usually the bikes that break down are ones that were driven by a younger person when first purchased. They don't know how crucial the break-in period is, so within the first 500 miles (you aren't supposed to go over 4-5K I believe... every bike is somewhat different for break-in) they roll on the throttle and cause irreparable damage to the engine.

Now, not all young people are like that (I'm only 19, and I've always broken in engines properly), but it's usually a sure indicator later on.

So my recommendation would be to buy from an older person. They are more apt to understand how crucial this period is, and are more likely to follow the instructions.

I would also say to take it to a motorcycle mechanic before you buy. I wish I had with the GSXR (less than a year later, need new rods, rod bearings, pistons, and piston clips... FML). They will be able to tell you if there are any issues with it, and what might need to be done in order for it to run perfectly. Most of us know enough about our celicas to get by, but bikes are a whole other story.

That being said, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha are all reliable bikes (notice the absence of Aprilia, Kawasaki, Ducati, Triumph, etc.) You can't really go wrong with any of those three. I've seen VFRs last up to 100K, along with CBRs, Shadows, Nighthawks (not the 250s), along with other models. However, a rule of thumb that I use is to go double on the valve checks and call that "high mileage." So, 16,000x2=32,000. The reasoning behind this is that most people don't bother with valve timing jobs till they utterly need them. Since it's a roughly $4-500 job (any I4 16v) most people skip on it till it's too late, then decide to sell their bikes.

Just make sure that you do research on the bike itself, read tons of reviews from people online (make sure to include the bad ones, and take their opinions into account), and talk it over with a bike mechanic. If all goes well, you should be riding in no time. :-D

-TC

[Bitter]

whats wrong with kaws? my friend has a 3rd hand 91 600R that runs great (under 16k miles) after going through and adjusting the carbs. or is the newer ones?

[playr158]

Kawi is FTL in general. They just aren't really there with the bikes. Thats a personal opinion though.

I've always owned Suzuki bikes offroad and on road. I beat the living day lights out of my bikes and road hard...they never gave me any problems.

Although now i'm looking at Yamaha for their R1 and maybe Ducati but Ducati isn't as comfortable.

[Bitter]

hm after the carb work and new front forks his bike seems pretty good to him, starts fast (first 2-3 cranks with part choke), accelerates great/smooth, no dead spots or hesitation. he's ridden some other bikes for cycle training courses and says his feels as good as they did. iirc 500cc newer hondas? not sure. being a carbed 650 from 91 its not nearly as fast as modern EFI bikes though.

[razor7]

Kawi's tend to break down a lot, consider them the ford's of the bike world.

Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad to own, just expect a lot of maintenance fees to come along. Typically, (as stated above) they get worse and worse from 16k on. I've talked to a few friends of mine that used to own motorcycle repair shops (Hare Racing if you've heard of it) and they hated working on kawis. They also have fairly expensive parts compared to suzuki or yamaha (yamaha has the cheapest parts overall).

As with most companies, the late 80s to early 90s bikes tend to last the longest. They don't have as much power, tend to weigh more, and aren't as efficient, but those older blocks are practically bullet proof.

Also, just because a bike is carb'd doesn't mean it's slower. In fact, carbs are preferred by most squids (stunters) because of the constant gas flow. They're easier to do wheelies on, and in some cases are quicker to accelerate (think about timing, ecu, etc.)

-TC

This post has been edited by razor7: Jun 24, 2009 - 9:22 PM

[playr158]

I don't know about all that my friend carbs require more work (tuning, adjusting needles ect.)

FI are FAR superior to carb'd bikes, and much much more tunable.

Think GSXRs or even the Yamaha FZ1....the FI bikes will run circles around Carbs any given day of the week since they self adjust...or if you have a PC you can adjust it even more at the turn of a dial. Carbs are also more likely to be slower off the start as they aren't as consistent or frequently kept up with as an FI bike. (I've also never seen a carb'd stunt bike)

[Jared95]

Kawi is FTL in general. They just aren't really there with the bikes. Thats a personal opinion though.

I've always owned Suzuki bikes offroad and on road. I beat the living day lights out of my bikes and road hard...they never gave me any problems.

Although now i'm looking at Yamaha for their R1 and maybe Ducati but Ducati isn't as comfortable.

I have always had kawi bikes and never have been let down...currently have a 77 KZ 1000 that has been ran for along time and still runs great. Its just opinion really.

This post has been edited by Jared95: Jun 25, 2009 - 6:09 PM

[razor7]

I don't know about all that my friend carbs require more work (tuning, adjusting needles ect.)

FI are FAR superior to carb'd bikes, and much much more tunable.

Think GSXRs or even the Yamaha FZ1....the FI bikes will run circles around Carbs any given day of the week since they self adjust...or if you have a PC you can adjust it even more at the turn of a dial. Carbs are also more likely to be slower off the start as they aren't as consistent or frequently kept up with as an FI bike. (I've also never seen a carb'd stunt bike)

Carbs do require more tuning, but once they are set they end up being just as easy to work with as FI bikes. In most cases, people fawn over FI bikes because they feel they have more control via dynojet power commanders. You have the same amount of control over fuel levels in either, one is just a little bit easier to tune in a hurry. If you know how to tune carbs and FI, either will work.

The reason why you see FI bikes beat carb'd bikes is solely because of other mechanical advancements. For instance, newer gsxr 600s are weighing in at ~360lb. vs. the '97 is roughly ~415lb. That right there makes a difference.

If you compare the '98 to the '97 gsxr 750 (same bike, one is carbed, one is injected) you will see almost no difference in terms of performance. Once again, squids prefer carb'd bikes, and will usually go for the '97 instead.

Take a look at this video and take a look at the bikes being used, a vast majority of them are carb'd. Video That's not saying that all are, but a majority of them are.

The reasoning behind this is that when doing a wheelie, you want constant flow. With injectors, they are only putting in a certain amount, when you get on one wheel it's a little less smooth with the FI. The pulsating amounts of fuel creates a less stable wheelie. Once again, I'm NOT saying that you can't do it with an injected bike, just that carb'd bikes work better in different places.

The biggest improvement that FI bikes brought were fuel efficiency, and for that they are coveted.

-TC

This post has been edited by razor7: Jun 25, 2009 - 7:30 PM