Motorbikes... are they reliable?

bishopofn

Hello.

I commute daily by car between dublin south and kildare.

A new guy joined work, and he rides a motorbike along a similar route.

I said that I never see him on the road coming in, though in the evening I might see him as he passes.

He replied that around when I'm leaving the house in the morning, he's still in bed.

Wow. Rush hour, a curse of the Irish motorist, seems invisible to him on his 'BANDIT'

I've had a few second-hand cars over the years [current 91 Fiesta with 96K on the clock] and I must say I've never been let down by any of them i.e. never failed to start or 'get me home'.

QUESTION: Is the same reliability true of motorcycles? Is is possible that there are bikes out there that, if looked after, won't strand you on the side of the road in the freezing rain? Do even the best looked after examples sit down from time to time? Are there bikers out there who've never had a bike fail to ‘go’?

Thanks,

- Bishop

Yamad Kuntya

Motorcars(excluding '91 festies) are they all reliable ?? how long is a piece of string ? is anything reliable in this world ? look after the machine as you have your festy and the answer is yes

seamus

Originally posted by Yamad Kuntya
Motorcars(excluding '91 festies) are they all reliable ?? how long is a piece of string ? is anything reliable in this world ? look after the machine as you have your festy and the answer is yes

Exactly.....

You really can't be sure if a bike will be reliable no more than you can be sure a car will be reliable.

Rule of thumb is though, look after the bike and it'll get you home. You need to check a few things on your bike at least once a week. Do that, and be wary of when you hear any noises out of the ordinary, and it'll treat you fine.

Stephen

Bikes do seem to need a bit more attention than cars in my experience.

Wrestlemania

My opinion forget about time they are dangerous and you have better protection in a car.:rolleyes:

rymus

bikes are only as dangerous as the person that is riding them. As long as you keep your wits about you and dont act the langer you'll be grand.

As for reliability, I've only once been left standing on the side of the road with a bike.. and that was my own stupid fault. The only real worry is, if you get a puncture you've got no spare They're definately a great way to get around the traffic though.

Wrestlemania

Joey Dunlop a pro, died and he was no messer, I have first hand personal experience of what they can do at least with a car you got a shell around you!

seamus

Originally posted by Wrestlemania
Joey Dunlop a pro, died and he was no messer, I have first hand personal experience of what they can do at least with a car you got a shell around you!

**** happens. Even the best drivers in any vehicle can be killed in an accident.
The size and openness of the bike is a part of what makes is enjoyable.

Trucks are far safer than a car, sure you'd be mad to drive one of those deathtrap car things when you can drive a big safe truck :rolleyes:

Wrestlemania

:rolleyes: :dunno:

Gurgle

A bike will be just as reliable as a car if looked after properly but you may find the maintenance costs more - mainly because a good motorcycle mechanic charges more for his time.
As for safety, buy good gear and don't drive like a tosser.

Originally posted by Wrestlemania:Joey Dunlop a pro, died and he was no messer

Wasn't he in a race at a time ?

Gmodified

crossing the road is unsafe too and so hundreds other things


anyway as per reliable bikes

e.g.

honda bros seems to be solid bike and good V2 engine ideal for town driving



stay away from two strokes,

Stephen

Originally posted by Wrestlemania
Joey Dunlop a pro, died and he was no messer, I have first hand personal experience of what they can do at least with a car you got a shell around you!

He died in a race. Like Ayrton Senna in his F1 car.

Yamad Kuntya

Originally posted by Stephen
He died in a race. Like Ayrton Senna in his F1 car.

Mate I was thinking EXACTLY that !

Joey Dunlop a pro, died and he was no messer, I have first hand personal experience of what they can do at least with a car you got a shell around you![/B]

if you live by the sword you die by the sword W'mania, and there aren't many out there that could ride a motorcycle on a road finer than the great Joey having watched him several times, and if thats your bench mark well I suggest you quit now and stay in your cage bud. If you could aim to be half as good as JD then you have achieved something. And having personal exp of coming off 2 wheels I'd say its a learning exp however sore, still wouldn't stop me picking a bike over a car hands down any day of the week, and I have the luxury of having a choice everyday. how reliable is a tumble dryer if ya dont take the bum fluff out of it on occassion. This thread is verging on stating the obvious over and over, when you were a kid on a push bike did it need looking after and did it let you down ? well add an engine !

Haket

In the last 6-odd years I've done 120kmiles+ on various m/bikes and was only left down once, a puncture and I was not carrying a repair kit. If looked after properly (and it will take more time/effort than a car) they'll last well over 100k miles.

As said before, if you want maximum potential reliability go with a standard (CB etc) mid sized (400-750cc) newish (98-02), 4 stroke, unfaired, low milage Honda :-)

[P]*Deus_Alpha

Honda Bros 400, Very good bike, they dont make them anymore but you still see '89 year ones on the road,which says something. Also loads of power along the whole scale. I rode my friends one, such an enjoyment to ride

I would highly reccomend suzuki, i started off riding on the road on a 50cc Katana and i clocked up about 17000 km on it and it never let me down, ever, because i looked after it.

For an extreme example, i had a Yamaha YZ 125 and after every 2 races i would do a little service on it and it saved me a huge service on it if i never did.

Treat them like you would a lady.

The old protection is not good on a bike, you can be the cautious and have your wits about you but oil is not the easiest to spot on the road and there goes your back wheel. Also, it's not all about your driving it's about others, they are what you have to watch out for.

Gmodified

50cc Katana

no use for trips from KIldare to Dublin, also not very economical dispute 50cc engine when comparing to some 125

Wrestlemania

Originally posted by Yamad Kuntya
Mate I was thinking EXACTLY that !



if you live by the sword you die by the sword W'mania, and there aren't many out there that could ride a motorcycle on a road finer than the great Joey having watched him several times, and if thats your bench mark well I suggest you quit now and stay in your cage bud. If you could aim to be half as good as JD then you have achieved something. And having personal exp of coming off 2 wheels I'd say its a learning exp however sore, still wouldn't stop me picking a bike over a car hands down any day of the week, and I have the luxury of having a choice everyday. how reliable is a tumble dryer if ya dont take the bum fluff out of it on occassion. This thread is verging on stating the obvious over and over, when you were a kid on a push bike did it need looking after and did it let you down ? well add an engine !

It was'nt me matey came of the Bike was my brother at 20 MPH and killed him, hence the dislike, to be honest scares me bikes just me, he loved them although.

sutty

If you want something that is cheep to run and something with a high reliability. Then get a Honda 50. Those things are like tanks. They never stop running. As for other bilkes. I had a Yamaha XV125s and had two punchers on it. one was a walk from a bike shop luckly enough. The other was in the driveway to the house. There are companys like the bike recovery center that will come about in a van and pick the bike up and take it to a bike shop to be repaired. If you do small services when you wash it or once a week. When you bring it in for a large service, it wont cost much more than a €100. I was involved in a crash with that bike. No matter how safe you drive. There are other people out there that dont look in the mirrors when pulling out, wont indacate and so on.

The old bike was written off. A month later I got a new Yamaha XVS250 Dragstar. two weeks after getting it, I drove down to galway on it. One of the best drives I've ever had.

If you dont like sitting in traffic and paying tons on fuel. Then get a bike! my 250 does 130+ on the tripomitor on €7 of fuel. Nice and cheep and great fun to ride. ohhhh.. and the chicks dig it

echomadman

As a matter of interest, what sort of basic toolkit do you carry with you on your bikes, I'm picking up a 250 bandit next week and expect to be doing a fair bit of roaming about on it over the summer.
What are your most commonly used tools/ accessories.

sutty

I cant speak for other makes of bikes, but Yamaha supply a tool kit with all you will need to do the basics (Chain thightings, oil changes, filter replacements, etc...) on their cruser ranges.

Gmodified

well, in regards to 250 bandit :

plug spanner and set of spare spark plugs. B250/400 eats spark plugs

in general spark plug spanner
something for cleaning sparks e.g. fine grade wet/dry paper
good set of screwdriver including Philips Head Screwdriver and flat head
spanner for tank bolts or adjustable wrench.
small Pliers
few cable ties

Haket

Have enough tools to adjust your chain, remove your tank/side panels, a can of tire weld and a m/cycle puncture repair kit, some insulating tape, cable ties and some insulated wire.

Anything else you are not gona fix on the side of the road.