Most reliable manufacturer?

[carelesschucca]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

You just want something to argue about.

Pot calling Kettle!!!

Zie Germans if not the Japs.

Originally Posted by carelesschucca

Pot calling Kettle!!!

Good afternoon, pot speaking, how may I help you today sir?

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Bibio

build quality is a different thing and i would say that BMW, Honda and Yamaha are the 3 main ones. but all bikes regardless of manufacturer all suffer from one main weakness and that is the bolts as they all use low grade cheep as they can get their hands on stuff which is why company's such as pro-bolt make a fortune.

Pro bolt make money from idiots, usually with bandits, buying anodised tat. I reckon anyone who knows what they're on about goes down to an engineers merchant and just buys what they need for half the price

They've all got their foibles. Famously good quality (lol) honda with a monstrous track record of chocolate tensioners, and also a git to work on. Compare a bandit to a hornet, the bandit is easier to work on, I haven't noticed any difference in the bolts. Fair enough exhausts on the suzuki rot more, but the ease of access to everything else makes up for it.

Originally Posted by Jayneflakes

My experience with Honda is that it is really easy to fix something, it runs no matter what and selling my CG125 BRJ was the biggest mistake I ever made!

Yeah CGs are ace for that, shame the rest of the range isn't the same.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

For reliability I'd agree. For build quality, that's something different Honda and Yamaha are way ahead of Suzuki and Kawasaki there.

I'm not sure I'd put anyone way ahead in build quality, but I'd definitely put kawasaki way behind. Then again I've got very little experience of modern yams, other than a mates FZ1 that got ridden a lot, and looked alright.



I'd say it's more down to the bikes than the manufacturer, you could take like a triumph trophy 900 or something that people have ridden round the clock, and compare it to a Friday afternoon special 1050 bag of sh*t. Or compare the old BMW K100 brick, to a modern K1200 with exploding final drive.

As for build quality, most of the "cheese" screws I end up sorting out are when people have used PZ or whatever first came to hand to undo a PH/JIS headed screw... er no surprise it took the head out.

Honda, I've never had a single thing go wrong ever with any Honda I've owned. Except a VF 400 that I decided to run without oil to see how long it would last and amazingly got 3/4 of a mile! I have had something go wrong with everything else.

[Spanner Man]

Good morning all.


In my experience, most Jap bikes from the nineties, are more reliable than their post 2000 counterparts. Honda & Yamaha had the edge then.

Post 2000 stuff is littered with electronics which cause reliability issues.

BMW have never been that reliable, (well not since the sixties). Ducati always have been a joke, & as said, not many get used excessively.

Triumph seem to build more 'Monday morning specials' than anyone else. Some are seemingly faultless. Whereas others seem to be continually giving grief of one sort or another.


Cheers.

A very fair appraisal in my opinion

[littleoldman2]

Are Ducatis really that bad, I've been considering a monster to suit my little legs, when or if the gixer goes. I average about 7000 most years and tend to ride 300+ miles a day often a fair way from home.

[andrewsmith]

The newest ones are a bit better.
Older ones a as temrimental as an Italian Waiter. I do know of people that have never had a spot of bother with Monsters and bikes that live in dealers workshops. Saying that I've only ever seen two people hack them and they're rust

If you want a giggle have a look at the amount of recalls there are on Ducatis sub frames and electrics are the most common

[littleoldman2]

Problem is I've got used to reliable bikes, in the last 4 years have only spent time and money on oil & filter changes, air filters, plugs, tyres, battery etc. Don't fancy spending Sundays waiting for a recovery van.