high mileage road warriors

[nbsdave]

Originally Posted by JerryH

I know of one guy on a Goldwing forum who lives close by who has 267,000 miles on an '85 1200 Aspencade (carbed).

You can put almost unlimited mileage on a Harley, because the engines, if properly maintained, last about 100,000 miles, and can be rebuilt several times VERY inexpensively. Mostly rings and bearings. They are a lot like a small block Chevy, or an air cooled VW, they were designed to be rebuilt easily. IMO at least, one of their strong points over a Japanese bike designed to be replaced when it wears out.

Unlimited miles and rebuilt several times?
That isn't what I would think of as dependable and long lasting.
Interesting point of view though.

[drhach]

How about this?

http://thekneeslider.com/vinny-long-...nt-at-bonhams/

[luas]

This K75 was parked in front of my hotel at the RA Rally in Houghton MI a couple of years ago. I am afraid I don't know who the owner is.

[baldman1]

150,000+ on my 78 Kawasaki KZ650. It's been all over the U.S. from California to New York ect.

[syntec4]

Not had this one since 2004, but it had 130k on it when I traded it and was still running perfectly. It was a 1990C1. Did nothing to it other than feed it tyres and oil.

[dolomoto]

My buddy Fritz, has around 110k on his 2001 Aprilia Falco. He's put tens of thousands of miles on his '7x Airhead during the same timeframe.

[Cakeeater]

Originally Posted by baldman1

150,000+ on my 78 Kawasaki KZ650. It's been all over the U.S. from California to New York ect.

Wow. Love that bike.

I owned one, once, and still miss it. Terrific and very durable engine, obviously. I only put 30,000 on mine, and it never missed a beat.

Cakeeater

[JerryH]

Originally Posted by nbsdave

Unlimited miles and rebuilt several times?
That isn't what I would think of as dependable and long lasting.
Interesting point of view though.

I have 78,000 miles on my '02 Vulcan 750 in 11 years. I don't know how much is left in it, but one thing is for sure. I can't just keep rebuilding the engine and replacing parts, and keep it going forever. It's engine is extremely complex, about twice as much as your average v-twin, and unlike the Harley it was not designed to be rebuilt. It does not have replaceable bearings and other common wear parts, rebuilding it would require replacing most of the engine, at a cost far beyond simply buying a new bike. All Japanese bikes (made during the past 30 years or so anyway) are like that. They may last a long time, but when they're gone, they're gone. I much prefer the rebuildable approach, because I grew up working on old car engines and 2 stroke dirt bikes.


I almost bought a really nice 1980 Suzuki GS1100L off Craigslist for $1800, but a 2 day search for parts online turned up almost nothing. I was surprised you could still get clutch plates for it. It would have quickly become a nice looking lawn ornament.

[JerryH]

Originally Posted by Cakeeater

Wow. Love that bike.

I owned one, once, and still miss it. Terrific and very durable engine, obviously. I only put 30,000 on mine, and it never missed a beat.

Cakeeater

I had a '77 Kawasaki KZ650 with 42,000 miles on it when I sold it, and loved it. It was a standard, but the riding position was way more comfortable than what is called a standard these days. You could just cruise on it, but it also handled very well if you wanted to go faster. Love those 19" front tires and big wide long flat seats.

I also had an '88 Suzuki Samurai I got with 127,000 miles on it, and it had not been taken care of at all. I got it past 214,000 miles before it lost compression. Nothing ever did actually break except a pin in the shifter.

[ST-DocLizard1]

Originally Posted by wrightm

I'm impressed with how durable these bikes have been But I'm also curious what made you guys decide to get rid of these bikes that have been so reliable and only have needed oil, brake pads, tires etc.
Why get rid of a good thing ?

Parts availability on the road is one reason......................nothing is worse than being stalled in a one horse town with no transportation waiting for parts to show up.

I gave up my '81 Wing and got fuel injection, linked brakes, & ABS.



Doc

[The Dirty One]

[QUOTE=ST-DocLizard1;21016592]Parts availability on the road is one reason......................nothing is worse than being stalled in a one horse town with no transportation waiting for parts to show up.

I gave up my '81 Wing and got fuel injection, linked brakes, & ABS.



Strike that.read it wrong.

[k-moe]

Originally Posted by JerryH

I have 78,000 miles on my '02 Vulcan 750 in 11 years. I don't know how much is left in it, but one thing is for sure. I can't just keep rebuilding the engine and replacing parts, and keep it going forever. It's engine is extremely complex, about twice as much as your average v-twin, and unlike the Harley it was not designed to be rebuilt. It does not have replaceable bearings and other common wear parts, rebuilding it would require replacing most of the engine, at a cost far beyond simply buying a new bike. All Japanese bikes (made during the past 30 years or so anyway) are like that. They may last a long time, but when they're gone, they're gone. I much prefer the rebuildable approach, because I grew up working on old car engines and 2 stroke dirt bikes.


I almost bought a really nice 1980 Suzuki GS1100L off Craigslist for $1800, but a 2 day search for parts online turned up almost nothing. I was surprised you could still get clutch plates for it. It would have quickly become a nice looking lawn ornament.

I'm going to again. "unreplaceable" bearings? On cheap bathroom exhaust fans, sure, but not on an engine. Even plain, unshelled, bearings can be machined to take replaceable bearing shells at a fairly low cost.

Between E-bay (search internationally too), manufacturer specific forums, and salvage yards there's no problem getting parts for that bike. $1800 seems a bit steep, but you should go ahead and get it if you really want it.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...0063&_from=R40

[BeeCeeGS]

The VFR I'm riding now has ~204000 km on it. It's needed one valve adjusted in that time and a clutch. The infamous R/R was replaced around 100k km, and the stator soon after.


I've rarely had time to ride it the past few years, but my last ride (last September) was to a track day on a fresh set of tires. I got my knee down on the old girl, punctured my new tire, and the electrics started acting up on the way home. Probably the R/R again, as the one in the bike has seen almost the same mileage as the original did. I'd like something different, but I'm broke, and the bike just isn't worth much to sell. It's got a good seat, the GIVI bags, heated grips, and a good aftermarket shock; why sell for 1500 bucks? I'll probably put gold valves in the front end and rebuild the calipers for this year. Next winter, I'll check the valves again, and rebuild the carbs. I'd imagine she'll run for a good while yet.

[gunnabuild1]

The VFR I'm riding now has ~204000 km on it. It's needed one valve adjusted in that time and a clutch. The infamous R/R was replaced around 100k km, and the stator soon after.

Sort of puts the Harley' stories into perspective

^
Judging from that shot it's still a bloody good looking bike as well,at 204k/km how does it feel to ride?

[Aj Mick]

Since 1975 I have owned just eight motorcycles. I have owned most for several years. With just routine maintenance they have all lasted well.

My current ride is a 1997 Honda Dream 100, which I bought as an ex-rental in 2003, with 90,000 km (55,000 miles) on the clock. I had the engine overhauled at about 180,000 km (piston, rings and big & little end bearings) at a cost of 4,000 baht ($US 140), about three years ago. It looks to be good for a few more years..... say 300,000 km before it needs its next engine overhaul.