How long should a motorbike last?

[TheBikerStig]

Have a Bandit1250 but its had its fair share of reliability issues. Last year I had issues with the speedo, this has since been fixed. Recently I had an FI warning that prevented my bike from starting. Turning the ignition off and back on resets the warning and I am then able to start it up again. Had it checked out and apparently its due to a worn ignition. (I assumed FI was fuel inection, turns out its Fault Indicator).

I also require new fork seals, where the exhaust pipes attach to the engine is very rusty. Plus my engine fan seems to come on a lot more than it used to. Garage topped up the engine coolant when I mentioned it. Bike has done just over 50,000 miles.

I am thinking of changing it but if the next bike has loads of issues before 50-60k then I dont feel theres much point. At what point in a car or motorbikes life do you consider getting rid? I feel that things are just gonna get worse in the long run, especially as the garage couldnt diagnose what triggered the FI warning. They said something about resetting the ECU but it could happen again.

What are good reliable bikes that dont lack horse power?
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I am usually naked when posting to this forum.

[Silver_Fox]

VFR800?
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CBR600 F3 FV
CG125

[Doovy]

Get an FZ1.
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Yamaha RXS 100 > Honda CD 250 > Honda Hornet 600 > Honda CBR 600RR > Yamaha RXS 100 > Kawasaki ZX6R J2 > Yamaha FZ1

[Snowdonia Rider]

What I like about my GSX is that it isn't water cooled, so that immediately rules out problems associated with radiators, coolant and water pumps etc, very common problems.

Bandits as everyone knows are generally very reliable, sounds like you've been unlucky. If I was buying a bike, I look harder at bikes with 30k+, 50k+ and I really really look hard. Of course it depends what engine/bike it is and how it's been looked after. I suppose 50k is what you would expect a bike to reasonably last without developing major problems.

Car wise I raise an eyebrow at anything in the 100k-120k mark. Then it boils down to price
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I want your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.
Suzuki GP125 Suzuki GSX600F Suzuki SV650S KTM EXC250F SkyTeam Bongo 125
My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SnowdoniaRider

[TheBikerStig]

[Snowdonia Rider]

Maybe a good overhaul will make it last another few thousand miles?
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I want your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.
Suzuki GP125 Suzuki GSX600F Suzuki SV650S KTM EXC250F SkyTeam Bongo 125
My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SnowdoniaRider

[Albigularis]

[Snowdonia Rider]

[Itchy]

A motorbike properly maintained will last forever.

Sickpup's Donkey had been round the clock 4 times by the time Anna got her hands on it.

The problem is once you get to serious serious mileage almost every single part of the bike becomes a consumable item.

My poor NTV had almost every part aside from the frame and the engine replaced.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Frantic]

sounds like general wear and tear, which you will eventually get with any bike

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Itchy]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Hah cool. So what did you put on yours?
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Oldie]

I seem to recall reading an extract from the German Motorrad magazine, where they regularly strip down entire bikes after 50,000 km, and the 1250 Bandit had the least amount of engine wear of any of them. Definitely designed to last. Just look after the rest of the bike in the normal way. If anything, Suzuki are now one of the better built bikes available, in my opinion.

[Undinist]

A mechanic once told me that yer average Jap bike motor is built to do 70,000 miles before a rebuild.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Honda apparently tested the CB500 engine to 200,000 miles. Don't know what the rest of the bike would look like by then, though
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Itchy]

[Enduro Numpty]

My FJR1300 is now nearly 7 years old with around 42K on the clock and is as reliable as it always was. I don't do much winter riding and I am fairly pedantic about maintenance which does make a big difference. I have no doubt that the engine is good for at least another 100K if I choose to keep it that long.

There are a good few FJR's on the road with well over 200K on the clocks and apart from regular servicing and a new cam chain and tensioner at 100k there appear to be no major issues.

The FJR is a particular reliable lump but the key to this reliability as with anything mechanical is servicing. I'm sure there will be a few neglected FJR's out there that die way before their time.

[iooi]

[Alex A]

I really don't keep them long enough to know.

Quite how anyone could do 300,000 miles on a CBR600 without being bored our of their mind is beyond me.

You need to define 'last'. You can keep pretty well any bike going indefinitely, but you can only really say that it lasts as long as it remains economically viable to keep it running. That all depends on it's value, the cost of maintenance, and the comparative cost of a serviceable replacement.

[Tdibs]

[Dabura]

I'd say 100k miles with half decent maintenance should be doable. My bandit 6 is 20 years old and just about to hit 43k and the only two faults are the cam cover gasket needs replacing as it's a bit leaky on one corner from being reused after a valve check and the fork seals could do with replacing as I've just had to seal mate them so there won't be much life left in them
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Past: Peugeot Speed Fight 50 - couldn't handle winter.Gilera Sc125 - Crashed and burned(literally).Aprilia Rs125 - Fell apart and Sold. Mk1Bandit Stolen

Present: Kawasaki Z500-B

[Alawson68]

[kilroy was here]

[ScottT]

This one seems to have lasted a while!
https://wingworldmag.com/tech/joe-sparrow-425k-gold-wing/