Motorbike folk-law

[byke95]

...Honda is the most reliable.

...Suzuki and Kawasaki have inferior build quality and are less reliable.

...Italian bikes are overpriced and not as good as the Japanese bikes.

I've owned Aprilia (a 125 which took all the abuse I could give it), a few Kawasaki's, a couple of Honda's and a KTM, and have never had a problem with any of them.

Surely it's just a case of looking after them and they'll look after you?

But statements like the above crop up on BCF quite a lot, it seems that if a Honda breaks down it's because 'X' has broken, if a Kawasaki has broken down it's because it's a kawasaki...

Do folk actually know something I don't (i.e. I've just been lucky) or are they just repeating what they heard down the pub?

[innominate]

Cruiser rider all have giant beards....

Tourer riders are all over 50...
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I, as a responsible adult human being, will never concede the power to anyone to regulate my choice of what I put into my body, or where I go with my mind. From the skin inwards is my jurisdiction, is it not? I choose what may or may not cross that border. Here I am the customs agent. I am the coast-guard. I am the sole legal and spiritual government of this territory, and only the laws I choose to enact within myself are applicable.

[Robby]

I recall, standing round a few years at box hill. It started to rain, and craigt19 said "Starting to rain, all the yamaha owners are heading off to stop their bikes dissolving".
And now he's a yamaha mechanic...

I do love reading the posts by the kiddies about how their 15 year old CBR400 will be fine because its a honda, so its bulletproof. Then we get the threads complaining about total electrical failure.

[killa]

In my experience owning a bike from all major manufacturers that the previous owner can be the cause of a lot of grief.

Honda’s statistically are more reliable or so I heard from a mechanic near me, some of their machines have been a generation ahead of the competition, prime example was the ZXR400 and the NC30, which says to me they push the designs to the limit, in recent years it has become a lot closer but as Robby said I’ve known people with a Honda which has suddenly had a fault and its taken them an age to resolve.
Some of the best information can come from your local mechanics, I know a guy who’s expertise is Hondas and he says Yamaha’s are quite a joy to work on because of the layouts both mechanically and electrically, but as time has gone on they have become very competitive, so only a handful of bikes are a bitch in the work shop.
Every Suzuki I’ve owned has suffered fairly severe mechanical problems, I bought a Cagiva Mito 7 speed and although the thing seemed to be falling apart it wouldn’t die no matter how I rode it.

I would like to see a table of stats of bikes from the showroom and the reliability, I don’t know many people who have had a bike that went wrong when it came out other than a couple of Gixxers but apparently the problems were on that particular model.
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Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[Suzuki]

I have a 1999 GSXR600, and I've not had any problems with it other than the usual wear-and-tear that you get on any bike (Honda's included ).

I think a massive amount of it comes down to how you look after them.

Perhaps it says more about the owners than the bikes themselves.

"People who buy Honda's are generally good at looking after their bikes"

"People who buy Suzuki's are generally lazy bastards who let them rot"

"People who buy Yamaha's are just showing off"

etc.
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<Simple> no I'm shaven Jon
<Simple> it is a big enough hole.. I'll leave it now
Ride: 1999 Suzuki GSXR600 (yellow/black) IRC: Stats - Relationship Map

[ISLAND GIRL]

[Adam_P]

I think the Honda build quality and reliable reputation comes from their racing pedigree. They have always seemed to build bombproof 500cc and MotoGP bikes, and the WSB machines haven't been too shabby.

There have been cases where rider have put them down in gravel traps and been able to pick them up and strike them up and ride them back to the pits,whereas riders on other machines in simialr incidents have been left looking at a pile scrap.

As for the road bikes, I can't say, I've never had a Honda. I bought a Yamaha!
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Colin McRae MBE 1968 - 2007 RIP
Orwell Rolls in his Grave
God is imaginary

[Skunkcap Freddie]

[innominate]

[spinglass]

[Dark]

I think, if properly maintained, most modern Japanese bikes are bullet proof. My old ZX7R was indestructable, but it did get looked after. I even wrote it off twice, but some clever jigging and some new bodywork was all that was needed.
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My Bikes in order:- Yamaha RXS100 / Suzuki X7 250 / Yamaha RD350LC / Kawasaki
KR1S 250 / Kawasaki ZXR750 H2 / Honda C50 / Kawasaki ZX7R P5 / Kawasaki ZX10R / Suzuki GSXR 400 / Honda CBR1100 Blackbird & Yamaha FZR 600

[RealNinja]

Before I had a Kwak I was told that they were indestructable....

Thats why my ZX6R needed 2 replacement engines then..?
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You will become my force of retribution. Where you tread, doom will follow. Go now and claim your destiny

[McGee]

Saw an advert for knee sliders on ebay:

Wiz Titanium sparkies (will scrape for honda owners)
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◙◙► K6 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 1000 ◄◙◙◙◙► K5 GSXR 600 ◄◙◙◙◙► 96 RF600r ◄◙◙
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Its pronounced Jixxer!

[byke95]

[Skub]

It's folk lore,btw.

Honda - Boring staid dull and competent, apart fro a corporate blind spot in camchain tensioner manufacture,Good build Quality.

Yamaha - Interesting bikes with sometimes crap gearbags.

Suzuki - Great bulletproof donkeys,but finish needs care.

Kawasaki - Bikes with soul,the enthusiasts choice. Finish variable.

BMW - Nowhere near as reliable as the ads would have you believe. Ugly and heavy,but have been trying of late.

Moto Guzzi - Often called the poor mans beemer,they have more character than the bimmers,but the bikes rot overnight.

Ducati - Making mechanics out of riders since the 1940s. Good bikes,actually as long as you don't miss a service.

KTM - the LC8 engine is some of the best fun to be had with your trousers on. Especially the Supermoto 950
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[Paul@125power]

I personally think it is all luck when it boils down to it.

I've always been told when it comes to sports bikes to stay away from Ducati and never toutch Harleys because they are all hype and nothing else, even though I've never riden either, I for some reason don't like the look of them, Don't know why.

But, when thinking of different Bikes I always remember this video.
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If at first you don't succeed.....destroy all evidence that you tried.

Yamaha YQ100 (RIP)......Honda CBR125R

[Dark]

[Whosthedaddy]

[SoND]

From what I 'know'

Hondas - Bullet proof, boring and slow

Yamaha - For tarts

Suzuki - Fast but rots as fast as it goes

Kawasakis -
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Go back to bed - You have no rights - "Streetfighters ~ Mainstream motorcycling's crackwhore sister."

[Bendy]

Folklore: SV650s are really low and good for short people.

No they're not. They're a little better than most sports 600s I've ever ridden cos they're a bit thinner, but we're not talking anywhere near the lowness of (for example) the CBR400.

Less than a 28 inch inside leg and it'll be tiptoes and wobbling time.

[chris___]

Great thread!
How true is the Honda build quality thing though? Im thinking of buying a CBR600 soon and this is partly down to the fact that so many people have told me how great Honda build quality is.
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Yamaha rxs100 > Kawasaki ZZR600 > Kawasaki ZX6R > Honda Hornet 600 > Honda Bros 400 > Suzuki SV650S K2
Bikepics page

[True Blue]

I think most of these tales stem from years ago and bikes struggle to get rid of an image long after the problem is sorted. Suzuki having poor build quality for example. I have seen older Suzuki bikes (10-15 years old) which where in a dire state, but I saw nothing on my gsxr600 which made me think it had poor build quality, and it had done 18k mikes and I rode it in all weathers.

It's a bit like cars I suppose. Maybe 10-15 years ago, it was common place to see cars riddled with rust when they were as little as 5 years old. You don't really see that many cars in such a bad way now. I heard a guy say recently that he wouldn't buy an Alfa Romeo because they were rust buckets. Aye, maybe 10 years ago, I don't see many rusty Alfas on the road now.

And again, Skodas will never be bought by people of my generation because of the stigma attached to them, even though they are perfectly good cars. It's hard to shake an image.
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Past >>>> Honda NSR 125 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K1 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K4 >>>>Kawasaki Z1000 DAF >>>>Suzuki RMZ 250 >>>> Current >>>> KTM Superduke R 1290 >>>>

[SoND]