Longevity of wear items like water pumps, starters, alternaters?

[pcarnut]

With the recent discussion on here by one of our inmates about buying a lower mile bike or one with 60+k miles, it got me thinking about longevity of the normal wear items like the water pump, alternator and maybe starter. A lot of guys on here have multiple hundreds of thousands of miles on their bikes. So I'm wondering how long do these components last on our bikes these days? Seems like the current generation of bikes have become almost automotive in their longevity.

 

[FJRMGM]

105k on my '05 and still original on all the items you mentioned above.

 

[SLK50]

I often see words like "reliability" and "longevity" used where

more appropriately "serviceable" and "repairable" should be.

All of the "normal wear items" mentioned are serviceable.

And while failure of any would be inconvenient, none would

be catastrophic.

Everything we own has a normal life cycle, as I'm about to

begin my tenth season on my FJR failure of components

is the least of my worries.

 

[FJReady]

'05 ABS, 110K miles. Other than tires, the only items I've replaced that might fall under OEM equipment was the CCT (my choice, preventative measure) and the TPS which was recalled when the bike was young. Oh, and a few headlight bulbs.

 

[mcatrophy]

These are a few items I've read about:

Some have been getting hot starting problems, the cause as often as not has been the starter motor, usually with a mileage near to 100000 miles. I suspect it depends more on start cycles than mileage, but it's rare enough not to have statistics.

Alternators (and the associated RR) seem to last indefinitely, with a very few random failures. After-market alternators are definitely less reliable.

Water pumps - a very few random failures, usually starting to show up as minor leakage, so giving plenty of warning.

There are some electrical failures, the most significant was the so-called "spider" failures on GenII's ('06 - '12), where corrosion has caused burning of contacts on the (somewhat strange) earthing arrangements. Also some ignition switch failures on GenI's and GenII's. Some of these have been covered by a Yamaha recall. Battery life varies, no particular reason why a few only last 2 years, while some last 8+ years.

You'll find this bike most unlikely to give you any problems provided you service it properly (plus a few little extras that have been learned by the forumites here over the years).

Personally, the only "failure" I've had was a sticking clutch issue, resolvable with a couple of hours labour, never going to leave you standing by the road.

I've never felt any anxiety about the bike's reliability however far from home I'm going (ok, I've not done more than 40000 on any of my FJRs before I've changed, but that's nothing to do with fear of breakdown).

 

[pcarnut]

105k on my '05 and still original on all the items you mentioned above.

'05 ABS, 110K miles. Other than tires, the only items I've replaced that might fall under OEM equipment was the CCT (my choice, preventative measure) and the TPS which was recalled when the bike was young. Oh, and a few headlight bulbs.

That's excellent, thanks!

 

[Denver_FJR]

Those parts will love you long time!

 

[MartyO]

The only problem I've had is the stator went bad on my 2006 at 110k. My nephew is still riding the 2006 at 140k.

My 2014 has 23k and I can't find anything wrong with it except for the Yamaha stickers on the bags fell off 3 times. Yamaha seem to have this issue resolved now.

 

[pcarnut]

Those parts will love you long time!

 

[rogdeb]

TPS - a recall

CCT - my call, preventive

Starter motor - 75k

I'm one of the very few who's had transmission work done - gears and fork shift replaced @ 61k

And refer to Mc's post (#5) for good info.

 

[SkooterG]

My first FJR - an 04 bought brand new. Put 226,000 miles on it.

- Original (now known to be weak and part has been upgraded) CCT replaced at 100k miles along with cam chain and guides under extended warranty.

- Final drive seals replaced twice when they started slowly weeping. The first time was at 100k miles under the extended warranty.

- New starter at 160k miles. Looked like the seal failed and oil leaked inside the starter. I replaced it myself with a salvage unit for $90.

I think that was it. There were a few other items that were my fault like the clutch but I am not counting those.

2nd FJR, another '04 bought with 5900 miles. Currently has 147,000 miles on it.

Nothing outside of routine maintenance and be braking stuff unnecessarily.

The FJR has been a rock solid platform for me. It has exceeded my expectations in regards to reliability and longevity.

 

[Ignacio]

Pretty similar experience and thoughts and Skooter here. CCT weak and a couple fork seals. No starter or final drive after 168K though.

 

[Dan23]

Transmissions can be fubared at 80k miles.

 

[RossKean]

Transmissions can be fubared at 80k miles.

Really?

Never heard of it happening unless it was rider-induced. Even if there are a few bad ones, it can hardly be considered a major point of failure for FJR's. MANY transmissions out there with more than twice that mileage and NO issues at all.

 

[Denver_FJR]

Yes, transmission can be fubar'd in 80k, or even 10k. Tires can be smoked in 1k, and saddle bags can be destoryed in 100 miles @ 20 mph in a parking lot. With the right rider, the bike can be completely used up in less then 10k!

 

[Bounce]

Or the "wrong rider" if you look at it a little differently.

 

[PhilJet09]

My water pump started dripping somewhere around 45k, don't remember exactly and I'm not going out to look it up. That doesn't seem to be typical, but even if it was it's an easy repair. Everything else is still working perfectly past 80k.

 

[pcarnut]

Transmissions can be fubared at 80k miles.

Don't recall hearing of many failures. I think some Gen Is had second gear issues but don't recall any after that. Far as I know the trans has been pretty bullet proof.

 

[ionbeam]

Transmissions can be fubared at 80k miles.

Don't recall hearing of many failures. I think some Gen Is had second gear issues but don't recall any after that. Far as I know the trans has been pretty bullet proof.

The small number of transmission failures are mixed between Gen I and Gen II. The transmission failures are likely to be influenced by the rider. There has been mention of the transmission not wanting to downshift, especially at a stop where forcing it is a Bad Thing. The clutch should be slightly feathered out, then pulled back in to get it to shift. Some shifting techniques may load the shift drum or riding with a foot resting on the shifter and loading the shift drum. It wouldn't be the first time someone does something crazy/nuts and doesn't even know what they are doing is a bad thing. Even ssllooww shifting is not good. Once a shift fork gets bent or a gear dog starts to round over it is a steady spiral downward.