MC Reliability--Guess Who Wins?

[Spud]

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/makes-most-reliable-motorcycle-100025261.html

Article Text:

What began as a battle of the motorcycle brands to show who makes the most reliable motorcycle has resulted in a nationalist showdown. Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki are all among the more reliable brands, based on our survey of more than 11,000 Consumer Reports subscribers. The predicted failure rates for four-year-old motorcycles ranged from 11 to 15 percent in this group.

The domestic brands Victory and Harley-Davidson fell in between the extremes, with 17 and 26 percent, respectively.

The remaining brands—Triumph, Ducati, BMW, and Can-Am—were among the more trouble-prone. In fact, BMW and Canada-based Can-Am are both estimated to have failure rates of around 40 percent by the fourth year of ownership.

Reliablity by brand

Brand Percent failed

Yamaha/Star 11%

Suzuki 12

Honda 12

Kawasaki 15

Victory 17

Harley-Davidson 26

Triumph 29

Ducati 33

BMW 40

Can-Am 42

With a larger sample size than in our previous motorcycle survey, now counting 12,300 motorcycles, we were able to add more brands and resolution this year. For this analysis, we adjusted for mileage driven over a 12-month period and estimated repair rates for 4-year-old models without a service contract.

Reliability is but one measure. We found that owner satisfaction creates a much different picture...

Visit our motorcycle buying guide to see our full motorcycle reliability and owner satisfaction ratings.

—Jeff Bartlett

 

[Uncle Hud]

Sorry about your Spyder, Tyler.

Bet those statistics are significantly affected by self-maintenance -- meaning, do-it-yourself folks have fewer failures.

 

[Fontanaman]

And if you have a Consumer Reports membership you can do a little digging and find the probability of purchasing the same motorcycle again has very little to do with the rated reliability.

Harley-Davidson, BMW, Can-Am and Ducati all rated worse for reliability (black balls) but 66 to 72 percent of owners would by them again, beating out most brands in the would you purchase them again category.

 

[Fred W]

That's called "character".

 

[Tyler]

Sorry about your Spyder, Tyler.

My personal experience has been pretty good and I've had two of them.

But ya know, 76% of statistics are made up on the spot.

 

[Top_Speed1]

I like the odds. I agree that my FJR will definitely be more reliable than my K16. But what u don't realize is that cutting edge technology with 5x the gadgets should have 5x the failure rate... But it doesn't.

My father would never buy Cadillacs when I was a kid. He always said "too much stuff that can go wrong!". He was correct... As always, and he went with the more plain Chevrolets.

It is what it is. I'm very happy with my FJR, I'm extremely happy with my K16. But, unlike my dad, I'll go for a Mercedes in my garage.... Dang Kids and their Generation!

 

[MCRIDER007]

There is a very good reason that BMW extended warranties cost so much.........they are worth it!

 

[Twigg]

I have a simple test ....

Imagine you are 2000 miles from home. You need to get home for urgent family reasons, being delayed on the way is not an option.

You have cash for gas, and a little food along the way.

Lined up in front of you is a BMW R1200RT, a Honda ST1300, a Yamaha FJR1300, a Triumph Trophy or any Ducati, Moto Guzzi or Harley.

Which bike would you throw your leg over, and why?

 

[MCRIDER007]

I have a simple test ....
Imagine you are 2000 miles from home. You need to get home for urgent family reasons, being delayed on the way is not an option.

You have cash for gas, and a little food along the way.

Lined up in front of you is a BMW R1200RT, a Honda ST1300, a Yamaha FJR1300, a Triumph Trophy or any Ducati, Moto Guzzi or Harley.

Which bike would you throw your leg over, and why?

I think with the circumstances you describe I would be taking the shortest, straightest route possible and my choice would be the ST1300. Very reliable, mucho weight to handle wind, large windshield, big tank, soft suspension, very smooth motor, and lots of leg room. Great bike for eating miles in a straight line and higher speeds. Do I want to own one? No, it puts too much heat on the rider in the summer and is not nearly as much fun to ride as a FJR (I owned a ST1100 for 10 years and it was also a great high speed mile eater).

 

[Twigg]

Agreed.

When I bought the FJR it was a straight choice between that and the ST1300. I was offered this one at a price I couldn't ignore, but suspect I would have been pretty happy with either.

I really want to put the Trophy in the same category, but it's not been around long enough to establish itself.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Agreed.
When I bought the FJR it was a straight choice between that and the ST1300. I was offered this one at a price I couldn't ignore, but suspect I would have been pretty happy with either.

I really want to put the Trophy in the same category, but it's not been around long enough to establish itself.

Not totally true, the Trophy has been around long enough to establish itself as the most likely to meet State lemon law requirements. I have been following the Trophy owners websites for 2 years and it's probably the most unreliable touring bike to be built in decades....if the owner is unlucky enough to get one of the lemon bikes. In spite of all the problems there seems to be a high level of owner satisfaction and even those who dumped the Trophy because of problems praise how good the bike was when everything was working.

 

[Fred W]

I have a simple test ....
Imagine you are 2000 miles from home. You need to get home for urgent family reasons, being delayed on the way is not an option.

You have cash for gas, and a little food along the way.

Lined up in front of you is a BMW R1200RT, a Honda ST1300, a Yamaha FJR1300, a Triumph Trophy or any Ducati, Moto Guzzi or Harley.

Which bike would you throw your leg over, and why?

Given these circumstances and the need to slab it straight through, I'd probably just take my Ford Cmax Energi. 5 seats, much more storage, far better weather protection, better sound system, and equivalent or better gas mileage than all of the bikes listed (get 45 mpg).

If getting there immediately was no longer a requirement, I'd take the FJR and stay the hell off the interstate.

 

[Big Sky]

When I was looking for a sport-tour - coming off a GT - back in 2002-03, I had been a Honda guy for 22 years. I was inclined toward a Honda ST but Yamaha had come out with the FJR and it was getting pretty good reviews. I learned the Honda was heavier and more expensive, the Yamaha had sharper handling and more power. The Yamaha looked quite a bit better, more sporty. Then I rode an ST (well used) that seemed to have a hinge in the middle when in a fast sweeper. I found an FJR with 1,350 miles that I scored for $9,000 (Feb. 2003). I have never looked back. I would choose the FJR for the fast cross-country trek by dint of my familiarity with it and, hence, trust in it. The FJR will deliver reasonable economy running cheap fuel, superior reliability, decent comfort, almost excessive power, predictable and stable - if not nimble - handling, acceptable carrying capacity along with better than average looks at a fair price. I rest my case.

 

[lnewlf]

put over 100K on my FJ1200--lot of squidly abuse too, and only once did it leave me...dmn stator..

 

[MrZappo]

I have a simple test ....
Imagine you are 2000 miles from home. You need to get home for urgent family reasons, being delayed on the way is not an option.

You have cash for gas, and a little food along the way.

Lined up in front of you is a BMW R1200RT, a Honda ST1300, a Yamaha FJR1300, a Triumph Trophy or any Ducati, Moto Guzzi or Harley.

Which bike would you throw your leg over, and why?

I'd take the BMW ... In my family, "urgent" usually means that i'd rather break down on the way .... The Bimmer would have the best chance of requiring a multi night stay at some bar in central (wherever) ...