| Author | Message | ||
     Buellybob |
For a bike ridden daily, what is your threshold for excessive maintainance, or difficulty in obtaining parts before you part company with it? Example, how far does one go in keeping a 1973 Norton running that, say, isn't even close to the most reliable bike you ever had? Where do you personally draw the line between the enjoyment of riding a different or unique bike and continually having to do excessive maintainance or having difficulty in finding parts? Bottom line, for you, when is enough, enough? | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Spending more a month on it then gas.....GONE | ||
| Nik |
When my commute was short and urban I daily rode a 1975 Vespa Rally 200 every day. At the point when my monthly expenses got to the point where it was the same as the monthly payment on a Buell... well... I have much better relationships with old bikes when they aren't daily rides. It's not something I'm likely to do ever again. It really sucks the fun out of the whole experience. | ||
| Ulynut |
A daily rider MUST be reliable. If not, it either becomes a second bike (which in my case, second bikes hardly ever get ridden), or it goes. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
with my 83, if i ever get the thing restored to the way it should be i'll be very happy but right now the only thing it costs me is space and for whatever reason the registration that i keep on it although it doesn't run right now. keep it, restore it and show it. i wouldn't want anything to happen to an older bike anyhow. | ||
| Aesquire |
On a second bike, when I have to wait an entire riding season to get a part, or I just lose interest in riding it. The last time I gave up was on a 500 Kawa triple, that I could not get the paperwork on....after I fixed it. It went to a "buck a whack" for Abate event at a Hell's Angels party. ( it was one of those bikes that kill it's owner ) On a primary machine? Hard to say, I've gone a couple of months in season waiting for parts on a Suzuki. Got close there to giving up, but reality sometimes has a budget. | ||
| Doughnut |
What's your threshold on excessive maintainance or upkeep? That would be about where my ex-fiance' was. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Im about there. I have lost 6 months of riding this year due to how I ride, and the way I ride it... and waiting for repair, parts, and warranty. I am about to sell her off and get a Blast for off road torture, of course it would have to go in a custom frame. I apparently need something more rugged, durable and purpose built. But when she is up and running, there is no more fun bike on the dirt that I have ever had. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
For a bike ridden daily, oil and gas. If it isn't reliable, I have no trust in it and start looking for another. | ||
| Richsm2 |
reliability is defined by YOU. I had a norton 850 and a r100 bmw ( at the same time),both dual carbed and with points , valves plugs,every 3000miles the full tune thing . when I learned how to adjust my Norton clutch( to get a free swing of the kick lever when lever pulled,carbs(silicone seal the airscrew so not to vib loose )the norton was as reliable as the bm but more fun but todays gen of mc riders maynot agree. reliability- responding the way You expect it to with some patience, because I was learning what was needed all along. Love those bikes but sold them the Buell M2 is all that and more,more riding. | ||
| Rick_a |
Cityx, how about you stop being a goofball and get a real dirt bike?  C&J used to make dirt-track Blast frames, but they got rid of the last one a couple years ago. I thought of building a Blast along the lines of this Rotax...  ...but a better bike could be bought for a lot less money. As far as cars go once the cost of regular repairs gets close to a car payment it is gone. With bikes, big maintenance/teardowns at 10-15K mile intervals are o.k. with me. Some race bikes with lights I like (supermoto's) have a few hundred mile oil change intervals and a few thousand mile engine and transmission rebuild schedules. That is too much. The money involved isn't bad...but the time involved to do it myself is more than I'd want to sacrifice. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
What you call goof, I call fun. I got some saddle time on some fun rides this Summer Honda CRF250, Kawasaki KLR250, Aprilia 4.5, Yami WRX250R, Yami XT225, Zuk DRZ 400 Convinced the bike for me would be the Yami WRX250X the dual sport, I just need to find the right one at the right price. The Buell, sadly, has seen the last of its dirt. | ||
| Baybueller |
City, it always amazed me you would dirt an XB. The motor would be fun but the steering stop to me would beg for hi sides. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Why I ride off road....  The fun starts where the pavement ends  | ||
| Jandj_davis |
For me, a daily rider has to be "gas and go" with appropriate oil changes. No valve adjustments, no chain lubrication, no "perform every 500 miles" type of stuff. That's why I love the Buells so much. I wish belt-drive was more common for this reason alone. | ||
| Crackhead |
+1 | ||
| Fast1075 |
It's kind of vague for me...I am from the "wrench all week, ride on the weekend" sort of old school mentality...back in the day, it HAD to be done that way....or PUSH. I hold it back pretty much to "on the lift on Monday just to be sure" thing...except when the "Mod Bug" bites. | ||
| Etennuly |
I will, and have been willing, to fight through a mirad of problems to keep this ride.  I have had many other brand of bikes that would have been long gone, mostly they just were not as much of a joy to ride.  | ||
| Jpgrego |
I'm with JandJ and Crackhead on this one. I hated the short intervals for big maintenance on some of my old bikes. Now I have the XB and an old PC800. Neither of them require valve adjustment ever, and while I prefer the XB's belt drive I'll take a shaft drive bike over a chain just for the ease of maintenance. Gas and go. |
