03-30-2014, 05:01 AM
I don't know about anyone else but I've owned an awful lot of bikes and put on a lot of miles and I buy the bike I want. Every brand I've owned has had issues and in point of fact, Hondas have had the most reliability issues of the six brands I've owned. The V45 engines ate cams, I had to have two of those bikes redone, complete cam and follower replacement (warranties paid each time). Had an XL600, air-cooled, top-end oiling issues caused it to seize (same problem with the V45 engines, oiling was insufficient). Next generation Interceptor, entire engine needed to be torn town to replace the cam gear drive train.
The BMWs I've owned have had some odd things, mostly rotting rubber and lousy switchgear, but none have ever left me stranded or needed any engine work. I can't recall any problems with Yamaha, Suzuki, or Kawasaki although the latter two didn't have the best build quality until recently.
It's the luck of the draw most of the time. If the 1200GS was really that bad no one would buy it but they are ubiquitous amongst adventure riders. Super Tenere is a cool bike but the BMW is more refined, been around in various versions for a long time, and it shows. BMW is at the head of the pack when it comes to electronics, too, and while these create headaches, it's the future.
Now if you say Royal Enfield or one of the Chinese or Korean makes, I'd say maybe not a good idea, but any of the major Japanese or European marques are going to make good motorcycles and all will have an occasional issue.
I'd pick a bike from among these makers without any reservations.
Certainly the CB1100 has been beset with its share of problems...just saw this:
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2479
The BMWs I've owned have had some odd things, mostly rotting rubber and lousy switchgear, but none have ever left me stranded or needed any engine work. I can't recall any problems with Yamaha, Suzuki, or Kawasaki although the latter two didn't have the best build quality until recently.
It's the luck of the draw most of the time. If the 1200GS was really that bad no one would buy it but they are ubiquitous amongst adventure riders. Super Tenere is a cool bike but the BMW is more refined, been around in various versions for a long time, and it shows. BMW is at the head of the pack when it comes to electronics, too, and while these create headaches, it's the future.
Now if you say Royal Enfield or one of the Chinese or Korean makes, I'd say maybe not a good idea, but any of the major Japanese or European marques are going to make good motorcycles and all will have an occasional issue.
I'd pick a bike from among these makers without any reservations.
Certainly the CB1100 has been beset with its share of problems...just saw this:
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2479