Newest consumer reports Reliability Rankings...

Skutorr

Active member
Here is the link:

http://www.latimes.com/business/aut...eports-motorcycle-ratings-20160127-story.html

Excerpt #1:
"There is a four times greater chance that a BMW will need repair than a Yamaha," said Consumer Reports' deputy editor Jeff Bartlett. "That's pretty significant, when you consider the cost of servicing a BMW is substantially higher. BMW makes great bikes, but the BMW owner has to have a few dollars set aside for repairs."

Excerpt #2:
"European bikes are engineered for character and sex appeal, and Japanese bikes are engineered for reliability," Day said. "The Japanese bikes are bulletproof, but there's a perception of exclusivity that comes with the Ducatis and KTMs. The idea of owning a European bike still feels more special."

H-m-m-m-m. Comments?:cool:
 

JaimeC

New member
Up until the 90s, BMW also built for "exclusivity" but some time during the 90s they made the suicidal decision to compete with the Japanese on price. You'll note that NONE of their current models are anywhere near the most expensive in class; if anything they are a few bucks more than their Japanese competition and in some cases (like the C650GT), LESS expensive (compare to the Burgman 650).

Unfortunately, they are only competing on price; the "reliability" part seems to have gotten lost in the mix. The old "Flying Brick" K-engine is probably the most bullet-proof engine ever put in a motorcycle. The newer "K" engines have had their share of problems. But it's all the "fanch-schmancy" electronic gimmicks that have been giving them most of their troubles.

BMW and Honda seem to be in some kind of race to solve issues people aren't having. For Honda, it was that stupid air-bag they put in the GoldWing. For BMW, it was that idiotic, servo-assisted "Power Braking" system they came up with in the 90s. I also don't understand why it was necessary to have the computer control the windshield on the C650GT when a simple electric motor and switch does the trick very reliably on my 17 year old K1200LT.

Be nice if BMW went back to "KISS" engineering and concentrated more on quality issues than "Gee-Whiz" technology.
 

SteveADV

Active member
I'm a numbers guy who has learned it ain't just about the numbers. My Road King Classic was a rolling work of art, IMO (art being subjective and all that).image.jpg

But it didn't come close to fitting the type of riding I do most often and ergonomically was way off. Here I am over at a mechanically inclined friends house trying to explain what I would need to do to get it to fit. I loved the bike, the HD history, and the local HOG chapter but decided it was worth no more than a relatively brief affair.
image.jpg


My Triumph Explorer fits me perfectly (as does the CGT) and really is perfect for the riding I do...far and fast with some adventure thrown into the mix.
image.jpg image.jpg

My KLR was also a great ergonomic fit and probably the best bike if a zombie apocalypse happens anytime soon. So basic even a knucklehead like me could keep it rolling. A real mule. I love the simplicity of the KLR. But no comfort features and not really the best for far and fast.
image.jpg

There are others, and more than a few one night stands (sometimes a weekend), but these are the one's closest to my heart. A Japanese, Brit, German, and American. I loved them all. It's not just numbers.
 
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TwoPort

Member
Be nice if BMW went back to "KISS" engineering and concentrated more on quality issues than "Gee-Whiz" technology.

Ditto with their cars from personal experience with a new 7 series. It reminds me of what now passes as new software - companies seem to mostly release a good "beta" version and let the market work out the bugs. If you really rely on some software you never want the ".0" version. You wait for the ".1" when it is actually finished.

Having said that my 13 GT has been trouble free and about 24K miles. Still, I got a 7 year full coverage extended warranty.
 
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Edumakated

New member
All the computer controlled and electronic doo dads decrease reliability. My C600 has been pretty flawless though. I do think sometimes engineers over engineer things just for the sake of it.
 

SteveADV

Active member
All the computer controlled and electronic doo dads decrease reliability. My C600 has been pretty flawless though. I do think sometimes engineers over engineer things just for the sake of it.

Yup. Sure can create a situation that may not be terminal but is a pain in the neck none the less. Sometimes feels like a mass beta test.....hmmmmm. (And not just with MCs)
 

JaimeC

New member
My personal feeling is that I HOPE the constantly-poor reliability rankings for BMW makes some one at the factory pull their head out of their @$$ and DO something about it. They USED to take great pride in their workmanship. Unfortunately, they are also seeing each year's sales outpacing the previous years so they don't really have any motivation to do so. When this starts affecting their bottom line, THEN you'll see someone sit up and take notice.

Right now they seem to have perfected the art of "Planned Obsolescence." If some of you remember that article I posted earlier, the new management at BMW is after that segment of the market that buys a new motorcycle every few years and they no longer care about their traditional owners that bought a bike and kept it for years on end and thousands of miles. If you only keep a bike for a few years and get rid of it, you'll probably never have the kinds of problems the old-timers (like me) experience with the newer models.
 
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