Manufacturer Reliability/Maintenance/Build Quality Scoring!

[Shinn]

So being the motorcycle geek I am, I love to search up all things bikes. Lately I've been hearing a bunch of news about how brands are failing the test of time when it comes to their bikes lasting and being reliable. So I took it upon myself to try and figure out some scores on a scale of 10 on how people and dealers themselves rate the brands they sell and ride. This is by no means official or anything, and is just an average score from people I talked to and got emails from. Beside each score is a reason why they received it.

9 Honda - Best fit and finish, excellent reliability and not bad price for maintenance
9 Yamaha - Fit and finish right behind Honda, but cheaper maintenance and longer intervals with rivaling reliability
8 Kawasaki - Fit and finish still not up to Honda standards and maintenance more money, but slowly catching the top 2
7 Suzuki - Expensive maintenance for some reason (parts are much more costly too) and worst of the jap 4 for fit and finish
6 Triumph - Still some problems with reliablity (cables especially) and not all bikes have top quality finishing. Twins better than triples!
5 Harley - Luck of the bike lots of the time. Expensive to maintain but very good for parts and turn around time
5 Buell - Many problems (fueling common issue) with good maintenance. Thank God the Blast is gone
5 KTM - Suspension and motor issues and long part waiting time
4 Aprilia - Electronics are bad, and parts are hard to get
2 Ducati - Bad fit and finish, bad reliability and a huge maintenance cost
2 BMW - Known problems the company refuses to fix, plastic fit and finish and expensive

Suprising to me was how many Ducati and BMW owners have to have their bikes towed. About 4/5 bikes were on a flat bed in the first year of ownership. The Jap 4 still can't be touched, with even most non Honda dealers stilll saying Honda is right at the top. In fact, the "Honda Standard" was quoted by many.

Feel free to argue away! I look forward to hearing stories and such on this topic.

 

[cv_rider]

That's interesting. You seem to have a large pool of data to draw from? Interesting for Honda being ranked the highest, I just don't seem to hear much "buzz" about Hondas.

 

[urbanj]

This is why I listen with deaf ears when people are all pro USA for the automotive industry and are in love with all the "luxury" brands that break, are expensive to fix and lose more than half their value in a couple years.

Until other manufactures change their points of view, IMO, the Japanese will always be at the top. Obviously there are hit and miss exceptions everywhere but as an entire product lineup they are the best.

 

[mstewar1]

That's interesting. You seem to have a large pool of data to draw from? Interesting for Honda being ranked the highest, I just don't seem to hear much "buzz" about Hondas.

I think that Honda tends to make solid, well-designed bikes but they don't take as many risks style-wise, so consequently there's less "buzz" about their bikes. IMHO, Yamaha seems to take a few more risks when it comes to styling and so their bikes make more of a splash, marketing-wise.

It's interesting how low BMW is on your list. I don't have any first-hand experience with them but they seem to have such a loyal following. Maybe once folks pay a ton of $$ for their bike they don't want to make noise when it fails on them...

 

[Shinn]

I think that Honda tends to make solid, well-designed bikes but they don't take as many risks style-wise, so consequently there's less "buzz" about their bikes. IMHO, Yamaha seems to take a few more risks when it comes to styling and so their bikes make more of a splash, marketing-wise.

It's interesting how low BMW is on your list. I don't have any first-hand experience with them but they seem to have such a loyal following. Maybe once folks pay a ton of $$ for their bike they don't want to make noise when it fails on them...

I was shocked at the BMW score. It seems older style beemers are great, but the new ones aren't up to par. One dealer was selling a K1300R and he let it slip the floor model could not be sold until it had 3 defects fixed... I was floored. An old mechanic I got a hold of says older BMW's are basically bullet proof, but the new plastic ones (he said 04+) have a tendency to fall apart.

A lot of Honda rep comes from the past, especially since they invented the UJM

 

[Hellgate]

Are these subjective scores then? Just curious how the list was rank ordered.

 

[(none)]

Are this subjective scores then? Just curious how the list was rank ordered.

Uh, yeah, he pretty much says he just made them up so in other words, they are useless.

Case in point? Yamaha right behind Honda in fit and finish and Honda at the top? Gotta be a joke. This FZ6 isn't nearly as nicely put together as my VFRs were and those were nowhere close to the fit and finish of my BMW. Also, a BMW bike being expensive to buy has nothing to do with its reliability/maintenance or build quality.

 

[wolfc70]

You can't beat the Jap bikes. While I have owned many UJM's over the years, their toughness always impressed me. Some of the bikes I bought were abused for decades, and still ran, not very good, but they always started. Honda's always seemed to run, no matter how bad the compression was, how far off the timing was or bad the carbs were screwed up. This was also their downside, no personality. Just basic two wheeled transportation.

I hope Buell gets the bugs worked out, they have the coolest looking bikes on the market. BMW of the past traded speed for durability , they were slow, but ran for ever. The newer ones seemed to have lost that edge with the plethora of electronics on them now. The wiring diagram for the ABS on a 1992 BMW K100 RS would make most shade tree mechanics pass out from complexity.

As for the Italian bikes? Well if you have ever owned anything made in Italy, the fussy electronics, leaks, complicated designs come as no surprise. One quick blast down a curvy road makes you forget all the shortcomings, at least if you make it back home.

Since my disposable monthly income does not have many zeros, I will stick with my lovely FZ6. Reliable, screwed together well, and has a wonderful split personality. As of now, only a winning lottery ticket would make me want to purchase something else. Long live the Yamaha!

 

[Hellgate]

Uh, yeah, he pretty much says he just made them up so in other words, they are useless.

Case in point? Yamaha right behind Honda in fit and finish and Honda at the top? Gotta be a joke. This FZ6 isn't nearly as nicely put together as my VFRs were and those were nowhere close to the fit and finish of my BMW. Also, a BMW bike being expensive to buy has nothing to do with its reliability/maintenance or build quality.

Geez, ask a simple question get a smart response...

"I was shocked at the BMW score." < This indicates some kind of point system. Just curious.

The list looks pretty good to me.

 

[(none)]

Geez, ask a simple question get a smart response...

"I was shocked at the BMW score." < This indicates some kind of point system. Just curious.

The list looks pretty good to me.

It wasn't supposed to be a dig on you, more on "Shinn" for making a pretty much meaningless topic with no data to back up any of his opinions that he is trying on construe as facts.

 

[Norm]

I like your list. I too have talked to many mechanics and have friends with all those brands of bikes. My subjective findings are much like yours with one exception. I don't know if BMW is all that bad but I agree that it wouldn't crack the big four Japanese manufacturers.

 

[Shinn]

It wasn't supposed to be a dig on you, more on "Shinn" for making a pretty much meaningless topic with no data to back up any of his opinions that he is trying on construe as facts.

The data as I mentioned was taken from talking to dealers, mechanics and owners and asking them to rank the brands they have owned out of 10 with a reason as to why they received the score. After that, the scores were picked by taking the median number of the ones recorded.

I am not trying to say they are facts, I clearly state they are opinions. It was just an idea i had and went through with it. No need to get on the offense and start attacking. Instead why don't you enlighten us with your opinion instead of being a downer?

As for everyone else, talk away! Curious to hear what other owners would have to say.