Shinn
Junior Member
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.
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.