I used to be a biker but only ever got to about 40K so a bit lightweight.
I reckon there must be alot of pan-europeans out there with huge mileages (ex police bikes etc)
|
|
|
My Yamaha majesty 125cc managed 25,000 miles before exploding.
|
How about he lowest?
My 21 yr old Honda CB125TDC has only around 11,000 miles on it.
|
|
I can beat that, my '88 Honda VFR400RR had 12,000 KM! on it when I sold it Aug last year
|
My Dad's 06 plate GSX-R has....oooh - about 4,000 on the clock.
So neh neh neh neh neh Dave! (Mind you - he's going to Valencia on it in a few weeks so it should have a bit more on it)
|
I haven't beaten you at all. That'll teach me to read posts properly.
|
|
My Kawasaki ZRX 1100 has done 9000 in 9 years!, I have heard of a Yamaha Faser 600 still going strong at 200,000 miles, not bad for a 12000 rpm engine producing over 150bhp/litre, also a VFR Honda on 300k though on its second engine.
|
My 1995 CBR1000Fs has done 34,000 miles of which 7000 have been in the last 3 years. Just failed it's MOT on Headrace and front wheel bearings which were OE items.
These engines are good for 100K plus so i'm keeping it cause i don't know to i would swap if for & it only costs me £150 protected fully comp with Carole Nash.
|
|
I have seen a Honda C90 (very popular in Asia) with 90,000km and in daily use. A very simple machine, three gears, clutchless, single cylinder four stroke engine, quite economical as well.
|
I haven't beaten you at all. That'll teach me to read posts properly.
Or getting up too early.
|
Yes - a rarity these days!
|
I've read of a courier getting 250,000 from a CB500, he claimed the only thing that broke was a water hose.
--
|
I did around 150,000 miles in two years long distance couriering on a Yamaha FJ1200. It used to take me about five minutes to change the oil on a Friday evening - Halfords best £2.49 vintage. Oil filter changed twice, spark plugs once, balanced the carbs about every couple of months (mainly because I liked fiddling with the gauge). Replaced rear wheel bearings ( a weak spot on FJs) every six months or so, front bearings once. Innumerable chains and tyres.
It was "about 150,000 miles" because the speedo stopped working early on and I never got round to fixing it. IIRC, 6,000 RPM in top was 84mph according to the mile posts by the motorway - I used to get VERY bored, so things like that stopped me losing my mind, as well as keeping my licence intact.
V
|
last year i did a whopping 250 miles on the Blackbird......... which means the insurance was over a £1 per mile..
which is a tad silly...........but............. it's not going....cos it would break my heart to sell it and the moment it went up the road, i'd want it back.......SWMBO doesn't really understand, bless her
|
|
Vin. That is a lot of miles on a motorbike. How long did the chains generally last by the way? I never did understand what carb balancing meant: does it just mean to get the idle right? How do garages manage to get the mixture correct...is it sound or something?
|
I used to have an MZ 125 which I used to use when I worked in Central London to commute and I used it for four months to do courier work in and around London a few years ago.
It had covered 52,000 miles by the time I got rid of it and it cost me new under £1000.
I was doing up to 1000 miles a week. Very economical and reliable little bike for courier work.
I used the 125 because of its ability to thread through the traffic in London and I was stopped one day by a young policeman because he saw a 125 with no L plates and thought I had not got a full licence.
After I produced my licence he was quite chatty and asked about the bike - he then told me he had stopped a courier on a 250 cc MZ with over 200 K on the clock
|
"250 cc MZ with over 200 K on the clock"
It would take 4 years of riding to get to this mileage. It would only be possible to get this out of a 250 if it wasn't thrashed, and the oil was changed a lot. Maybe the police officer read it wrong?
|
|
My brother in law has a Kawasaki VN800 that's just over three years old, he hasn't had the 500 mile free service yet, maybe next year.
|
75000 miles on an R1. One chain, one clutch cable, swingarm bearings and far too many tyres to count.
|
800 miles (yes eight hundred) on my 1990 Yamaha OW01.
Mind you I only brought it in 2001 (when it was 11 years old) and it had never been started at this time!
|
It would take 4 years of riding to get to this mileage. It would only be possible to get this out of a 250 if it wasn't thrashed, and the oil was changed a lot. Maybe the police officer read it wrong?
He didn't say original engine. You're talking about bikes here. Read umgweb to see just how far people will go to keep a bike chassis moving.
I'd love to have been around in the 80's biking scene...
|
|
A Moto-Guzzi is barely run-in at 100,000 miles. Oops - it says lowest................well that will be any Jap sports bike then?
|
"It would only be possible to get this out of a 250 if it wasn't thrashed, and the oil was changed a lot."
No oil changes - it's a 2-stroke.
V
|
> Vin. That is a lot of miles on a motorbike.
It is. And it felt it, I can promise you. It's what stopped me riding bikes.
>How long did the chains generally last by the way?
Varied greatly, and my memory is pooor on this detail. I had a scottoiler, which made a beneficial difference. I also used dirt cheap non O Ring chains for ease of changing, which didn't help longevity.
>I never did understand what carb balancing meant: does it just mean to get the idle right? How do garages manage to get the mixture correct...is it sound or something?
It's to make sure that the airflow through each carb is the same. Thus, each cylinder gets the same mix and amount of fuel and air. The effect is to take a bike from sounding 'lumpy' to sounding beautifully smooth. The effect is almost magical, hence the fact that I bothered to do it. The cost of the kit - Morgan Carbtune, I think - was less than having it done once by a garage. It took about ten minutes and was the single most impressive DIY work I've ever done on any vehicle. Much recommended, as it just makes you feel like the bike's better. Instant results are just so gratifying!
V
|
RiDE did a feature on VFRs a few years ago and produced a courier who had clocked up over 300k on his 800.
This guy barely slept and clearly loved his work. He didn't have any serious problems in that time with the bike, which is reassuring as I've got one too......
|
The MZ mileage referred to by the policeman was hearsay but I have no reason to doubt his word.
I saw many MZ's used as courier bikes because they were cheap and reliable.Enclosed chain, engine note like the crazy frog and easy to work on.
They were 'Trusty but Rusty' East German engineering.They are now made in Turkey I believe.
I also believe that the MZ two stroke engine design was the basis for many of the original Japanese bikes which came to the UK in the 60's.
|
|
So, out of all the motorbikes on the market, which is likely to cost the least, and give the highest mileage with minimun maintainance. Something I suppose equal to the Volvo 240 I suppose?
|
I used to work weekends/holidays in a local bike shop in the mid-late 70's. They were Honda and MZ dealers.
A lot of the local Derbyshire employment was in the quarry industry and the humble 125/150/175 & 250 MZ's were the choice of many a quarryman. They used to get some real abuse (calcuim oxide, cement dust, et al), but always seemed to keep going. I think the biggest problems were punctures and broken brake/clutch and throttle cables. Like a prevoius post pointed-out, the fully enclosed chain was a real bonus.
The Honda "step-thu" 50's, 70's & 90's were good value as well. I used to build-up about 5 a week new out of the crate.
|
|
I wonder how many of them are still on the road?
|
Check out this website Greg....
www.mztech.fsnet.co.uk/
Seem to be lots around still - all over the world.
|
|
Is there a forum for Honda CG125 motorbikes or courier bikes. Be nice to read!
|
In this weeks motoring in the telegraph, HJ recommends the Honda Inova as the best 125 4 stroke. Are these good bikes?
|
The MZ racing engine designs were taken to Suzuki by their rider Ernst Degner when he defected in the 1960s. Walter Haaden at MZ had been experimenting with expansion pipes to improve exhaust and inlet efficiency. You can blame him for all these poxy scooters with their buzzing exhausts.
I used to have a MZ125. It was crude but cheap and very few MZs used expansion pipes!
|
So what modern motorbike would have the same design engine as the MZ. Does the Honda's have any similarities?
Greg
|
|
The MZ and Honda are completely different machines and represent designs decades apart. If you want something sensible, reliable and easy to use, the Honda sounds eminently sensible to me. Neither were designed for long distances though. Very few customers question the quality of Honda's products.
|
I was talking to a courier who dropped something off at work the other day. He had a 1992 Kawasaki GT550 with 185,000 on the clock and still "reliable enough for work". Sounded remarkably sweet actually.
|
I've seen a lot of Kawasaki GT550 as courier bikes in london, although they are starting to fall apart now as they age. But I suppose couriers have friends, who have freinds who can get them fixed for peanuts. They know the best mechanics around...I suppose they have to don't they?
www.motorcyclesurvey.com seems to confirm this information.
|
|
Are there any couriers here who work in London? What is it like? Do they ever get used to the aggresiveness of drivers etc?
|
|
I've found that in London, there is a cheap place behind white city underground stn who are really very cheap. Has anyone heard of them? I got this info from two sources actually!
|
|
Any more interesting stories about the above, especially as we are now moving into winter when the die-hard motorcyclists still ride!
|
|
If I remember correctly, the MZ racing engines were rotary valved, an entirely different beast to the piston ported engines of the mundane road bikes. BTW, the rotary valve was a Scott invention, dating back to 1912.
|
|
|
Treated myself to one of the new Honda Innova 125cc scooters in Oct.55,so far have covered 126 miles,do not want to think about £sper mile,but like having it as a back up;
ndbw
|
|
|
|
|
|
