the most reliable bike i have ever owned

This topic contains 70 replies, has 0 voices, and was last updated by Anonymous 15 years, 7 months ago.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 71 total)

1 2 … 5 →

Author

Posts
March 9, 2009 at 11:44 am #96004

Anonymous

instead of going to to wauchope i was going to stay home and rebuild the tm. as it is an 05 model, i thought the original big end and mains would be over due for replacing.

hillbillie talked me into going for a ride up buladelah on saturday. at 7am saturday i agreed. when i got up there, i released when starting the bike the compression was way down. during the day the situtation got worse. a rider of another manufacturer commented that tms are not reliable. this got me thinking.

this tm is the most relible bike i have ever owned. i normaly change bikes every year. until i owned my tm. i have had this bike for quite a few years now.

when i did get home. i found that the tm’s original big end and mains were still happy doing their job. i took it down to one of the local bike shops for a second opinion. he agreed with me.

i keep saying my next bike will be another tm300. however i can’t bring myself to sell this one.

March 9, 2009 at 9:13 pm #125188

Anonymous

Notable mentions also go to a series of trikes and a bike I had when I was a kid.
Mr50 and atc70s. these trikes and bike I rode for years, not knowing that I had to maintain the airfilters

at least the tm is maintained like a baby

March 9, 2009 at 9:28 pm #125197

Eric Smith
Member

Impressive that a hard core race bike is the most reliable bike you’ve owned! It would help that it is a 2 stroke I guess. The most reliable bike I ever owned was a 1992 DR250. I’m sure it is still going! I regret selling it really, it would be a good spare bike.

March 9, 2009 at 9:34 pm #125200

Mick D
Member

Mine was a Yamaha RD250LC.
But now days I would have to say the 06 KX65 we had and now the KX85.First Kick every time.

March 9, 2009 at 10:07 pm #125201

Scott Southwell
Member

ECKS-Man wrote:

Quote:

Impressive that a hard core race bike is the most reliable bike you’ve owned! It would help that it is a 2 stroke I guess. The most reliable bike I ever owned was a 1992 DR250. I’m sure it is still going! I regret selling it really, it would be a good spare bike.

The first brand new bike I ever bought was a 1990 DR250 (same as 92). I rode this thing every where as it was my only transport for about 4 years. I put 75,000kms on that little motor with 5000kms oil changes. The only thing it ever had replaced was a clutch at about 50,000 and a stator just before I sold it.

I sold it to a mate who had it for another 2 years problem free.

This bike is probably the reason I decided to get another Suzuki.

I even found a pic of the old girl the day it was replaced with the shinny new XR.

March 9, 2009 at 10:18 pm #125202

Anonymous

the honda atcs and mr never got ridden much and when they did i was pretty easy on them. but as far as i knew the airfilters probably fell apart and got sicked through the engine.

my opinion of kawasakis is tarnished by a couple of kdx200s that i had. one of them, the gearbox literally exploded when an exhaust valve pin broke off and went between some gears. Whilst on the exhaust valves, the local Kawasaki dealer would always keep them in stock for me. They wore out very quickly. I also bent the shock shaft and snapped the linkage mount in 2 different events. Note: I was doing big jumps on it. So I fitted a kx shock (bigger shaft), and made new linkage mounts to raise the rear end and therefore improve the bikes steering (previously having chronic understeer). I was pretty hard on those trail bikes though.

I think racytracy’s ttr should have a reliable motor. I read about a women that rode one of those motors the length of the Americas loaded with luggage.

As I often bought 1 year old Honda CRs. I found them to be really strong. I did manage to break the gearbox of my XR 400. I was landing the old table top at Cessnock full throttle though. And that XR was making more power than Honda ever designed it for.

What amazes me is the old Z50 engine has been copied by the Chinese, bored out to 144cc, fitted with a high compression piston and raced. And it is still strong. Well kind of

March 9, 2009 at 10:47 pm #125220

Bruce Curtis
Member

1983 RM125D piston and rings thrown at it every so often, never ever broke down, always started first or second kick.
Tke KTM300 rates highly here too

worst almost any pre 80s YZ or the mongrel KLX250 I had

BC

March 9, 2009 at 10:54 pm #125235

Anonymous

after reading this, i have a bit more repect for suzukis. min75000km on a 250. i hope to get at least that on the nx

March 9, 2009 at 11:04 pm #125240

Scott Southwell
Member

Most of these Kms were racked up on the road as it was also my dailt commuter, but it still had as much poke as the new XR when I sold it. Was a little rattly but thats to be expected.

March 9, 2009 at 11:05 pm #125241

Anonymous

I hope my KTM has as good an innings as your TM Champo.

March 12, 2009 at 12:22 pm #125242

David
Member

One of the Most reliable I have owned and I have owned it from New is a 1982 XL 250R, it still starts with one kick in the guts and goes all day easily, I bet that surprised a few:)

March 12, 2009 at 12:30 pm #125625

Jason
Member

My 2000 model XR400 would have to be the most reliable bike I have owned

March 12, 2009 at 9:16 pm #125629

Eric Smith
Member

JRD, what about your twin-carb XL250? That was a weapon – at least it was until it lunched itself and stuck a valve through the piston! Even had combined headlight/taillight so you could ride at night if one went out (well OK, JRD’s headlight failed and he rode about 15km using the light from his taillight and braille?)!

March 12, 2009 at 9:56 pm #125626

David
Member

Ktmrat wrote:

Quote:

One of the Most reliable I have owned and I have owned it from New is a 1982 XL 250R, it still starts with one kick in the guts and goes all day easily, I bet that surprised a few:)

TB have you seen this, I was expecting a little bite

March 12, 2009 at 10:09 pm #125646

Jason
Member

ECKS-Man wrote:

Quote:

JRD, what about your twin-carb XL250? That was a weapon – at least it was until it lunched itself and stuck a valve through the piston! Even had combined headlight/taillight so you could ride at night if one went out (well OK, JRD’s headlight failed and he rode about 15km using the light from his taillight and braille?)!

Yes it was very reliable. I spent nothing on it and rode it for years :laugh:

As for the tail light story, people would think I’m lying if I told it. But it’s true..

Here’s a short version… I rode over to my mates place (ECKS-man) to go shooting that night.. I was running late and they left for an early loop and would come back to get me later.. My trusty XL250R was running on high beam because low beam had blown a while back. I didn’t want to miss out on the action so I headed off into the back reaches of the property… Needless to say whilst I was out there the high beam side of the globe blew :S, and I still hadn’t located the shooting group… So I decide to head back following the known sheep trails(Yes I knew all the sheep trails). As I got back to the house I waited and when they turned up we went out for the night and I told my little adventure.. After the nights shoot we came inside for the normal hot Chocolate.. I was offered a bed or another bike to ride. But I was feeling confident I could ride home with just looking backwards, again:blink: .. I made home with no problems.. I must make note that the XL250R’s tail light was quite large and although didn’t shine any further forward than the back wheel, it was bright.. The end
I also used to ride a 125 motocross bike home in pitch black as well… No lights :side:
Author

Posts