the most reliable bike i have ever owned

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  • #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.

    #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

    #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.

    #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.

    #125201

    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.
    Picture003-1.jpg

    #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

    #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

    #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

    #125240

    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.

    #125241

    Anonymous

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

    #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:)

    #125625

    Jason
    Member

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

    #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?)!

    #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

    #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:

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