Author Topic: Consumer Reports on motorcycle repairs - again  (Read 993 times)

Richard230

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Consumer Reports on motorcycle repairs - again
« on: April 03, 2015, 01:55:33 PM »
Consumer Reports has published another article about motorcycle reliability, starting on page 52 of their May 2015 issue.  Its is not clear to me if this is a regurgitated version of the information that they presented last year or compiled from a new survey, but it is nice to see them at least recognize motorcycles after many, many years of ignoring them.

Just to provide a example from an established firm: The statistics for BMW are that 40% of the owners who responded said that their bike suffered a mechanical problem.  However, 68% said that they would buy another BMW again.  The worse feature of their BMW motorcycle is the cost of maintenance (it received the dreaded black dot )and comfort was just average.

Of the things that went wrong on all motorcycle brands the electrical system was number 1 with 24% of owners needing electrical repairs.   :o

The most reliable motorcycle brand was Yamaha and you might be interested to know that the brand that gave their owners the most satisfaction was Victory.  80% of Victory owners said that they would buy another one again. 

The least reliable brand was Can-Am with 42% of their owners suffering with mechanical problems on these reverse-trikes.  However, 67% said that they would buy another one again.
current bikes: 2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2011 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Classic, 2009 BMW F650GS, 2007 BMW R1200R, 2005 Triumph T-100 Bonneville, 2002 Yamaha FZ1 and a 1978 Honda Kick 'N Go Senior.

Shinysideup

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Re: Consumer Reports on motorcycle repairs - again
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2015, 06:46:13 PM »
So... no electrics in the mix?

00049 (AKA SopFu)

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Re: Consumer Reports on motorcycle repairs - again
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2015, 06:52:28 PM »
So... no electrics in the mix?

Probably not enough electric owners surveyed to give a statistically relevant response.
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Auslander

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Re: Consumer Reports on motorcycle repairs - again
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2015, 12:19:02 PM »
I've learned to REALLY take anything CR reports on with a massive grain of low-sodium salt substitute.

I used to work at a high end mountain bike shop (the first of its kinda, and at the time still the only of its kind).  We started getting a lot of calls at once about a "Giant Iguana"  ("no, we only carry regular and small iguanas").  Turns out CR recommended it based on several factors, including the fact that the frame came from the same factory overseas that Specialized frames came from. What CR didn't know, or care to factor in if they did: Specialized did have frames come from the same factory (along with two other brands), but they have their own QC people onsite inspecting production output, and they also provided their own tubing that was to their spec.  The other three brands, including Giant, were mass producing low-quality frames (bad alignment, poor welds, etc) out of marginal-quality tubing.  But to CR, that was the same as what Specialized produced.

CR isn't a good consumer tool, unfortunately.

As a rider who's gone through... 6 or 8 BMWs?  The only electrical problem I've ever had was: Grip heater stopped working (new grip, not cheap) and a sparkplug porcelain "unseated" and wobbled in and out so it didn't ground well, which left me running on one cylinder most of the time with the occasional firing from the bad plug.  But, that's more NGK's fault than BMW.