Are motorcycles as hard to work on as cars?

Some of them are easy to work on. Some are a real pain in the back side. Some of the newer EFI stuff is really packed tight between the frame tubes. Others are cake. Just like cars. Some are easier than others.

Obviously the bikes are easier to maintain-oil changes, etc. Plugs-sometimes they're easy sometimes they're not depending on the model. Luckily they don't have to be changed that often. Parts are expensive. Don't use automotive oil (wet clutches don't like it...). Valve adjustments are a pain and most all bikes need them eventually. Some (a few) are hydraulic so they don't need adjustment-ever-but at least one model that I know of, usually needs cam chains (all 5 of them) replaced every so often as they're known to rattle.

The downside to a bike-is that they don't last as long as cars do usually, meaning a hundred thousand on a bike is a LOT of miles where the same on a car isn't any big deal (unless it's a chrysler product). Also they don't have roll cages so when ya hit a deer, you're out of luck-and probably in the hospital. Most bike accidents result in injury-some more serious than others. I've been fortunate. The only few bike accidents I've had resulted in minor injuries. But I'm a service manager at a dealership-have seen many MANY accident victims that were less fortunate. Had a 950 V-Star brought in by wrecker last week-owner died-we had to do an estimate for the insurance company. We stopped at $9,000 worth of parts. A few weeks ago a guy and his newlywed wife were riding on a highway and hit a deer. She had a compound fracture of her forearm and lots of road rash. He went to the hospital-stayed there a while-went into drug induced coma for weeks, and just as his vital signs were looking good, he passed away. I didn't know him-but I'd talked to her several times at work.

I sold all my bikes. Last one was a '89 ZX6. Liked to ride it but hated the fact that every moron in a car liked to pull out in front of you. Some drivers hate sport bikes-I've had them try to run me off the road before (changing lanes right beside me). An old girl friend had a 650 V-star, we rode everywhere and the only issue we had was hiting a possum one afternoon on a back road. No issues there-just hit it and went on about our business. Scared me to death though-and I think she was white as a ghost when we pulled over-but we made it through the whole deal. We had a lot of fun riding around together but just like when I had the zx6-every moron on the road in a car seemed to hate motorcyclists. So I'll stick with 4 wheelers (atv). More fun...just as relaxing...don't have to worry about cars & trucks all the time (unless you ride on the streets)...cheaper...and less maintenance.

Also-if you're thinking about buying a new or used bike-check the insurance first. Some bikes' insurance is REALLY high-my ZX6 it cost me nearly $100 a month and that was cheap. Some of our younger customers riding the same/similar bike are paying upwards of $4000 a year-clean record-just young and considered high-risk. Something to take into consideration.

 

Good info there Mavman.

My last bike was a 1983 Suzuki GR650. Pretty rare bike and great to ride. Inline 2 cylinder air cooled. Rode like a british bike but without the headaches. Really simple to fix. It was a lot of fun to restore and parts where not hard to find new. Insurance was cheap at 45 bucks a month for full coverage.

 

I don't really notice any difference between working on a car or motorcycle. To me, working on something, is working on something... Helping my dad rebuild a 1992 Suzuki VS800 right now. Bought it for 400 bucks with a clear title, was a rental bike down in Florida for years and then was just left sitting outside somewhere for a long time. Previous owner bought it in a lot of wrecked/non running bikes at an auction. Motor only turned half way over, didn't know why. I pulled the motor out and tore it down, found the problem real quick when I pulled the cylinder off and the piston with broken connecting rod came out with it.

Turns out engines and most parts on these bikes interchange from like 1985-2007, so picked up a new engine for $900 shipped. Just got it bolted back in the other night. Here's a few pics up until now.

Before pulling engine:




Engine out. Half the frame unbolts, but it was still kind of a PITA to get it out.


Piston/rod out of the engine. Must have been at high RPM when this happened, crank is scored and has deep gouges, the skirts are chipped off both cylinders, and it has a broken gear in the transmission where a piece of the cylinder skirt got jammed. Must have been a hell of a ride when the rear wheel locked up tight, but the bike doesn't show any signs of having been layed down or anything.


New engine from a 2006 Intruder. Came off a wrecked bike with 2,100 miles, but absolutely no damage to the engine, it looks and even SMELLS brand new.




Going to get it running and the mechanical and electrical stuff worked out, then tear it back down completely and powder coat everything. Looks like we'll have less then 2 grand in it when it's all said and done. Going to go for a bobber look with it, planning on something like this:

 

Riding a bike is its own feeling tho...and to some of us, worth the risk. Everytime I get on one of my bikes i understand the complete level of consentration required. No eating, drinking, smoking, talking, phone ringing...even a ride in the country requires undivided attention. Maybe thats y its such a great escape. Not only do you get the thrill of the ride but everything else on your mind clears. Good bad or indifferant...its gone. Just you and the next corner. Its kinda like therapy.