The Most Expensive Motorcycles To Repair
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- 16-11-2022
Which are the most expensive motorcycles to repair? If you are thinking of buying a motorcycle, one of the concerns that you may have is the cost of maintaining it. We look at the factors to consider with motorcycle maintenance.
What is the average maintenance cost for a motorcycle?
Motorcycle services can vary massively when it comes to cost. They can range from around £100, all the way up to £1000. How much you will pay is dependant on a few factors. The thoroughness of the service, the make of your motorcycle, the motorcycle's size and the work involved for the mechanic. A very basic annual service that includes a full safety check and electronic interrogation will usually be on the lower end of the spectrum, around £100.
Whereas a two-year service job for a Triumph motorcycle, which includes valve checks, linkages, and the rear hub greased and cleaned, will cost close to £700. Broadly speaking, a motorcycle service will be cheaper for bikes with smaller engines. For example, Honda will charge around £350 for 3 services for motorcycles up to 250cc.
Comparatively, they will charge £599 for 3 services for bikes between 251cc and 800cc, and £675 for bikes over 800cc. Having your bike serviced regularly will keep your motorcycle in the best condition possible. A full service of your motorcycle will include making sure your fluids are all at the correct levels, the brakes are in good working order, and various other elements. Whenever you are getting any servicing done on any type of vehicle, make sure it is being done by a fully trained and legally approved mechanic.
If you're worried about the amount of money you will be spending on motorcycle services, then you should compare the prices of several local repair shops and garages in your area. Reviews can be really helpful, too, maybe even ask any local motorcycle riders where they go for services. If you're a dedicated motorcycle fanatic and you'd rather not have to pay for the regular servicing costs, then it's possible to get yourself trained up on motorcycle mechanics. This way you can simply service your own motorcycle rather than paying for someone else to do the work.
What is Included in Motorcycle Maintenance Costs?
To keep your motorcycle in the best condition possible, it is recommended that you change your oil every 3700 miles. Give or take a little. If you are using conventional oils, then they need to be changed every 3000 or so miles, whereas synthetic oils can last much longer. They only need to be changed around every 5000 miles. Oil changes aren't too costly, so it's a simple task to keep an eye on when caring for your motorcycle. Oil changes for your motorcycle can cost anywhere from £30 to £80 and upwards, depending on the size of your engine.
If you are using your motorcycle for transportation in the city or short regular trips, then this may mean that you will get through your oil faster. In these situations, you will be starting and stopping your engine constantly, which will, in turn, condense the oil. This then leads to more frequent oil changes. Also, keep in mind that if you are off-roading regularly on your motorcycle, then this will expend more oil, so be mindful that you will need to change your oil more often.
When riding your motorcycle, it is recommended that you don't use your brakes too liberally, so you don't have to change out the brake pads or motors regularly. On average, brake pads will usually last around 40,000 miles, so unlike other parts of your motorcycle, you shouldn't need to change them every year. The brake pads themselves are not too expensive and will usually only cost around £20 to £50.
Although, more expensive options are available if you wish to spend more. The more expensive part of the process is replacing your rotors. Rotors and pads together will usually come to over £200. Plus, you will need to pay for the several hours of work that the mechanic will be doing when you bring in your motorcycle. In the UK, the average cost for a mechanic per hour is between £40 to £80.
On average, motorcycle chains will usually need to be changed out and replaced every 5000 to 20000 miles. This can mean that changing the chain on your motorcycle is a yearly task. A motorcycle chain can be quite pricey. There are cheap options, but they will probably just lead to more work and repairs having to be done. For a quality chain, on average, you will be looking to pay between £50 to £200. Plus, of course, the cost of the labour to get the old chain removed and your new chain installed. During this process, the mechanic may recommend replacing the drivetrain as well; this will also boost the cost.
If your motorcycle is usually left outside when it is not being used, then this can lead to the chain on your bike worsening as time goes on. A good tip is to always cover your bike with some kind of waterproof tarp when it is being left outside. This should keep away any moisture from getting into contact with the vital parts of your bike. If you can help it, try not to ride your motorcycle in the snow or heavy rain. This can cause dreadful oxidation and rusting, which is incredibly detrimental to your motorcycle.
As a motorcycle owner, you will find that the tires for your bike will be one of the most expensive areas to maintain. A brand new set of tires for your motorcycle can cost anywhere between £150 to £500. Depending on the make of the tires and their quality, the price can soar even higher. If you're planning on riding around in the country, off-roading it for a weekend, then you may want to consider thicker tires specially made for off-road use. You should always resist the urge to use cheaper tires.
Cheap tires tend to have extremely poor treads, which are very dangerous. Tires on motorcycles are recommended to be changed around every 3000 miles, but this can vary massively depending on whereabouts you are driving. Driving off-road will take a toll on your tires, so if you are worried about recurring maintenance costs, then you are best of sticking to the tarmac. If you're looking to keep your tires in the best condition possible, then you should avoid roads full of cracks and holes; these can cause major damage to tires. Also, consider your braking speed and when to avoid riding over debris left in the road, which could puncture a tire.
Which are the most expensive motorcycles to repair?
HONDA CX500 TURBO
In production for only one year, the Honda CX500 Turbo is notoriously high maintenance. Not only will it be extremely difficult to find a mechanic who will be willing to work on this vehicle, but even if you find one, then the parts needed to fix one of these bikes are even rarer. This Honda bike holds a 500cc V-twin engine with a turbocharger to boot. The bike also has programmed electronic fuel injection. The CX500 Turbo could get up to around 128 miles per hour without an issue, but unfortunately, consumers found the bike incredibly difficult to handle and too heavy.
YAMAHA NOUVO 1/2/3
Popular overseas in the busy streets of Vietnam, the Nouvo 1/2/3 is a costly machine. The Nouvo is a great quality bike but incredibly expensive to find parts for. Yamaha hasn't produced parts for the Nouvo in a long time, so good luck finding what you need.
SYM BONUS 110
The SYM Bonus 110 was created by a Taiwanese manufacturer a little while ago. At first glance, you may wonder why this bike is on a list of expensive motorcycles to maintain. It's an incredibly cheap motorbike to buy outright, but unfortunately, the SYM suffers from dreadful quality issues. We can guarantee that if you use this bike, it'll very soon be in the shop to get fixed. Then soon again after that, and soon again after that.
BMW R1200 CLC
BMW bikes are well known for being crafted from high-quality materials and being very reliable. On the other hand, BMW bikes are also known as being incredibly expensive, so it is not a huge surprise that the R1200 CLC is one of the most expensive bikes to maintain. The bike was designed for use on long haul trips, and this is reflected in the bike's bulky size. This size makes the vehicle very expensive to maintain.
Suzuki
Honda
SUZUKI GN
Are you looking to get yourself a Suzuki GN? Fingers crossed your purchase is in good condition. If you find your new bike is not in complete working order, then you're going to have an extremely hard time finding the correct parts as the Suzuki GN's parts are pretty much impossible to find. This only really leaves the option for using knockoff parts which obviously aren't as trustworthy and durable as officially produced elements. This can then lead to more maintenance having to be done in order to fix the faults caused by knockoff parts. So, needless to say, this bike is a very expensive ride.
SUZUKI HAYATE
Suzuki is a really trustworthy motorbike manufacturer, but sometimes their products have unreasonably high maintenance costs. Though the Hayate may at first seem like it is great value for money, this isn't necessarily true. Suzuki's Hayate is plagued by terrible carburettor issues, which can be an absolute nightmare for motorcycle riders. Even if the bike can be fixed, the problems will most likely be recurring, so you will be spending a lot of money on mechanical work.
NEIMAN MARCUS LIMITED EDITION FIGHTER
Famously, Neiman Marcus' Limited Edition Fighter is one, if not the, most expensive bike in the world. If you want one of these monsters, then you are going to have to fork up around 11 million dollars. If you can believe it, that price doesn't even include free servicing and parts for maintenance. Just finding parts to fix this beast would cost as much as the bike itself.
HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA CLASSIC ELECTRA GLIDE
For most motorbike enthusiasts, owning a Harley Davidson is an absolute dream. Owning an Ultra Classic Electra Glide is a very expensive dream in particular. This bike is so expensive due to its many chrome and hard parts. Minor damage to any part of the bike is going to make a huge dent in your bank account. Not only that, but just getting insured to ride the Ultra Classic would also be very costly.
How to Reduce your motorcycle maintenance costs
Looking at the market as a whole, the motorcycles which cost the most in terms of upkeep and maintenance are the unique limited models available, which will usually cost a fair bit to get your hands on in the first place. You are always going to pay more for Harley Davidson parts than you would do for parts on a Yamaha. You are simply paying for the brand name recognition.
Recent reports show that when it comes to maintenance costs, the two most costly brands are Harley Davidson and BMW. But they have also received very high customer satisfaction ratings too. Within the same survey, owners claimed that they are also overall very satisfied with the bike's handling and acceleration.
So, just because the maintenance cost of a bike is low, it doesn't necessarily mean it is the bike you should invest in. Sometimes a pricier bike means a better experience overall. If you are nervous about how much your motorbike is going to cost to maintain, then many enthusiasts will go for a smaller motorcycle that has more common and readily available parts.
These parts will usually be easier to install too. No matter what bike you decide to purchase, the maintenance costs can always be lowered by doing the bike's upkeep yourself. Read your owner's manual carefully and make sure that you are using high-quality materials. Issues such as an oil change need to be dealt with as soon as possible with bikes, or else they can cause major problems, so if you are going to commit to doing bike maintenance yourself, then it is important that you are fast in your actions.
Jap & German Motorcycles provides the best services in and around West London. Whatever you require, our team can assist you with everything from BMW motorbike repairs to providing motorbike spare parts.
