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Consumer reports

I'm glad to see CR getting into the moto evaluations fray. Maybe it will help motivate bike builders to get a little more quality control conscious.
 
I am no fan of CR mainly because the products they review are most often long out of production by the time you
read the magazine. That being said, it's hard to argue with their conclusion on motorcycles. I have never owned a
Harley, but I have about seven years of experience owning two BMWs and I have found them to be marginally reliable
maintenance queens with hideously high total cost of ownership.

Still, I'd own nothing else.
 
There's also lots of fantasy involved, for example the fantasy of owning a BMW when $200 represents a big repair bill. Heck, the standard maintenance on an F800ST includes a new $434 drive belt every 24K miles.

Sign me up for that fantasy. I have $2000 or less tied up in my bike. A repair that costs 10% of what I have in the bike is significant in my mind. Yes, Tires are significant.

Three cheers for BMW making the maintenance of their belt drives so expensive that the games of input shaft and final drive roulette sound almost reasonable.
 
They should ask me about my K75. In 24 years I have spent about $2200 on it. Mostly for tires and batteries. Other than a fuel strip (warranty), my R1200R has been great for 19000 miles. Much of the high cost of maintenance I suspect is all the high tech goodies that UJMs don't have. That is why I stick to basic models.

On average, BMW's and Harley's are probably more expensive to maintain than a CB600. But how many CB600s ever see 200,000 miles on the odometer. I suspect if they measured reliability over 100.000 miles it would look a lot different.

CR always has a crush on Japanese things. They rated the Pontiac Vibe poor, and the Toyota Matrix high. Same exact car built on the exact same assembly line. Just different badges.
 
Sign me up for that fantasy. I have $2000 or less tied up in my bike. A repair that costs 10% of what I have in the bike is significant in my mind. Yes, Tires are significant.

Three cheers for BMW making the maintenance of their belt drives so expensive that the games of input shaft and final drive roulette sound almost reasonable.
For comparisons sake-My/our (she says it's hers!) Kawasawki Mule UTV drive belt cost ~ $40 & a simple job too replace by oneself. It has to take all sorts of abuse to function.
 
In my opinion CR is worthless. For one thing, in their comparisons they choose specific models of manufacturers to draw over-all conclusions, which in my opinion, can yield skewed results. Just like political polls, design the questions to yield the results you want.
 
My 2006 HD FXSTI (softtail) has needed only gas, oil, and tires in the last 12.5K miles. Sadly my 2004 CLC had clutch and rear hub problems but for long distance the CLC is vastly more comfortable. The HD despite its larger displacement and weight gets better gas mileage than the boxer. Both bikes have after market seats. I enjoy riding both and would own more motorcycles if I could afford to.

RIDE SAFE
 
Forty some years ago, my dad bought a Dodge Aspen based on the cs review. What a piece of crap. It needed a tail wind to go up hill. I recently bought a refridgerator and looked at the cs reports. I found it interesting that almost every cs recommendation was thoroughly dissed online by cs members. Not a fan.
 
I remember when Brock Yates was editor of Car and Driver. CU would publish some automotive report, and Yates would follow with a scathing, vitriolic column. It was hilarious.

These days, with the internet, you can get a handle on pretty much any vehicle, just by going to the right site.

But I occasionally pick up CR and look at their best cars and worst cars sections, just for fun.
 
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C R = Completely Ridiculous

This bunch of idiots pretending to know what they write about are a bad joke. I read an auto evaluation written in the magazine years ago and I quote:

" SAAB loses out completely due to the dangerous placement of their ignition switch on the floor between the seats. This creates a dangerous situation of looking down at the switch while driving". 'nuff said?
 
I used to believe in Consumer Reports and trusted their reviews and ratings. It seems like they don't always do as thorough of a review or look into all aspects of the different products they're reviewing. Maybe they are now looking for money?
 
I took the survey

I subscribe to Consumer Reports and use it as a basis for many of my purchases. I get regular emails from them and it appears they survey their subscribers for the information they publish. I took the motorcycle survey and don't remember being asked how many miles I ride in a given year or how many miles I have on my bike. I don't believe they took mileage or use into account. If you have a Yamaha R1 and only ride it on warm sunny days of course you are going to have fewer problems. My Beemer gets used several times a week in varied weather conditions and taken on long trips whenever possible. I use my bike as regular transportation whenever I can and put miles on my bike. If I put 20-30 K on my bike over a year but it's compared to someone on a different brand that my put 4 K on a bike that's the same year it is inevitable that the outcome will not be comparable. I don't believe BMWs are less reliable. I believe that the survey was flawed and that BMWs get used more. I also concur with posters who have said that BMW owners have higher expectations. For the buy in price to be a BMW owner I believe the bike should perform as advertised and if it doesn't should be corrected by the dealer while in warrantee.
 
It's just a survey nothing more.

No doubt the folks who took part in the survey had all kinds of mileage on their bikes but when you average everything out they came up with the result they posted. I've owned all three types of bikes - Japanese, HD & BMW products and still own a BMW & HD bike. From my experience CR are not far off in their results.

When you consider the high mileage Goldwings, ST1300's and other Japanese bikes, they would more than balance out any high mileage HD or BMW product. At least in North America when you consider market share where HD has around 50 % of the market and the Japanese bikes would be in the area of 35-40 %, that doesn't leave much more than 10-15 % for BMW and the other makes. With that low market share and then coming in 4th, it doesn't speak well for the brand.
 
There's no doubt in my mind that I bought a less reliable brand, with a sparse dealer network, and with customer support that is, well, German. But what it does for me in terms of the riding experience can't be touched by any other bike so I accept it - for now. I don't like it and I'm not going to get all fan boy delusional about it but for now I accept that it's part of the package of riding a BMW. If I wanted flawless fit and finish, reliability, and great dealer network I'd buy a soulless Honda. There's no sense arguing the survey results or report that says BMWs are less reliable but have greater owner loyalty - that makes perfect sense to me.
 
I pay about as much attention to those reports as I do to new motorcycle road tests...and we know how valid/useful the latter are. :rolleyes
 
I take Consumer Reports and I'll be the first to admit that at times they are as far off base as a center fielder. But what makes the article noteworthy is the fact that it was based on a survey of BMW riders. Although, I'm far from convinced that it was a scientific survey, and the squeaky wheel is heard first.

We all know that some BMW's have had issues. With fuel strip, final drive and oil sight glass concerns, many of us are on a first name basis with our mechanics. Some of these defects come from the rapid change BMW is going through. It seems like every year they're coming out with one or two new bikes geared to a younger demographic. (And judging by some of our ages, that's a good thing.:))

Although dealers vary widely, BMW does stand behind their product, and there's nothing like the way a BMW handles. Check out the police officer pursuit video.


E.
 
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I've ridden 11 new BMW's to between 26k and 44k in the past 14 years. I've had a blown rear shock on my '09 12GS which was covered by wty. I did not take part in the survey.
 
Marty Hill
12 GS black
Caviga gran canyon/rosso
ride till you can't

Hi, Marty Hill. I notice that you ride a Caviga. Those are pretty rare, no? :scratch
 
Another Survey Respondent

I'm a CR member and took the survey. I answered honestly about my K16GT. All CR has done is total the responses. Can't blame the messenger if a manufacturer skimps on engineering and testing, buys parts from the low bidder (and constantly beats on them for even lower prices), and then is slow to respond to issues when they arise.

Read 'em and weep...
 
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