General Overhaul of a Motorcycle

[NoTraffic]

Now surpassing a decade of riding, I find it interesting I haven't come across a golden rule regarding the preventative overhaul of a motorcycle when it ages past 10 yrs old or 50k miles. In talking with a few veterans, their take is not to replace anything until it breaks down but I find that a bit risky considering the adventures and isolated areas us motorcyclists venture out to. For cars, you would usually do a timing belt and water pump at 100k.

Do all you garage mechanics and professionals have a golden thumb rule (considering mileage and age of a part)? I guess the difficult part about bikes is that new tech is introduced every 4-5 years so it might be hard to have a hard and fast rule.

In manuals, what is really only covered past 30k miles is to inspect, nothing to replace.

I have a '08 Yamaha FZ1 I finally got back running with 60k miles.

I'm thinking by 70k miles to:

- Replace coolant hoses
- Possibly replace coolant pump
- Replace stator
- Replace rectifier
- Replace front brake discs (becoming warped)
- Inspect/replace brake lines

Already done:
- Wheel bearings have been replaced
- Clutch cable has been replaced
- Fork seals replaced
- Fork oil replenished

*Mods, feel free to move to Garage if more applicable - thought this might apply to a bigger audience.

 

[nickb]

I'm thinking by 70k miles to:

- Replace coolant hoses
- Possibly replace coolant pump
- Replace stator
- Replace rectifier
- Replace front brake discs (becoming warped)
- Inspect/replace brake lines

Already done:
- Wheel bearings have been replaced
- Clutch cable has been replaced
- Fork seals replaced
- Fork oil replenished

*Mods, feel free to move to Garage if more applicable - thought this might apply to a bigger audience.

Interesting question, going through all this myself on an '03 FZ1 with 100k and an '01 Bandit 1200 with 116k. The 2 bikes age at different rates, parts wear faster on the Bandit. I know some folks with sport bikes at 150k+ mileage, can verify wheel bearings, cables, hoses, stators, VRs, and water pumps do inconveniently fail.

In addition to what you've mentioned above, at about 100k on the Bandit I replaced:

• Throttle cables
• Levers (clutch lever broke off in my hand)
• Master cylinders
• Carburetor float needles, seats, & bowl gaskets
• Fuel line
• Rear shock
• Filters (of course)

Additionally between 120 - 150k I'll most likely replace:

• Clutch discs
• Fork springs
• Plug wires
• Ignition boxes
• Fuel pump (FZ1 - or at least test it)

Bandit doesn't have radiator or water pump but FZ1 does, I'll likely replace those between 120 - 150k. Cables, hoses, & filters already done, still need to deal with bearings, master cylinders, and brake lines. Water pump on FZ1 is really difficult to get to, considering whether I want to do a pre-emptive replacement on that. Debating whether I want to clean & reseal brake calipers or wait till they stick or leak. Good topic, subscribed!

 

[motomania2007]

Gen2 FZ1 have a few issues that I would definitely repair before they failed:
Rotor being the first on the list
Water pump being the second hoses and other things further down the list

 

[GPzPop]

I think there is a difference between a moto with tons of miles that is still regularly ridden (my kawi zzr has 165 k miles, all mine) rather than a bike that has sat unused in storage and is being resurrected.

there are some components that fail due to age / wear (my fuel pump, for instance, or steering stem bearings) but some parts that you might think are prone to wear are still going strong (wheel bearings) and are still in service

sitting stationary and corrosion are more to blame for wear than continual use

edit : still has original rotors and water pump

 

[Gary856]

I started riding in ’09 and I’ve owned about 14 bikes, all used. My bike with the highest mileage is an ’06 KTM 950SM with almost 27k mi. I was just thinking if I needed to have the suspension serviced (fluid, seal, rebuild?) while riding it last weekend, and wondered what other people actually do with higher mileage bikes, regardless what the manual says.

As I newer rider I was more concerned with following the manual, but over the years I’ve come across some well regarded independent bike shop owners who take the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” attitude. A bike is almost fully depreciated after 10 years and/or 20k+ miles, so it becomes a question of how cost effective it is to service a bike worth < $4k, if it’s not relied on for daily commute. A handy and anal bike owner may choose to do a lot more, but it seems very often the deferred maintenance is passed down to the next buyer.

 

[NoTraffic]

Interesting question, going through all this myself on an '03 FZ1 with 100k and an '01 Bandit 1200 with 116k. The 2 bikes age at different rates, parts wear faster on the Bandit. I know some folks with sport bikes at 150k+ mileage, can verify wheel bearings, cables, hoses, stators, VRs, and water pumps do inconveniently fail.

In addition to what you've mentioned above, at about 100k on the Bandit I replaced:

• Throttle cables
• Levers (clutch lever broke off in my hand)
• Master cylinders
• Carburetor float needles, seats, & bowl gaskets
• Fuel line
• Rear shock
• Filters (of course)

Additionally between 120 - 150k I'll most likely replace:

• Clutch discs
• Fork springs
• Plug wires
• Ignition boxes
• Fuel pump (FZ1 - or at least test it)

Bandit doesn't have radiator or water pump but FZ1 does, I'll likely replace those between 120 - 150k. Cables, hoses, & filters already done, still need to deal with bearings, master cylinders, and brake lines. Water pump on FZ1 is really difficult to get to, considering whether I want to do a pre-emptive replacement on that. Debating whether I want to clean & reseal brake calipers or wait till they stick or leak. Good topic, subscribed!

Yep, I've done the fuel line mod on my FZ1 and also replaced the fuel pump just for preventative measures.

Appreciate all the other responses. Another avenue for an older bike is also buying NOS or used parts off ebay, enabling you to save even more. For me it's not really about the overall value of the bike but really seeing how many more miles I can get with relative parts replacement (applicable to a bike you're fond of).

We all hear tall tale stories of bikes getting high mileage but it's almost never spoken of what needs to get done proactively to get past 100k. All the electrical cables on my FZ1 are dirty,grimy - though I've never heard of anyone replacing it "because it was time" - only when it broke.

 

[nickb]

I was just thinking if I needed to have the suspension serviced (fluid, seal, rebuild?) while riding it last weekend, and wondered what other people actually do with higher mileage bikes, regardless what the manual says.

Generally I replace rear shock around 100k, others may do it sooner or not at all - haven't had one catastrophically fail (fingers crossed).

Ignored front suspensions until I had a fork seal go at 27k. On a commuter not a big deal, out in the middle of nowhere it could be. Now oil & seals are maintenance items at about the same frequency as valve adjustments, new springs at 100k.

As I newer rider I was more concerned with following the manual, but over the years I’ve come across some well regarded independent bike shop owners who take the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” attitude. A bike is almost fully depreciated after 10 years and/or 20k+ miles, so it becomes a question of how cost effective it is to service a bike worth < $4k, if it’s not relied on for daily commute. A handy and anal bike owner may choose to do a lot more, but it seems very often the deferred maintenance is passed down to the next buyer.

If you have space and time I think it's usually more cost effective to repair an old bike than replace it. Shops typically won't work on bikes once they pass a critical age/mileage, eventually you'll be on your own going that route. Parts availability can be an issue also - So far I've been able to get parts but as the bikes get older wait times get longer.

We all hear tall tale stories of bikes getting high mileage but it's almost never spoken of what needs to get done proactively to get past 100k. All the electrical cables on my FZ1 are dirty,grimy - though I've never heard of anyone replacing it "because it was time" - only when it broke.

Sounds like you're really proactive with maintenance - good way to be. Had an Oregon tour cut short because one of the bikes had a stator fail - not only inconvenient but can be a super expensive problem to get a dead bike home. That event changed my attitude about proactive replacements. Haven't thought much about electrical wiring though I did have a VR connector melt and had to solder a new one in. Not sure if there's anything I could've done to predict that though.

 

[ScottRNelson]

I usually wait until my bike "tells" me that it needs something fixed before diving in and doing a repair. Last year I replaced the steering head bearings on my XR650L because the steering was definitely notchy. I saved the bearing race where you can see the wear spots. People that do preventative maintenance will put new grease in them every few years as well as the swingarm bearings. It's major work to get to either of those sets of bearings.

I clean the air filter once in a while. Lubricate the chain regularly and eventually replace that when it's getting stiff.

I currently have the carburetor out of my XR because it wasn't running smoothly at or near closed throttle. I'm going through to verify that there are no air leaks anywhere and that all small orifices are clear. I'll lean out the jetting one step while I'm in there just to see if it improves anything. After a few hundred miles I'll know if that was a good idea or if I have to yank it back out and put things back how they were.

Valves get checked every once in a while and oil changes every 2000 miles.

But I'm not going to refurbish the whole bike just because it has a few miles on it. I like to wait until I'm forced to do it. :laughing


However... the 1997 XR650L that I bought from my son last summer got refurbished front to rear. I wanted that to be in as near perfect condition as possible before selling it, so I went through everything on that bike to make sure it was in top shape. It had been neglected and needed stuff like new fork oil, new front sprocket, new mirrors, valve adjust, clean air filter, and quite a bit more. It's worth doing all that for a bike in unknown condition. But the one I've been riding continuously for more than ten years, I have a pretty good idea about the condition of everything.

Am I making sense here?

 

[NoTraffic]

I usually wait until my bike "tells" me that it needs something fixed before diving in and doing a repair. Last year I replaced the steering head bearings on my XR650L because the steering was definitely notchy. I saved the bearing race where you can see the wear spots. People that do preventative maintenance will put new grease in them every few years as well as the swingarm bearings. It's major work to get to either of those sets of bearings.

I clean the air filter once in a while. Lubricate the chain regularly and eventually replace that when it's getting stiff.

I currently have the carburetor out of my XR because it wasn't running smoothly at or near closed throttle. I'm going through to verify that there are no air leaks anywhere and that all small orifices are clear. I'll lean out the jetting one step while I'm in there just to see if it improves anything. After a few hundred miles I'll know if that was a good idea or if I have to yank it back out and put things back how they were.

Valves get checked every once in a while and oil changes every 2000 miles.

But I'm not going to refurbish the whole bike just because it has a few miles on it. I like to wait until I'm forced to do it. :laughing


However... the 1997 XR650L that I bought from my son last summer got refurbished front to rear. I wanted that to be in as near perfect condition as possible before selling it, so I went through everything on that bike to make sure it was in top shape. It had been neglected and needed stuff like new fork oil, new front sprocket, new mirrors, valve adjust, clean air filter, and quite a bit more. It's worth doing all that for a bike in unknown condition. But the one I've been riding continuously for more than ten years, I have a pretty good idea about the condition of everything.

Am I making sense here?

You threw me for a loop Scott, haha jk. :wtf

I guess it depends on how far you go with your bike. I've ventured out to multiple states with my Yamaha, so I'd rather be preventive where I can. It would suck to be in Wyoming with no one insight for 100 miles and I have a broken water pump. For basic commuters, sure - you can keep an eye on things and worse case scenario is towing it. But when you're out on a trip, the first thing that eats at your conscious is "Please let my bike work as it should". I'd rather replace parts when its seems fitting, in the comfort of my own schedule and at my own leisure that at the mercy of some town in the middle of nowhere and waiting for 5 days for the part to arrive.

There are some parts that will not give you any warning whatsoever or, it's too little too late. I'm just kind of surprised there is no golden rule with the amount of mechanical history a motorcycle has (carb'd/FI) to point to something. Especially given that on a motorcycle, you are with the elements, there is no sheltering under a metal roof for the night.

 

[ScottRNelson]

I guess it depends on how far you go with your bike.

If I were planning a long trip, especially to the middle of nowhere, I'm sure I would go through a few more things to make sure they're ready. But all of my riding involves day trips these days and rarely more than 200 miles. But sometimes I am 20 miles from the nearest civilization. It would be a bother getting a dead bike out of some of these places. Today's ride was never more than ten miles from some town or other. I have quite a bit of experience over the years limping back with an injured bike.

In other words, I agree that it's worth going over a few more things before a long trip. The list of stuff you're expected to go through for the annual BARF Baja Trip is pretty big. Those guys know from experience what a hassle it can be to have a bike die down there.

 

[NoTraffic]

Generally I replace rear shock around 100k, others may do it sooner or not at all - haven't had one catastrophically fail (fingers crossed).

Ignored front suspensions until I had a fork seal go at 27k. On a commuter not a big deal, out in the middle of nowhere it could be. Now oil & seals are maintenance items at about the same frequency as valve adjustments, new springs at 100k.



If you have space and time I think it's usually more cost effective to repair an old bike than replace it. Shops typically won't work on bikes once they pass a critical age/mileage, eventually you'll be on your own going that route. Parts availability can be an issue also - So far I've been able to get parts but as the bikes get older wait times get longer.



Sounds like you're really proactive with maintenance - good way to be. Had an Oregon tour cut short because one of the bikes had a stator fail - not only inconvenient but can be a super expensive problem to get a dead bike home. That event changed my attitude about proactive replacements. Haven't thought much about electrical wiring though I did have a VR connector melt and had to solder a new one in. Not sure if there's anything I could've done to predict that though.

Yep, I like to do most of my maintenance where I can, and that leads me to inspect other wear and tear parts. It's the same principle as replacing a battery, you know it will have to get done eventually - it's just a matter of when. Motorcycles to me are not only liberating to ride, but also to maintain most of it in our current era.

I can spend an hour a day looking at factory builds seeing what kind of lube they use or the precision tools they use for assembly.