Motorcycle Engine Longevity
 

Folks,

I'm about ready to buy a new Yamaha 2007 FZ6 for a daily driver get to work bike. The round trip is 140 miles per day, 5 days a week for a total of 36,400 miles per year.

Now this bike will cost around $7,000 out the door, so how many miles should I expect the engine to last. Assume I will take excellent care of the bike.

The motor is water cooled, 600cc, 4 cyliders, fuel injected, 6 speed tranny, will be garaged every night, and I will ride it for high MPG and not speed.

If the engine gets too tired after 20,000 or 30,000 miles then this is not going to be cost effective for me....I don't want to have to replace the engine every 12 months.

So any ideas out there? Also, any guess on the MPG I can expect to get?

I'm guessing you would be replacing the engine quite often...You could prolly pick up a bit older of a bike and do a bit better with it...it might also be worth while in this case to cut some lower gears for cruising to reduce wear...

The old air cooled, single cam Honda 750's were good for 80,000 miles before the roller bearing cranks went. Considering you have a water cooled, plain bearing engine, I don't think you'd have problems going well over 80-100K. I used to road race motorcycles and some of the guys in the box stock class had over 5000 race miles on their bikes and they just kept going. And there's no comparison between race miles and cruising on the freeway.

You may want to get a different rear sprocket to bring the rpms down.

Doesn't look like a touring bike: https://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/pr.../273/home.aspx

Some of the Gold Wing riders get over 200K on their bikes. An FZ6 may not duplicate that, but if taken care of, I would think 100K wouldn't be out of the question.

It was always a shock to me how often the motor oil needs to be changed on a motorcycle.

Honda recommends changing the oil and filter in my XR650L every 600 miles. I use Mobil 1, and change it every 1000 miles, but still, that's a lot more often than any car. I have 13K miles on the bike and the engine is still tight.

Besides getting run over by an SUV, I think one of the biggest problems commuting with a motocycle is the cost of tires. The touring tires might be able to get 20,000 miles on them, but the sport bikes will go through a rear tire about 8-10K miles if you are nice to it. These are ~$200 tires and cost about $50 to mount. The front tires might last 10-15K. Any money you might be saving on gas (which some cars can do better) you are eating in tires.

Would the engine last longer if I got a bigger engine then the 600cc? What if I got a 1000cc...sure MPG would go down, but wouldn't the engine last longer?

I don't want to spend the big bucks on a true touring bike...I need just a standard get to work bike.

As for tires, since I won't be racing it, or riding very aggressively, and the fact that I will only be using medium/low grade tires, I'm not too worried about the cost of tire replacements.

Everyone, thanks for your comments!

MPG aside, I need a bike in order to get home in under 1 hours...driving a car would mean 2-2.5 hours each way! In southern California, bikes can use the Diamond Lane, and lane splitting is legal, so these two things will conspire to get me home 1-1.5 hours faster then grinding through the stop & go in a car...

I say, go get yourself a Rebel or Nighthawk if you're concerned about reliability and gas mileage. 1 year warranty, a 230cc engine, which can probably be geared down once the warranty expires, ~$4000 for everything you'll need, and more than enough power for lane splitting/cruising in the carpool lane during rush hour imo. The difference in mileage between the two in the conditions you're describing should be ~$1500-2000/year, so it'll definitely be frugal in traffic compared to everything but an EV.

I am looking for a used rebel for the same reason, reliability and mileage, not to mention it's a bit of a smaller bike...

Some motorcycle engines last a very long time while others are relatively short lived. In general a crotch rocket will not last as long as a touring bike. The guys talking about tires are correct, they don't last long and are expensive. Chains and sprockets are another wear item. You might consider looking for a good used liquid cooled shaft drive bike like an old Gold Wing or the mid sized CX500.

I drive a CX500 (Honda) with about 100,000 miles on it so far and I don't see any reason it won't go another 100,000 miles. Last year I pulled the heads off, checked the rings, pistons, bearings, etc., all of which were perfect. Ring end gap was within new specs. Oil change interval is 7,500 miles, no chain. The bike will cruise easily at 80 all day long.

Q

You say you are going to use cheap tires on the bike, but I would check what ever stock size is on it and make sure they make cheaper tires in that size. The rims may be wide enough that they only make sport tires for it.

With that many miles a day, taking care of a chain would be a pain. You'd need to lube it a couple times a week to keep from wearing it out and then have it throw the lube all over you. I was actually thinking an old CX500 would be a good commuter. It has a large gas tank that you probably would only have to fill it once a day or day and a half. Being a twin, it would get metter mpg, and you could get touring tires on it that would probably make 20K or better miles.

Just thought i'd point this out, but I've noticed if I drive my bike like a crotch rocket, things get very akward. What I'm tryign to say is, your manliness will be very uncomfortable by the time you get to work, or home. Just something you might want to think about.

I almost got a yamaha virago 250 this week. It looks good, gets 85mpg and is like $3500. I decided that I would have more fun with something like a dual purpose suzuki dr650 so I will be getting one of them one of these days when I get a good deal on it.

https://needabike.com/numbers.html this site is great to give you an idea of weight, acceleration, and top speeds. Doesn't give mileage though is the only thing missing.

Suggestions #1 & #2: Find a job closer to home - or move!

The 'commute' that so many people in CA deal with every single day is just unfathomable to me. On a slow day, it takes me 20 minutes by bicycle, less than 10 when I'm feeling energetic.

That said, I bought a KLR-650 a couple of years ago with 92,000 miles on it and it was still running strong until I sold it last year. Maintenance cost on them is low and you can expect mid-50 mpg most of the time. Considering a new one goes for about $5k, that's allot of bang for the buck - but you won't be breaking much more than 80-85 mph on one unless you like getting tossed around allot by the wind. (Though they will do about 100 mph if you dare.)

Suggestions #1 & #2: Find a job closer to home - or move!

Come on, all I hear from people in Washington and Oregon is complaints about too many Californians moving there. And you're suggesting it.

For a crotch rocket styled bike, that looks to have more upright seating, so it might be bearable, altho it also puts strain on yoru neck and back to be bent over low like that, so if you are buying it new, they should let you take it for a test drive first, think about these things as you are riding it.
Motorcycles have improved a great deal over the years, you no longer have to do an over haul at 10,000 miles, it's hard to find one with a carburator, so all the problems that go along with carburators are gone, a very weak point as most cycles tend to sit for months or years at a time, and fuel drys up.
Water cooled engines tend to last longer as well as the engine temp tends to stay more stable and it lessens the chance of having a hot spot, it also helps keep the oil from braking down as fast.
A good O-ring chain or X-Ring chan, cross sections of the o-ring is an x shape insted of solid round chunk of rubber to make up the ring giving more points of contact to seal lube inside the chain, and a good o-ring chain should last many years, normal is 20-30 times the normal life of a non o-ring chain, so maybe at 50,000 miles you should check the chain for wear.
rear tire is what is going to wear fastest, it's a 180/55-17 off the top of my head I don't know of there is a touring tire in that size, but if there is I would sugest you get it, Contenental, or Perreli, or something that clames high milage, motorcycle tires are designed to be sticky, sport bike tires are even softer so they wear even faster, touring tires are designed for going down the highway in a straight line, and also designed at times for a bit of rain, not for hard cornering.
I've seen air cooled, carburated motorcycle engines that lasted 60,000-80,000 miles befor needing a compleat overhaul, my current motorcycle has 20,000 on it's little air cooled single cylinder 125cc engine, and yes, it has some wear, but it also spends most of it's time between 8,000 and 10,000rpm a sprot bike might be closer to 5,000-6,000 rpm, on your test ride check and see how it runs at lower rpm, some sport bikes will not run right unless they are reved up, anyway a water cooled fuel injected engine should last a long time, and after you've broken it in and changed the oil once it might be worth finding a motorcycle compatible synthetic (never put a synthetic with friction modifyers in or you will destroy your wet clutch), and do the sugested matence on it and your engine should last 100,000+ miles.

The engine will last a long time. Will you?
 

If you take excellent care of the engine you will get 100,000+ miles out of it, same for the rest of the bike except for normal wear items. These engines are built to last under some pretty high stress situations.

However with a long commute, consider your comfort. A new Kawasaki Concours (not the 1400) will sell for right about 7000 or less, is comfortable, fun and will net you right about the same mileage. Plus you may ride it more because it fits your riding style (pattern) better.

The Kawasaki is one (I'm biased) but there are other sport-touring bikes that will fit the bill just fine for long commutes. It is a great way to go! Enjoy!

You may want to look at an older bike and save some money. The liquid cooled engine last much longer than the air cooled engines.

My 87 Kawasaki 305 gets 60 mpg. The belt drive is nice and low maint. (until the $100 belt breaks). Shaft drive will rob some efficiency. It cost $400 and I put new tires and a battery in. For $550 it runs like a new bike (it has 12K miles) and is a great gassaver.

I have been on the interstate once and its a little light to be in amongst semi's (you get tossed around by the wind).

Er uh . . Stay there! Stay there! :)

For your sanity, you will want a bigger bike for the freeway runs. A 600cc won't last long strung out at 6500rpm all day. Typical wear on bikes is: tires (5000-10,000 miles), chains (10-20,000 miles), oil (4,000 miles), and suspension (20k miles), steering head bearings (50k), batteries (2 yrs). It's not as cheap as it seems to ride a bike.

A 600 will last a pretty long time. Metalurgy has gone a long way. Better get more than two years on a battery. We get longer on the race bikes, if they are kept that long before new models come out, and they get overcharged a lot.

Honda 600
 

I have a friend with a 1999 Honda 600 with over 145k on it. Besides normal maintenence items, the engine has never been opened. He rides pretty conservatively and is anal about upkeep.
It can be done.

Jim T.

I'm not a motorcycle owner but I have a theory about the frequent oil change recommendation. A very high percentage of motorcycles take a much longer time to reach 600 miles than any car would. That's just simply because in the past bikes were mostly a recreational/weekend vehicle.

With that said, oil needs to be changed after a certain time period regardless of how many miles are on it. I'm thinking that most bikes take about the same amount of time to reach 600 miles as most cars take to reach 3500 miles. One other thought is bikes tend to have a small oil capacity, so the oil that in it gets cycled throughout the engine a lot more times during that 600 miles. It's been said that oil has to be changed every 4 months whether or not you drive the car- I don't know how true that really is or if it's really necessary.

In my opinion I'd look at the oil each week and pay attention to the color and consistency as you progress up to 600 miles. If it's only a few weeks old and still looks clean, then keep using it until it starts turning darker, especially if it's synthetic.

What about a Ninja 250? They get like 90 mpg when regeared for mpg. The engines are supposed to last 40-60K without problem....

Wow, every 600 miles? My old Honda CX500 owners manual says to change the oil every 7,500 miles. It holds 3.5 quarts and has a filter.

Q

Every 600 miles means he would be changing the oil ONCE A WEEK. Fillups every day or every other day plus weekly oil changes would get OLD.

The posters who say that leaning over the bike for 140 miles every day will get old really fast are RIGHT.

Get yourself a nice touring bike that will support your back, or get yourself a vehicle that will take the diamond lane. Certain parts of CA you can buy an EZ-Pass or similar that will let you in the diamond lane no matter what, but at a cost.

"Sharing the lane" means you will basically be passing other traffic in-lane when moving and they are slower than you. Remember - most drivers do NOT look out for motorcyclists and the results can be DEVASTATING.

As a California transplant to WV - I can tell you it's much easier to move closer if you can at all. Turning a 70 mile commute into a 20 mile commute will work better over the long haul.

Getting a vehicle like a Prius or similar (depends on your area) may qualify you for the HOV lane just like a motorcycle, and will get you there in better comfort and nearly the same time, but with MUCH greater safety.

Don't forget that when it rains - motorcycles can become deadly to drive.

Having lived in Sacramento, Bay Area, San Diego and Los Angeles areas, bad weather days are significantly worse for motorcyclists than they are for car drivers. If this is about shortening your commute, moving closer and still driving a vehicle can work much better. 70 miles is a LONG way any place in CA. And I know - I used to commute between Los Angeles and San Diego.

I moved.

And then I moved out of state and life is so much less stressful, but I digress.

Change the oil every 3k. It's an inline 4 cyl it will last well over 50k miles if taken care of.

Take a look at the Ninja 650r for commuting it's a 2cyl gets better mpg then the FZ6 has more mid range torque and the valves only need adjusted every 26k miles. For my next motorcycle I am going with the FZ6 or 650r just sit on both and see what you like better.

Luckily my parents bought a house in the 80's in California when it was expensive but not inflated like today. For most people, it's gotten untenable to pay an extra $200k for a house in CA just to live closer to work. I was born and raised in CA, trust me, it's not as easy as it sounds to just move closer to work.

Anyway, I'm looking into a Harley Sportster 883 as both a great platform for a kustom bike (which is what I like to do) as well as a fuel-efficient commuter. These can get upwards of 60mpg with decent midrange torque. I wouldn't characterize these bikes as overly comfortable - they're rather short and a bit tall with a riding position more like a standard than a cruiser - but are probably more comfortable for a 140 mile ride than an FZ. Plus, most of them run narrower tires than sportbikes, so the tires will tend to be more affordable. I don't know how long the engines last, but at 60mph they're only chugging away at ~2800rpm, so it should last a decent while. As a side bonus, if/when you rebuild, it's the simplest thing in the world to slap a 1200cc kit from Harley on there and be riding around on a 1200cc bike for the insurance cost of an 883cc :D

OK, I had a 2001 FZ600R...same bike...and I could consistently get 44mpg in everyday driving/riding (no hypermiling techniques). I did change to a DID chain and a 13 front sprocket (I believe the stock was 14...I went down a tooth) to make the bike accelerate smoother and get a bit better mileage. I did a pipe and carb rejetting also. Anyway, the engines are great and you should get plenty of mileage out of one...I didn't go thur tires like butter either. The 600R has more torque than the R6...but a bit less HP...the extra torque was the FE help IMO.

Any bike is going to get you some good FE numbers if you ride accordingly. Replacing TWO tires is cheaper than FOUR. Oil changes were not every 600 miles...more like 3,000 miles. If you go synthetic, probably 5,000 miles. Some of the reasoning above is wack. Buy what makes you happy and increases your overall mileage.

Think about some of the other "scooter" out there...there are 500cc with full front fairing and comfortable seats and luggage space (that is what you will be looking for in a very short time).

Small CC engines need rebuilt sooner than large touring bike engines. A 600CC motor can easily go 50K miles. But after that it's who knows when it blows.

The 4 cyclinder inline fours race bikes can have a less of a life if rev the **** out of them. I've had a few. My 600's could get 30-60 mpg depending on how it was riden. At 30mpg, I'm sure you have an idea.

Some of your big BMW R series or GS 1100 can over 100K without a rebuild. For that many miles, I'd look for a touring type bike.

I ride a Triumph Tiger 955i. It get's 45mpg. If you wanted you could change the gear and get 55 no problem. These are fantastic machines that can run well over 50K with little maintenance. For the distance you're riding, better get something that easy on you. The 600 rice rockets suck after 75miles.

Why not have a windshield, heated grips, top bag, saddle bag, GPS and nice soft seat?

Honestly, sport bikes are not comfprtable for long rides...I regeared...raised the handlebars a bit...added a Givi windscreen that was taller...and totally marsee baggged the bike. It was useful...more than stock...but day to day commutes would have been a real pain in the a s s...literally. Test ride, Test ride and the Test ride...even bikes you don't think you would like. Get a feel for the seating position...handlebar ergonomics...weight on your wrists...ect. You will come to the same conclusion. Weather protection...Comfort for extended miles...Tank size...and...usable secure storage space will be the deciding factors.

Definitely looked for some great used deals...someone who thought they wanted a bike but then changed thier minds. You can find some great deals out there!