Consumer Reports: And the least reliable motorcycle brand is... !!!
02-18-14, 08:21 AM
#1
Consumer Reports: And the least reliable motorcycle brand is... !!!
BMW is #1.
And not in a good way...
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Lesson on the Day: Buy a Ducati.
And not in a good way...
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Is Harley-Davidson the Worst Motorcycle Money Can Buy?
By Rich Smith
February 17, 2014
Is Harley-Davidson the worst motorcycle money can buy? Let's get this out of the way right now. No.
It's actually the second worst.
At least, according to Consumer Reports.
Long a recognized authority on automotive quality and value for your money in cars, Consumer Reports began branching out to reviewing motorcycles last year, publishing its first-ever report on the most reliable motorcycles from five of the biggest brands -- Harley, BMW (NASDAQOTH: BAMXY ) , Honda (NYSE: HMC ) , Kawasaki, and Yamaha. (Polaris' (NYSE: PII ) Victory and Indian brands had apparently not made enough of a dent in the market to attract CR's attention by the time of the survey.) What CR discovered from its research is that quality varies "significantly" among brands -- and the best brand, Yamaha, is about six times more reliable than the worst, BMW.
Only about one Yamaha bike in 10 has experienced a major problem or required a serious repair over the past four years, according to the 4,424 motorcycle owners surveyed by CR. In contrast, about one BMW motorcycle in three has suffered from such a complaint -- and one Harley in four. Here's how the numbers break down:
Subtler variations in vehicle reliability were found within brands as well. CR categorized them according to "class" of motorcycle, noting that touring motorcycles were most problematic, and cruisers the least. This may have something to do with the fact that, according to CR, "accessories" were the most common problems encountered with bikes. Touring bikes, being designed for comfort in long-distance travel, are likely to be outfitted with more bells and whistles than a standard motorcycle -- and therefore have more accessories on them that can break.
Again, the numbers:
The good news here is that Consumer Reports says major, big-ticket repairs were few and far between in its research. Regardless of bike and regardless of brand, only about 3% of all problems reported to CR involved a motorcycle's engine, only 3% a transmission, and only 7% a clutch. More common were issues with a vehicle's brakes or electrical or fuel system, and, as already mentioned, with the accessories. Overall, CR noted that about 75% of the repairs reported to it were performed for $200 or less.
What it means to you
That last fact, the low cost of repairing most motorcycle fix-its, may be the really important news for Harley-Davidson shareholders.
It may help to explain why -- Harley's weak performance on the survey notwithstanding -- CR says Harley owners remain the most brand-loyal of all motorcycle owners, with an astounding 75% saying yes, they'd buy a Harley again. The occasional small repair bill may simply be a price they're willing to pay for owning the most famous name in motorcycles. (And it probably doesn't hurt that Harley goes the extra mile to take care of its customers when an issue with one of its bikes does arise.)
In turn, the remarkable brand loyalty of Harley-Davidson customers may help to explain why, of the publicly traded motorcycle makers on the survey, Harley carries the highest price-to-earnings ratio, selling for nearly 20 times trailing earnings. Whether that P/E ratio can bear the scrutiny now that Consumer Reports has put a bull's-eye on Harley-Davidson, though, remains to be seen.
By Rich Smith
February 17, 2014
Is Harley-Davidson the worst motorcycle money can buy? Let's get this out of the way right now. No.
It's actually the second worst.
At least, according to Consumer Reports.
Long a recognized authority on automotive quality and value for your money in cars, Consumer Reports began branching out to reviewing motorcycles last year, publishing its first-ever report on the most reliable motorcycles from five of the biggest brands -- Harley, BMW (NASDAQOTH: BAMXY ) , Honda (NYSE: HMC ) , Kawasaki, and Yamaha. (Polaris' (NYSE: PII ) Victory and Indian brands had apparently not made enough of a dent in the market to attract CR's attention by the time of the survey.) What CR discovered from its research is that quality varies "significantly" among brands -- and the best brand, Yamaha, is about six times more reliable than the worst, BMW.
Only about one Yamaha bike in 10 has experienced a major problem or required a serious repair over the past four years, according to the 4,424 motorcycle owners surveyed by CR. In contrast, about one BMW motorcycle in three has suffered from such a complaint -- and one Harley in four. Here's how the numbers break down:
Subtler variations in vehicle reliability were found within brands as well. CR categorized them according to "class" of motorcycle, noting that touring motorcycles were most problematic, and cruisers the least. This may have something to do with the fact that, according to CR, "accessories" were the most common problems encountered with bikes. Touring bikes, being designed for comfort in long-distance travel, are likely to be outfitted with more bells and whistles than a standard motorcycle -- and therefore have more accessories on them that can break.
Again, the numbers:
The good news here is that Consumer Reports says major, big-ticket repairs were few and far between in its research. Regardless of bike and regardless of brand, only about 3% of all problems reported to CR involved a motorcycle's engine, only 3% a transmission, and only 7% a clutch. More common were issues with a vehicle's brakes or electrical or fuel system, and, as already mentioned, with the accessories. Overall, CR noted that about 75% of the repairs reported to it were performed for $200 or less.
What it means to you
That last fact, the low cost of repairing most motorcycle fix-its, may be the really important news for Harley-Davidson shareholders.
It may help to explain why -- Harley's weak performance on the survey notwithstanding -- CR says Harley owners remain the most brand-loyal of all motorcycle owners, with an astounding 75% saying yes, they'd buy a Harley again. The occasional small repair bill may simply be a price they're willing to pay for owning the most famous name in motorcycles. (And it probably doesn't hurt that Harley goes the extra mile to take care of its customers when an issue with one of its bikes does arise.)
In turn, the remarkable brand loyalty of Harley-Davidson customers may help to explain why, of the publicly traded motorcycle makers on the survey, Harley carries the highest price-to-earnings ratio, selling for nearly 20 times trailing earnings. Whether that P/E ratio can bear the scrutiny now that Consumer Reports has put a bull's-eye on Harley-Davidson, though, remains to be seen.
Lesson on the Day: Buy a Ducati.
02-18-14, 08:45 AM
#2
Why should the BMW bikes be any different than their cars? If you want a vehicle to be reliable and have a long term low cost of ownership, you do not buy a BMW. I used to be the sales manager at a motorcycle dealership and people would always ask me what the most reliable bike was. Without calling out any particular brand in a negative way, I would always reply that if you were to totally neglect and abuse a motorcycle for years, the one that would keep on ticking would typically be a Honda. I feel the same way about Toyota products when discussing four-wheeled transportation. What is surprising is that BMW scored worse than H-D.
02-18-14, 12:09 PM
#4
Out of Warranty
Triumph, and other Britbikes like BSA and Royal Enfield were probably not much worse than their contemporaries as far as reliability was concerned. Harleys always seemed to drip oil, sling grease, and slobber oil past the rings, but they RAN. The ruling British marques had a bit more difficulty with that. It was kind of a motorcycle thing when I started riding in the mid-to-late '50's.
Back then, bikes were pretty unsophisticated - unless you went for the REALLY expensive marques. I remember a friend having a Zundapp that was a precision German machine even if it was a 2-stroke . . . and it was a maintenance nightmare. A LOT of foreign bikes were 2-strokes back in the '60's and '70's because they made a lot of power out of limited displacement. Remember most foreign bikes were taxed on displacement - like their cars, so getting the max power out of a few cc's was important.
Years later I would ride another friends' late '60's 360 Jawa (Czechoslovakian) bike that was oddly styled, kinda crude, but dead reliable and a terrific cruiser. Of course today, what with electric starters, fuel injection and computerized ignition systems, they're all pretty sophisticated in comparison to those bikes of 40+ years ago . . . a friend rides his Victory ten miles to work practically every day and is still amazed that it's been trouble free for the past two years - at about half the price of a Harley. Frankly, I'm surprised, but in a good way.
Back then, bikes were pretty unsophisticated - unless you went for the REALLY expensive marques. I remember a friend having a Zundapp that was a precision German machine even if it was a 2-stroke . . . and it was a maintenance nightmare. A LOT of foreign bikes were 2-strokes back in the '60's and '70's because they made a lot of power out of limited displacement. Remember most foreign bikes were taxed on displacement - like their cars, so getting the max power out of a few cc's was important.
Years later I would ride another friends' late '60's 360 Jawa (Czechoslovakian) bike that was oddly styled, kinda crude, but dead reliable and a terrific cruiser. Of course today, what with electric starters, fuel injection and computerized ignition systems, they're all pretty sophisticated in comparison to those bikes of 40+ years ago . . . a friend rides his Victory ten miles to work practically every day and is still amazed that it's been trouble free for the past two years - at about half the price of a Harley. Frankly, I'm surprised, but in a good way.
02-18-14, 03:31 PM
#7
Last edited by mikersoft; 02-18-14 at 03:37 PM.
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02-18-14, 05:37 PM
#9
Hmmm, what issue of CR was that? I get the magazine and I don't recall any mc tests. Although I don't disagree with the ratings of the bikes. I've owned several Hondas and Harleys and all have been flawless.
I bought my current Harley in August, 2002, and not a single thing has broken on it. I have only changed fluids and tires and brake pads. However, mine is a CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) where three senior techs build the whole bike rather than an assembly line operation. So I'm sure it was built better than the normal Harley.
Triumph did go defunct at some point, but they are making them again. I bought my first, and only, Triumph Bonneville in 1971 in London. Drove it around the continent for two months and then had it shipped back to the US. The best two months of my life. And as a bonus I met my wife to be in London at the end of my trip. I no longer have the Bonneville, but I still do have my wife!
I bought my current Harley in August, 2002, and not a single thing has broken on it. I have only changed fluids and tires and brake pads. However, mine is a CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) where three senior techs build the whole bike rather than an assembly line operation. So I'm sure it was built better than the normal Harley.
Triumph did go defunct at some point, but they are making them again. I bought my first, and only, Triumph Bonneville in 1971 in London. Drove it around the continent for two months and then had it shipped back to the US. The best two months of my life. And as a bonus I met my wife to be in London at the end of my trip. I no longer have the Bonneville, but I still do have my wife!
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