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Been doing a little shopping to find what will probably be my last bike. I'm putting more emphasis on how easy the bike will be to work on since I really don't want to deal with mechanics anymore.
I like the new Kawasaki retro 900's, the Suzuki GSXS1000, the Honda Interceptor and the Yamaha FZ9. However, they all have the "shim under bucket" design now and that (to me) makes a basic maintenance item like valve clearance adjustments, a pain. I thought the Suzuki valve design would be the exception but Suzuki's have changed. So I checked out the 1250 which didn't require cam removal but the Suzuki website only listed 2016 as the latest model. So I assume the GSXS (standard) has replaced the 1250? I was fairly set to accept the 1250's blah looks because I've heard it's an otherwise great bike.
So it appears all the Japanese (and others?) have gone to the shim under bucket design? The new bikes are so much harder to work on with the lack of space and having to tear the bike apart, just to inspect/adjust the valve clearances. I'm not alone with my distrust of mechanics doing work like this so owning a bike I can't work on isn't an option.
I was planning on selling both my '07 ZX14 and my '79 GS1000E if I could find a good replacement bike to ride into my mid-70's and then hang 'em up. Now I may have to just keep the GS and see how it goes. The GS is in great shape but I really wanted to have that peace of mind a new bike provides on long trips.
Are there any brands out there that are still easier to work on and reliable as the Japanese?
I like the new Kawasaki retro 900's, the Suzuki GSXS1000, the Honda Interceptor and the Yamaha FZ9. However, they all have the "shim under bucket" design now and that (to me) makes a basic maintenance item like valve clearance adjustments, a pain. I thought the Suzuki valve design would be the exception but Suzuki's have changed. So I checked out the 1250 which didn't require cam removal but the Suzuki website only listed 2016 as the latest model. So I assume the GSXS (standard) has replaced the 1250? I was fairly set to accept the 1250's blah looks because I've heard it's an otherwise great bike.
So it appears all the Japanese (and others?) have gone to the shim under bucket design? The new bikes are so much harder to work on with the lack of space and having to tear the bike apart, just to inspect/adjust the valve clearances. I'm not alone with my distrust of mechanics doing work like this so owning a bike I can't work on isn't an option.
I was planning on selling both my '07 ZX14 and my '79 GS1000E if I could find a good replacement bike to ride into my mid-70's and then hang 'em up. Now I may have to just keep the GS and see how it goes. The GS is in great shape but I really wanted to have that peace of mind a new bike provides on long trips.
Are there any brands out there that are still easier to work on and reliable as the Japanese?
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