It’s all good having a motorcycle with ‘soul’ and ‘character’, but when those words are a kind way to say ‘unreliable’, things will probably not remain fun for long. Today, there isn’t a truly unreliable motorcycle on sale, but when you want to keep your motorcycle for a long time, reliability factors into the purchase decision.
You need a motorcycle that won’t need much more than the regular preventive maintenance, and should spares be needed, they will need to be available easily, and priced well. Bonus points if it is engineered to be easy enough to service yourself at home. With all these conditions in mind, here are ten motorcycles that marry low maintenance with high mileage potential.
Honda XR650L
Price: $6,999
The XR650L has soldiered on for a few decades with no changes at all. It does not need them because the audience knows exactly what it is, with its good as well as bad points. This is a carbureted, air-cooled, single-cylinder motorcycle. It does have a few interesting features, like a dry sump for the engine. This gives it great ground clearance. Honda moved the oil tank to the spine of the cradle frame. This helps keep the oil cool as well.
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Engine Type |
Single cylinder |
|
Displacement |
644 cc |
|
Max Power |
43.6 HP @ 6,000 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
38.2 LB-FT @ 5,000 RPM |
Kawasaki KLR650
Price: $6,999
The KLR 650 might have started life as a dual sport, but it has slowly but surely evolved into a low-cost, low-maintenance adventure motorcycle. Sure, it is relatively slow, and it has a lot of vibrations, but it is quite indestructible. Another point in its favor is that the aftermarket support for it is enormous and not too expensive. There are a couple of useful options, like ABS that cost $200.
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Engine Type |
Single cylinder |
|
Displacement |
651 cc |
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Max Power |
42.1 HP @ 7,000 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
34.7 LB-FT @ 5,000 RPM |
Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650
Price: $7,899
The Super Meteor 650 is a great effort from Royal Enfield. It is based on the INT 650 platform and has an air-cooled SOHC parallel-twin engine with a 270-degree crank. This gives it very good torque and character. But the chassis and looks elevate it to a great motorcycle because not only does it look the part, it is also extremely enjoyable to ride. This is a great first modern multi-cylinder cruiser from the brand. Make sure you get the touring seat if you are going to cover big miles on it.
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Engine Type |
270° I2 |
|
Displacement |
648 cc |
|
Max Power |
47 HP @ 7,250 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
38.6 LB-FT @ 5,650 RPM |
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Suzuki SV650 ABS
Price: $8,149
The SV650 soldiers on in its original avatar because it does not need to change anything. It looks great, the V-twin engine is thoroughly enjoyable, and it is always ready to play. Suzuki has added ABS to it, which makes it safer. While emission norms might catch up with it in the near future, we hope Suzuki gives it a comprehensive makeover and adds features like a slipper clutch and TFT display. We do not want to see the last V-twin in the segment die out!
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Engine Type |
90° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
645 cc |
|
Max Power |
73 HP @ 8,500 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
47.2 LB-FT @ 8,100 RPM |
Yamaha MT-07
Price: $8,599
The MT-07 is one of the simpler motorcycles in its segment. It does not make much power, but it hangs its hat on lightness. It is definitely one of the most enjoyable motorcycles to ride and one of the most reliable, with some examples known to cross 100,000 miles. A recent update gave it better looks and more features, like a five-inch TFT display with Bluetooth and navigation. We do hope that sometime in the future, Yamaha brings the Y-AMT automatic gearbox to the US market as well.
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Engine Type |
270° I2 |
|
Displacement |
689 cc |
|
Max Power |
73.4 HP @ 8,750 RPM |
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Max Torque |
50 LB-FT @ 6,500 RPM |
Honda Shadow Phantom
Price: $8,699
The Shadow Phantom remains one of the most reliable vehicles on sale today. The recent addition of a rear disc brake means that the ABS is dual-channel. But everything else remains as it was when it launched a couple of decades ago, other than minor cosmetic updates: the all-analog instrumentation, twin rear shocks, shaft drive, and V-twin engine with three valves per cylinder are all unchanged. Despite the low torque and power outputs, this is quite fun to ride.
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Engine Type |
52° V-twin |
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Displacement |
745 cc |
|
Max Power |
44.9 HP @ 5,500 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
47.9 LB-FT @ 3,500 RPM |
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Kawasaki Vulcan 900
Price: $9,599
The Vulcan 900 was born out of Kawasaki’s desire to provide an alternative to Harley-Davidson 20 years ago, and it did so quite well. The Vulcan 900 has a V-twin engine with liquid cooling, fuel injection, and belt drive. You can even have it in one of three different flavors: the Classic has, as the name suggests, elements like whitewall tires and spoke rims. The Vulcan 900 LT has soft luggage and a bolt-on windscreen, which allows it to become a light tourer. And finally, the Vulcan 900 Custom has drag-bike styling. That means a blacked-out look, alloy wheels with a massive 21-inch front rim, and drag-style handlebars.
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Engine Type |
55° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
903 cc |
|
Max Power |
50 HP @ 5,700 RPM |
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Max Torque |
58.2 LB-FT @ 3,500 RPM |
Harley-Davidson Street Bob
Price: $14,999
The Street Bob is the entry point to the quintessential Harley experience. This is the most affordable Harley with a steel frame and the air-cooled Milwaukee-Eight engine. It has modern things as well, like a six-speed gearbox, cruise control, a six-axis IMU, by-wire throttle, and all-LED lighting. Its engineering is also excellent. The mature platform and power plant offer reliability that would have been unheard of from Milwaukee a few decades ago.
|
Engine Type |
45° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,917 cc |
|
Max Power |
98 HP @ 4,600 RPM |
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Max Torque |
120 LB-FT @ 2,500 RPM |
Suzuki V-Strom 1050DE
Price: $16,449
Another Suzuki, another 90-degree V-twin. But this time, it is in an adventure bike, the V-Strom 1050DE. It has other anachronisms like an aluminum twin-spar chassis. This makes it a little heavier than its competition, but it also makes it so much better on tarmac. Its electronics are bang up to date with a by-wire throttle, six-axis IMU, two-way quickshifter and cruise control, plus the hydraulically assisted slipper clutch. There is just one change we want: we would want the front spoke rim to be able to fit a tubeless tire just like the rear does.
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Engine Type |
90° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,037 cc |
|
Max Power |
107.4 HP @ 8,500 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
73.7 LB-FT @ 6,000 RPM |
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Harley-Davidson Heritage Classic
Price: $19,999
The Heritage Classic is a great mix of traditional Harley-Davidson looks and modern tech. Harley has even managed a sub-$20,000 base price with the judicious deletion of features. If you would like to go riding with a pillion, for example, you will have to add the pillion seat and foot pegs back via the options list. We’d also pick the two-tone paint and spoke rims from the options list. Under the beautiful retro skin, it has a by-wire throttle, six-axis IMU, and Harley’s full electronics suite, so safety is top-notch. What more could you possibly want?
|
Engine Type |
45° V-twin |
|
Displacement |
1,917 cc |
|
Max Power |
98 HP @ 4,600 RPM |
|
Max Torque |
120 LB-FT @ 2,500 RPM |
Sources: Harley-Davidson USA, Honda PowerSports, Suzuki Cycles