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·For a air cooled dual sport bike, what is the common/typical life span, in miles, before engine or trans rebuild ?
Too many factors..some people change the oil, other people dont. Some people baby them and others ride them hard. I have seen many pristine 87 models and ive also seen 2006's that have been trashed. Somehow i dont think i answered your question![]()
Qwerty has posted that he has 46k, with no rebuilds. I can easily see that if you know how to take care of it.
I don't know why heat and engine speed are so rarely mentioned when it comes to lifespans. If you run the thing near red line in lower gears at low speeds doing hill climbs or something in high temperatures you'd be damn lucky to get even 10k. If you run it like I do, always 80 degrees or below, cruising the road at no more than 55 mph or so it should easily see 50k with good maintenance.
The faster it runs, the faster it wears out. Don't run it at 8000+ all day long, mine feels best at 5000-6500, which is about 40-55 mph with 14/47 gearing.
The hotter it runs, the faster it wears out. High internal temps put more stress on the parts.
Keeping it at 35-55 mph for air-cooling is optimal.
Those are some good simple tips to remember if you want it to last as long as possible. Of course if you can afford to buy a new TW every year(used isn't too costly) screw what I said and have fun beating the hell out of it!
My 2020 TW could easily be like a "barn find" hand-me-down to my grandson (he's 2 now!) Put an older older model beside a newer one and I can easily see that Yamaha's vision has more than likely been, that if they have a good thing going, why muck it up? I am 68yrs old and I have a whole lot of fun on mine. I guess, being old school, I just had to buy the carburated version and I carry a rebuild kit in my tool bag. No problems so far!Qwerty has posted that he has 46k, with no rebuilds. I can easily see that if you know how to take care of it.
I don't know why heat and engine speed are so rarely mentioned when it comes to lifespans. If you run the thing near red line in lower gears at low speeds doing hill climbs or something in high temperatures you'd be damn lucky to get even 10k. If you run it like I do, always 80 degrees or below, cruising the road at no more than 55 mph or so it should easily see 50k with good maintenance.
The faster it runs, the faster it wears out. Don't run it at 8000+ all day long, mine feels best at 5000-6500, which is about 40-55 mph with 14/47 gearing.
The hotter it runs, the faster it wears out. High internal temps put more stress on the parts.
Keeping it at 35-55 mph for air-cooling is optimal.
Those are some good simple tips to remember if you want it to last as long as possible. Of course if you can afford to buy a new TW every year(used isn't too costly) screw what I said and have fun beating the hell out of it!
For a air cooled dual sport bike, what is the common/typical life span, in miles, before engine or trans rebuild ?
Curious how often you changed the oil, and if it was off-road dusty conditions.This thread was started in 2011. My answer to the question though is 42,000 miles. That's around when I had to do a valve job, timing guides and a carb overhaul.
I'm about at 28k with no rebuild anywhere in sight. But the previous owner used it as a small commuter so, pretty cushy life before me I'd say.I did mention use (ride hard or ride easy) as one of the factors of engine wear. It is my opinion that 50k without a top end rebuild is highly unlikely even with very easy use and perfect maintenance, although not necessarily impossible. Apparently Qwerty is almost there...? And I know there's a guy who has at least 70k by now, but has also done at least two rebuilds.