Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Reliabilty

Alright now the big question Is the Speedmaster a reliable bike>>
Reading through the forums is a bit like hanging out in a ER you see a lot of sick people. So I know that alot of people come here when things go wrong.
But how would the spm compare to HD or metric??

I have had my 06 Speedy since new. I probally don't ride her too hard most of the time. I have always had her serviced at the Dealership where I bought her although sometimes a little late. The only problem I have ever had with her is just recently and that was only the battery needed replacing, which is pretty normal for her age.

Never owned a Hardly but had plenty of jap bikes some of which have given me a lot of problems.

I would seriously recomend a Speedy or an America to you if you like the style of bike, the way she handles and how they make you feel. Mine has been extremely reliable which was your enquiry. After making some modifications I managed to gain some power as well which is very nice.

Go for it.

Overall I think they are very reliable. See how many miles people have on there bikes.A lot of the problems are from people modifing them.How many problems are major,as a whole not that many.I ran into a guy the other day had a VTX Honda 2005,excellant shape,he only had 3500 miles on it,it should be like new. My 2005 has over 65,000 miles.Yes I have changed the tires,chains,brakes,and oil a few times.This is called normal wear and maintence. The rejetting several times,the need to do it,had changed intake and exhaust.Other maintence,mods I did.Some people have logged over 100,000 on there engines without a tear down. I got a friend with a 1999 Yamaha,yes he does not have a lot of miles,something like 24,000, but yes he has had electrical problems,fuel problems,drive shaft problems among other little things. So all the makes do have electrical problems here and there. Compared to the first Triumphs they are much improved,did I say vastily improved,I ment I trust these bikes as a whole,my 1978 Triumph I did not trust,and I always carried tools. These bikes are modern and updated.Reliable,yes as a whole,not perfect,but nothing is.

I've found my speedy to be there everytime I needed. Never had a problem, only got 5k on it but still. Rides greats, looks awesome and gets me where I need to go.

I think the CDI and coils are the real Achilles heels of the bike, at least the older bikes. Luckily there are aftermarket replacements now for those components. And I went over 50k in 8 years before I had problems with either.

109,000 K,s now new coils and CDI That's it
Oil change every 6000 or 7000 K,s
Best bike i have ever had

I bought my TBA largely on the reliability issue(well, the looks helped of course as did the fact that I dont want a bike with more than 2 cylinders and my Beloved refused to ride on a Jap bike-but the reliability was the clincher). A search on the net will always turn up the occasional horror story but very, very few on these bikes. The engine is known to be a willing workhorse ,capable of large mileages without major surgery.
If you're not sure - try any of the HD forums and just look at the stuff these guys have to contend with(Oh,Lord , believe me-I've been there.)
I do a large mileage on my bike all year round so bought a new TBA in June....lets hope I dont have to eat these words in the future!

Al

Came to Triumph from Yamaha's (V-Star 650 and V-Star 950). My Yamaha's were excellent machines, but the 650's shaft drive was prone to failure. Mine never failed but I did 2.5 hours of maintenance on the shaft drive system annually to prevent failures. My 950 was so low it couldn't lean in corners.

While both our Speedmasters are still relatively new, neither has required repairs. My 2010 needed a new front tire as it was out of round, but that's about it. Have 9000 km on that bike now. My wife's 2007 (bought new a year ago) has had the tachometer fog up and leave marks on the glass. That will be a warranty replacement.

They don't use any oil, and they are an absolute hoot to ride.

H.

04 Speedmaster with 25,000 and 04 America with about 15,000 miles on them. Both have been trouble free, just regular maintenance. We rode our bikes to Florida and back this summer, about 3,000 miles total with the running around down there included. Rode through heavy rains here and there, neither bike ever skipped a beat. When I first got my SM we rode 2 up in heavy rain to Laconia NH rode there for a week then home again in blistering heat. We got burned but the bikes never skipped a beat (my friend was on an America) I have done many other rides too and would think nothing of hopping on our bikes to ride anywhere. Yellowstone park is in the near future when I can swing the time and cost.

Thanks everyone-mind is at ease now

My SM was bought new 3/08 and I have 12K miles on it. Just oil changes/filters, chain maintenance and a check on the valves at 12K and that is it. Keep it clean and check everything carefully before you ride out and it will take you where you want to go and back without a hiccup.

Best investment I made was a bike jack to make oil changes and washing and chain maintenance very easy. An oil change and filter cost about $30 and I can do it in 30 mins. Chain cleaning and relube about 5 mins and very cheap.

Compared to the HD's I have had in the past this bike is a very reliable and easy to keep machine.