How simple or complex is your m/c?

[bugjuice]

I have helped work on some bikes that are a real mare to do anything with, but then look how much they're trying to cram into a small space..

I've had the farings off mine, and I actually think mine has gone for the more simplistic approach. Everything you don't need is hidden, everything you need is generally easyish to get at. Saying that, I'm sure it can be a bitch like every other some time or another

[eliot-ness]

Mine's not too difficult to work on. A few things, like removing back wheel, could be easier. First reaction to technology is that it's unnecessarily complicated, outside the scope of the average biker and bloody expensive to repair. Second thoughts after looking at grease free unbroken finger nails, unopened tool kit, oil free engine, electric starter, spin on oil filters, etc, and 8,000ks maintainance period. Bloody brilliant. Old bikes were o.k. easy and cheap to work on, reliable if you kept up with maintainance and within the abilities of most bikers, but drying out a magneto at 5am in winter was never my idea of fun. Nor was electrical failure on a country road at midnight. Bikes now are faster, safer, and more reliable thanks to Jap technology. Wouldn't want to turn the clock back.
Second question. It used to be called "PISSED"
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Half the people you know are below average.

[Winston001]

I haven't owned many bikes over the years but the simplicity of my 20 yr old BMW still brings a smile to my face when I need to do something. The engineering design is brilliant. Most difficult task is changing the oil filter which either requires a hinged filter to get past the fairing, or move a piece of fairing.

Nothing wrong with technology but it does mean that with recent models, only authorised dealers with the right software can work on them.

[John]

Mines so complexed the bastard keeps breaking.

Mine has leaking tank injection and screwed bearing (brushes whatmyever) and new improved rust on the fork that broke another fork seal

EXCELLENT!
Who else likes to spend a crapload fixing your bastard *complex* bikes?

[Ixion]

The three I have at present are all pretty simple to work on, but they cover a good range of technogolly.

T500 , dead easy to work on , all there and naked. And no technonogically at all. Just a dead simple piston ported twosmoker, carbs and breaker points. Reliable as. And still turns in 50 odd bhp from 500cc. Not entirely convinced that we've actually made so much progress for all the complexity

Li'l ratty. Nice and easy to work on (how hard can a bikini faired single be ?). And not much techo there . CDI ignition and hydraulics but. I don't trust hydraulics.

Whale. Is actually not bad to work on, though some stuff you have to remove fairing bits. But that's quite easy , mostly just a couple of screws. Lots technomagical stuff though. Three letter acronyms all over . EFI CDI ABS it's a real alphabet soup. All very good so long as it keeps working , which it has to date. But I will shit myself iof anything ever goes wrong.

You can't beat two smokers for being nice and simple and turning in good hp/weight figures without a lot of high tech magic.

[Paul in NZ]

Moto Guzzi..

About as complicated as a rock and nearly as solid.

So simple even a hamfisted, dna deprived moron like me can work on it (once you have a copy of Guzziology and access to the interwebby thing)

Paul N

[vifferman]

T500 , dead easy to work on , all there and naked. And no technonogically at all. Just a dead simple piston ported twosmoker, carbs and breaker points. Reliable as.

Indeed.
I remember tuning the Elsinore: clean and gap the plug, use a cigarette paper to set the points opening, and adjust the mixture by turning the mixture screw so the pipe just started popping when decelerating. Almost sinful simplicity.

[Bonez]

Technology? , licorice starter...

So you start it with your tongue?

[dangerous]

Moto Guzzi..

About as complicated as a rock and nearly as solid.
Paul N

I second that.... 40min and I would have changed the diff, gear box and engine oils along with replacing the oil filter (no need to drop the sump on a 1100) and resetting the tappits (just have to remember that D= right & S= left) add another 15min to clean the air filter....... ohhhh and 10mins to stand there cursing the bloody silly sizes that the Iti's use (striped nuts/allans) and last of all 2mins to drink the beer while doing it all thats 1hr 7min's and the years service is done.

ps: and no fancy shit syn oils needed either 20/50 dino does it

[DingDong]

Just another combustion engine, tech makes them run faster and that forces the manufacture to be error free, which makes them cost more... but no more reliable.
What a rip!

[Waylander]

Does it count if in order to change the oil filter you have to dismantle the rear brake pedel and part of the frame?

[speights_bud]

Brother do i love my B.O.S suzuki A100! connect wire thingy's between spark plug, coil and alternator. throw a switch in the middle and chuck out everything else! Still seems to go quite nicely...

[Matt Bleck]

I'm with motu too. I like technology.

With out it we would probably still be riding 750 two strokes that don't want to stop.

But the packing could be better. Just to fill up the radiator I gotta take off the fairing!!

[Jeremy]

I don't think it can get much simpler than mine, though I suppose since it's got electric start that counts as semi complex, but really it couldn't get much simpler and still be legal.

[Motu]

The XLV750 was designed as a Paris/Dakar racer - they had 20mins in Park Ferme to do the days maintenance after riding all day.So it had shaft drive,that takes care of time consuming chain/sprocket changes,it had hydraulic tappets,strike that job out too,the oil filter was a spin on up high on the crankcase,no sweat to change,the air filter was on top of the tank...one screw,a half twist and it was out,pop another in,4 spark plugs on a V twin,but on each side of the head so easy to change.That's the sum total of the easy stuff - the wiring was a nightmare,pulling the headlamp off and then stuffing all the wires back in was like putting D tits into an A cup,but nowhere near as much fun,under the seat it was obvious why regulators and the twin CDI failed so often,you couldn't even see the things...although my later RF had the CDIs on the rear gaurd.

My XT400/600 is a throw back to a simpler age...except for doing anything to the stupid twin carbs.The DT230 is a ''simple'' two stroke....if you can find it under shrouds,shock resivours,boost bottles,helmholtz polips,power valve actuators etc,it's a prick to work on.