My new bike 9 years & 100,000km later

[BigB]

So I’ve had the blackbird for 9 years and just clocked up 100,000km and still love it.

I’ve have been all over New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff and a lot of places in between, much of it solo but also many trips with the wife. The Blackbird is a fantastic all round bike allowing me to have loads of fun on my own or riding two up. It has been on numerous Kiwibiker group rides from doing the Coro loop “race track” to weekends away and the infamous South Auckland Thursday night rides (never once incurring the attention of the law enforcement brigade until like its cousin in the North). It has allowed me to meet some amazing kiwibikers, also some who were just a pain in the ass and you wished would just shut up……. but that’s the joys of an open forum.

Anyway back to the bike.

Over the years there have been a few modifications

• Rider Custom seat
• Givi Top Box
• Ohlin’s Rear Spring
• Yoshimura Slip on exhaust
• Scott Oiler
• Pyramid Double Bubble screen
• Pyramid Rear Hugger
• Mirror Arm Extenders
• Radiator Guard

So the first photo is from the day we got the bike to what it looks like now with the changes. I have no plans to sell the bike as I still love it and it does everything I need

cheers

[AllanB]

Very good effort. Just run-in?

[GrayWolf]

100,00km in 9 years? Wow so that's a little over 10k a year......

Ive had mine 2.5yrs and its on 60k..... can I start a thread about it????





Yeh, so I am feeling a bit 'sarcy' this arvo, my trip to NP got fucked up...

[Maha]

I have had six bikes in that time, you are one of a small group that has not changed bikes since the day I joined the site. Must feel great when the urge not to change is less frequent.
Awesome stuff Brian.
I remember that huge ride to Okororie we did years ago, you had to show us they way through the back roads to Matamata.. nothing new on my earlier rides

[G4L4XY]

Glad to see she's still going strong and in such good nick.

[nzspokes]

Thats very cool. Nice bike.

[SMOKEU]

Have you ever binned it?

[caspernz]

Nice bike you've got

Have always like the Blackbird myself, just never owned one. Cool to see tasteful and sensible mods made.

The joy of long term ownership, yep I get that

[BigB]

Have you ever binned it?

Yes touch wood only once on the way to work

$5500 later it was back to new only took 3 months for the parts to arrive....

[Big Dog]

I only managed 70,000 in 9 years of Hayabusa ownership. But it was only an only bike for 2.5 years.
Financial misfortune is the only reason I didn't put 30,000 on it every year. 36,000 was in one year when my coffers were a little more full. Only using it for fun rides sure cuts the kms. If I had more money now she would still be in the shed and is still be putting 10,000 a year on, multi bike bug has bit. I spread the workload these days.

Nothing quite compares to being excited every time you see your bike.
1000kms a year or 100000. Especially when you already have 100000 on it like my old Kawasaki. That took me 14 months.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[SMOKEU]

Yes touch wood only once on the way to work

$5500 later it was back to new only took 3 months for the parts to arrive....

Ouch! Did you have insurance fix it, or did it have to come out of your own pocket?

That sounds like quite a high repair bill. Was it repaired only with OEM parts?

[Muppet]

Good thread.

So I’ve had the blackbird for 9 years and just clocked up 100,000km and still love it.

I’ve have been all over New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff and a lot of places in between, much of it solo but also many trips with the wife. The Blackbird is a fantastic all round bike allowing me to have loads of fun on my own or riding two up. It has been on numerous Kiwibiker group rides from doing the Coro loop “race track” to weekends away and the infamous South Auckland Thursday night rides (never once incurring the attention of the law enforcement brigade until like its cousin in the North). It has allowed me to meet some amazing kiwibikers, also some who were just a pain in the ass and you wished would just shut up……. but that’s the joys of an open forum.

Anyway back to the bike.

Over the years there have been a few modifications

• Rider Custom seat
• Givi Top Box
• Ohlin’s Rear Spring
• Yoshimura Slip on exhaust
• Scott Oiler
• Pyramid Double Bubble screen
• Pyramid Rear Hugger
• Mirror Arm Extenders
• Radiator Guard

So the first photo is from the day we got the bike to what it looks like now with the changes. I have no plans to sell the bike as I still love it and it does everything I need

cheers

[R650R]

Well done. I took 14 and a half years to put 100,000 on the GSXR, was overseas (parked up storage) for nearly four years of that though. And a large portion of that was working six days a week at night so little time to ride.
Funny as income level/standard of living risen have ridden less. Used to easily do 25-30k year on other bikes back when had no car and only on about $10hr etc... even 'afforded' to go clubmans racing Manfield lol...
Its an interesting relationship you have with a machine when you keep it that long, there's lots of near misses/front end saves etc that I wonder if I'd gotten away with had I not known bike so well.

[cheshirecat]

Did 75,000 miles over three years on a VF500, mainly London riding. 2 clutches (changed by the curbside), 3 sets of pads and oil changes, otherwise bike intact aside from London grubbiness.

[Blackbird]

Hi Brian,

Great to see that you've still got the 'bird. It's still one of the great mile-munchers and has legendary reliability. Some of the guys on the UK BIRD forum are well over 200,000 miles with little more than a cam chain tensioner change in terms of engine work. Had mine for 8 years and it's still the best all-round bike I ever had. You might be interested in the reviews that 2 of my riding partners did on theirs - I'm sure you'll agree with their views! http://geoffjames.blogspot.co.nz/201...-bikes_18.html

Cheers,

Geoff