From: ramarren@apple.com (Godfrey DiGiorgi)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: More amusing BMW trivia... (christmas continues)
Date: 8 Jan 93 16:50:03 GMT
Followup-To: rec.motorcycles
Organization: Apple Computer

In article <C0HL6C.58p@news.udel.edu>, andersen@me.udel.edu (Stephen
Andersen) wrote:
> 
> In article <C0Gp6M.796@news.cso.uiuc.edu> bruce@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (Bruce Krueger) writes:
> >chris@triage.UUCP (Wheres my 650TT2 Ducati) writes:
> >>"You mean like admitting to the fact that nothing in this world is more
> >>passionate, more soul stirring, more FUN over a twisty road than an Italian
> >>motorcycle?"
> >   *******
> >   try doing a thousand mile day on a japanese bike.  ..or, for that matter,
> >   going a thousand miles without needing a tuneup on a duc.  a fully loaded
> >   R60/5 was just fine on the blue ridge parkway (speaking of twisty roads),
> >   as well as a lot of stuff that made that look like an interstate in 
> >   west kansas.  also, I've got news for you:  you don't need a PD to go
> >Blather deleted...
> 
> Just to add some fuel to this fire...
[more Ducati adulation to follow...]

In 1979, I took my homely old Ducati 750GT for a nice little 7,000 mile 
trot from Riverside, California to New York City via Zion, Utah-Flagstaff,
Az-Albuquerque, NM-Denver, CO-Chicago, IL-Sault Ste. Marie, Canada-Hudson
Bay, Canada-Putney, Vermont. The old kid did delightful service on about
800 miles of dirt roads, up and down mountains, carried at one point 3 
people and excavating gear for a log cabin foundation we were building in
Vermont. Total maintenance for trip: 4 oil changes, 2 valve adjustments,
one set of tires, one chain. There were many 800-1000 mile days as I had
no money and no time.

Then in 1981, another 8,000-10,000 mile trip doing a southern route
across the USA (through Blue Ridge parkway, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico,
Carlsbad Caverns, Albuquerque, Najaho land, Ogden Utah, Snake River ID, 
Washington, Oregon desert and cascades and through most of northern
California mountains) was made on the same bike. Again, about 5 oil changes
3 valve adjustments (this was a spring valve motor, btw, not a desmo)
another chain and set of tires). I'm sure I checked the timing before I
left on the trip, but it had never changed so a little cleanup and lube
were all I did beyond the oil changes and valve adjustments.There were many

800-1000 mile days as I had no money and no time.

At this point, he needed a valve job having accumulated about 60,000 miles.
Everything else in the motor was in fine shape. I sold him five or six
thouand
miles after that; last I heard, he had over 100,000 miles and was still
running strong. 

My Hondas, while not put to the test of such extended road excursions, 
have never required anything but normal (minimal) maintenance. (I might
buy my brother's 11 year old 900F in NY this summer and ride it to 
california, so I'll test that soon.) I have ridden the Hondas on weekend
journeys of up to 2300 miles duration with absolutely no maintenance at
all.

Neither of my two BMWs ever operated with such faithful reliability and 
tended to require more intrusive maintenance at frequent intervals (lessee:
one of them, on a 16,000 mile tour, required three seperate bouts of
welding
repair, a few bolts just pulled right out of the engine and had to be re-
tapped/drilled/replaced, both bikes seemed to always screw up the idle
and need the timing checked every couple of thousand miles, and of course
the clack of valvegear can nearly drive one to distraction :).
------------------------------------------------------------------
Godfrey DiGiorgi - ramarren@apple.com  | DoD #0493      AMA#489408
 Rule #1: Never sell a Ducati.         | "The street finds its own
 Rule #2: Always obey Rule #1.         |  uses for things." -WG
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