Everything, and everyone, will die.

I am not that sure Alibaba, the myth may remain and the memories are still serving us pretty well.Its like the Baja 1000 and the XR650R ,I am sure that many bikes are now better but should I do the Baja the XR650R will be my weapon of choice.The important factor is not what we drive but how much we enjoy the ride, Bemmer have been the mount of choice for many and still is,the KLR650 has the same reputation and still had the dooky problem and guess what ?,many still use it.I own many bikes with similar issue and to be honest I still enjoy the ride on my 1200 gs or my Xr.Now the everlasting response should be more can you fix it or do you have to rebuilt it, I was on ADV and you can find some post with GS rider way over 300000 Miles,now that great.

Possibly you can get over with a shaft failure if you carry spares , but what about clutch failure ? It's much easier to change wet clutch disks on Japanese bike than to change dry clutch on a BMW . And I think the wet clutch is more durable .

A dry-clutch should last more then 100kkm, it does not require any special tool to change it. It can be relined all over the third world and it’s not sensitive to “car”-oil.

Like a wet-clutch you can ruin it in one day.

Yes!!!!!
Yes!!!!!

My apols , I should have been more specific ,the crown wheel and pinion and their supporting bearing design did not change until the 1200 .
The swing arm design did change substantially of course .

__________________
Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

If you mean the 1100 from Texas ,it has about 420,000 miles on it now .
3 rear ends ,one gearbox rebuild and some engine work .It was maintained by a BMW mechanic and he used high quality synthetic oils .
This is exactly the sort of good reliability record that every BMW should achieve.

__________________
Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

A variety of answers.
But only one true answer

But firstly there is no everlasting bike, just:
>One thats cheap to rebuild completely
>One that has a good blood line where you can source spares for peanuts
>Or a one where you are too scared to ride it!

Honestly the realistic bike has to be the BMW K75...
Ive had one and it is remarkably well made, I put about 100,000miles on mine in a little over 3 years. Brought for £600 and sold for £400 with a total cost of repairs (not maintenance) of £900 including final drive shaft.
The K75 has a balances engine whereas the K1000 range diddnt (I'm fairly sure you can obtain a more technical explanation)

For those who want an off road K75, heres the solution.
Mototurisme Catalunya :: Veure tema - NOVA? BMW K75 GS


For the Singles I have an XT 600 and I feel that a single cylinder will require allot of maintenance and work in order to make it do these high mileages thus making it cost prohibitive, but there are a remarkable number of 20+ year old XT 600's around! So this should be on the list, Its also designed only around bits that serve a very simple purpose. Making it a phenomenally reliable bike
But a Twin is a better design for distance bikes, preferably water cooled

The BMW R800GS would be my best guess as a GS designed to last the distance, smaller power output for the exact same design means less wear and tear on parts.

Then theres these guys...
Dieselmotorcycle Made in the EU
A bunch of dutchies smoking one day came up with an idea and "Voila" having passed the stogie to the right hand side, they eventually have a diesel bike in production for BMW prices.
If ever there was a vehicle designed to go the distance it is a diesel.

Then theres that URAL, based on a good if aged technology and forged from a cliff face it has lasted through an amazing amount of crap and is very fixable.

In conclusion incontestably the one Bike that will last forever is that 2004 Honda Monkey Bike!


Yayyyyyyyyyy!

Thieving B*****d scum swine stole my bike, so I wouldnt put any hope into an everlasting bike, some Pikey will steal it.

Gits.

Apologies, still feeling tender

The everlasting bike is the one that moves your soul and fits your application. As most machines are designed by committee, corrected by evolution and diluted by accountants, mechanical perfection is sadly un-attainable.
My opinion is ride what makes you happy and fix what you have to and thank god we no longer live in an age where regular disassembly to "de-carbon-ize" your cylinder head and piston crown is no longer required.

Enjoy The Road Fellas: Mike

There's a nice closure

Got myself a 600 Transalp in the mean time.
I'll see what the future brings me...

I have two Africa Twins - one at 100,000 miles and the other at 70,000 miles; No major problems. Lots more miles to come.

I'm not saying buy an @, as they're old tech now. Though you could do much worse. And you won't get skinned alive for repair costs. But there's your "100K bike".

Give us some history please? What do you call a major problem? I consider any ride on the recovery truck or not getting where I want the same day to be major, but it's a hard one to define.

I have my own theory, but it's going to take a while to prove as I am now a bit of a weekend warrior and don't get to put the miles in as much as I'd like. The theory is:

1. Buy a new bike and run it in yourself by simply riding in a gentle-normal way (or get one with a history you know).
2. Get one whose technology you understand.
3. Never let a "workshop technician" near it, use a well trusted mechanic (if you can find one) or DIY. Stuff the warrenty it's worthless compared to a well sorted bike five years down the road.
4. Get a design that has been in production for over three years in roughly the same form.
5. Get something other people are saying is tough.
6. Do the service work religeously, but don't go OTT.
7. Don't be afraid to change what's not tough enough.
8. Get something other people are using, so parts are easier to get.

The Bonneville is only on 14000 miles, but out of all the bikes I've ever owned is showing least signs of any problems. I've had the recovery truck to it twice, but not since I re-wired the battery/fuse area and replaced the coil with one that I sealed. This compares very favourably to other bikes I sold before this milage due to bigger issues, but on which I didn't follow the points above due to inexperience/lack of skill/believing advertising.

Can we beat the manufacturers by careful use?

An interesting, possibly point. In 2006, Triumph sent me a new service book changing the oil change intervals from 4000 miles to 6000. Could it be they were getting more hassle from their grease monkeys stripping drain plugs and their dealerships not stocking oil filters than they made from selling the oil? Maybe BMW/Harley/Ducati were selling more bikes because of the down time difference? I'm certain Triumph service had no concern for how many weeks a year I get to ride my bike.

Andy

I completely agree - the whole concept of putting a bike into a dealer to do the servicing is anathema to me, partly because I enjoy doing it but also because I want to know it has been done and done right. This is one of many reasons why I am going to buy the low tech carb fueled KLR650 and change the doo spring with its first major service. I will also rejet the carb and hey presto, for 2-3 hours spannering and $150 (+the buy cost!) I will have a bulletproof low tech bike. 'Nuff said.

Well, Bonnie; hassles were as expected - fuel pump and regulator/rectifier; they're known for this. If I had been wise I'd have changed them before failure. But I wasn't. I don't call this major; for me major is a big stripdown, not replacing an external component like those mentioned. Part of the reason for longevity is this bike's detuned/softtuned state -there is a price for reliabilty. You win some, you lose some. That's OK.

PS My @ choice fits most of the criteria you've created. But I repeat, I'm not promoting this bike or any other. Run what ya brung.