Blackbird longevity - just what is the truth?

[russ_fae_fyvie]

Well as you've probably seen, my 77000 miler has just been upgraded to suit me (bars) and had suspension sorted (Ohlin service) and as far as I'm concerned its good for a heap more miles yet, with me on as well !
Probably only another couple of years and that illusive 100k will be MINE ALL MINE !!!

Sailed through its MOT last month and I've now bought another Wingrack ready to do long distances on it again next year.

Can't believe how Honda didn't upgrade it, its bulletproof and as you get older (yes, me!) it can be adjusted to suit.

:yo:

 

[Sled-driver]

Good stuff.

I clocked 74,000 yesterday and it sound as sweet as a new bike, starts as soon as it turns over, and had not a single advisory in the mot last month.

Amazing bike.

 

[Rheumatoid]

Good stuff.

I clocked 74,000 yesterday

kinell, you have a bigger commute than plops

 

[ScottyUK]

Oh I meant to add since 55k miles it seems to spin up a little easier.

I think it's just run in @tu*

 

[Cyclops]

My Birds got 82,000 miles on the clock and apart from

Front and rear wheels a new frame engine and gearbox discs chain and sprockets tank and instruments rear shock front forks left and right panels seat cowl cct regulator and battery it's been problem free. @tu*


It still feels like a new bike.

 

[Quiney]

I've still got my grandads yard brush that he bought in 1963.

Apart from 5 new heads and 3 new handles it looks and feels like new!

 

[Jaws]

LOL !!!

What ever you guys, all experts and all who really know their stuff, say !

As I said.. back in the early 80's when I was dispatching I was knocking out about 120k PER YEAR on a plastic maggot.. and apart from tyres and the usual maintenance stuff ( tappets, oil changes and the like, neither bikes I had missed a beat.
The first one I sold with 121,000 on it ( that went back to the dealer I bought it from ,, It had 11000 miles on the clock .. think about it ) and the second I sold when I finished and that had been round the clock three times in three years

If a CX500 could do those sort of miles it does not take a mensa member to work out how many miles a Bird can cover

 

[fairb]

I've just had the shims checked on mine at just shy of 60k miles.

Nothing needed doing! Could have left it but I guess now I can just carry on until the tacho says 120k!

Will Honda ever make such a bike again?

That's good to know. My 05 has done 62K and I've been thinking about getting the shims looked at. They were fine at ~25K. On it's 4th CCT (probably overkill). Did the loom fix after the FI lamp came on. Not seen since. Other than that just consumables. Love it.

 

[andyBeaker]

Can anyone tell me what a 'swathe' is please.

Either way, I think there are better collectives for Blackbird owners...

'A twat of Blackbird owners' springs to mind immenduately.

 

[sr71caspar]

Can anyone tell me what a 'swathe' is please.

Either way, I think there are better collectives for Blackbird owners...

'A twat of Blackbird owners' springs to mind immenduately.

The collective for bankers is a ' Wunch'.

 

[Jaws]

A waffle seems about right to me @tu*

 

[Davey Bee]

One of couriers I know in Central London, rides a Blackbird, that he brought new in 2007. The last time I spoke to him, (summer) he had 268,000. Went by him a couple of weeks ago, it's still going strong.
John, you may want to check your memory a little, 120k a year translates into an average of 40 mph on a 12 hour day 5 day working week, in Central London.d34l

 

[Jaws]

No need for a memory check.. I still have all the records..
It was NOT a 5 day week but 7, and I started every day at 0530 apart from Sunday which was an 8am start ( all the long distance boys were required to do a delivery round of 'before 9 am' deliveries as well as the long distance stuff ) and rarely got home before 7pm..
99% of the miles covered were on A roads and motorways..
Only the newbees got stuff like London.. It was considered too close and too much hassle ..
I had regular runs as well as the emergency stuff.
Once a fortnight was Kendal ( a tad under 600 miles round trip ),
Once a fortnight Plymouth ( 560 miles round trip )
Every three weeks Aberdeen ( 960 mile round trip )
Then all the odds and sods..
No one even wanted to get on a bike for a trip of less than 200 miles around.. All the short stuff was always given to the new faces..
I remember when I 'graduated'.. Hell of a shock to the system I can tell you.
Went from a few hundred miles a week to flat out.
2000 miles a week was the norm back then.
And think about this..
The CX required an oil change every 2 k miles.. So at least once a week when I got home I would have to do that..
The firm I worked for required the bike to be spotlessly clean or they would not give you the run ( but I paid my daughter to wash the bike every night I got home.. Bless her that was a real struggle during the winter months.. She was only about 13 but still did the deed and did it well )

Looking back now it was hard times but taught me so much about riding and giving me the ability to do stuff like knock out Lake Garda in a day that it was well worth it.
Certainly years I do not regret..

Just looked back.. Average fuel bill per week was around the £70 mark and it looks like I was paying ABOUT £1.60 per gallon

 

[Davey Bee]

Hey oh, how times have changed:bow:

 

[Jaws]

Only the price of the fuel Davey... Still a whole raft of folk out there doing the same job as I did mate

 

[Davey Bee]

I spent 2 years doing the job in modern times. Trust me, things are different!

 

[Jaws]

trust me they aint if you get the right job with the right firm.

 

[rovinghawk]

With the advent of internet, email, etc., is there still a great demand for courier work?

 

[ianrobbo1]

Yes, still lots of stuff cant be "copies" legal shit and similar, and I can tell you the"learning curve" from weekend warrior to courier was near verticle, one of the best moments during my time in the smoke as a courier was to watch a courier on a kwacker 500 go around the outside of a dukrappy rider arse in the air knee down on a roundabout, the courier had a cig in his mouth, old open face lid beard and waved at the duke rider as he went past him:bow:

 

[Jaws]

Folk think courier work is about documents..
Apart from the very occasional job all the stuff I did was anything but.

I worked for a firm who sub'd to one of the major carriers
Every day all I ( and all the other lads ) did was sort out cock ups.

So you order a widget for the generator plant you are installing in the docks at Barrow-in-Furness .. You have it over nighted.
Instead of going to Liverpool the hub sends it to Thetford.
It was my job to get it from Thetford to Barrow-in-Furness ..

The smallest thing I carried was an O ring ( which they could probably have bought locally ! ) to Carlisle.. The largest a lump of plough shear to just the other side of Darlington

The weirdest.. A human organ ( no idea WHAT human organ !) just over to Great Yarmouth ( triple mileage rate for that, police escort too !! @tu* .. Chap said how fast can you go ? I said you go and I will try and keep up, slow down if I drop back.. Poor sod had to slow down twice for me..but like I say, GOOD fun !! )
Never did understand why the police rider could not have just taken it himself.. Something to do with they could not do any sort of job that was being paid for but could help ? I really do not know