Life Expectancy...?

[Honch777]

Hay folks.

Just a passing thought I had now... how many miles do the 12R engines typically last?

I know there's alot of variables to this question... maintenance, what fluids are used, how hard you run it, etc... But perhaps a median number?
Mine's an '04 with 34K. Aside from hammering it for a second or two per outing, I'm very tame on it. Runs perfectly as of now.

As I said, just wondering.


Thanks,
- Honch

[mrlogix]

your fine as a relative answer considering not having the prior maintenance records. There are Ulys on here that are more than double that.

[Gloomshadow]

34K aint ****.. my 07 XB9SX has about 85K on it and Its been basically thrashed its whole life. Only thing actually replaced on the motor itself has been a stator or two and I think a voltage regulator by the PO but Im not sure. My PO was a poor collage student, I doubt he had money to replace anything to speak of so its probably all original except what I just stated. 11146295_1006398816037139_1487573795289846155_n.jpg
That's it right there.. good as new except for a slightly dinged shift fork. Bike has been low-sided at least twice by yours truly...

[user_deleted]

maintenance and abuse or lack thereof is the key to longevity along with being mindful of extended stays at or near redline along with super high engine temps. one thing these motors will not tolerate a steady diet of is heat.
have seen XB's and assorted sportsters in and out of my shop with near or slightly over the 100,000 mile benchmark that have been well maintained and sensibly ridden and still running strong.

[Gloomshadow]

you take what lunatic said to the bank.. you cant "thrash" one forever and not maintain one. I stay on top of mine maintenance wise, and I thrash it in mostly short bursts when I have to.. but its so far along in miles now that Im going to rebuild it anyway whether it needs it or not.. that's just how it goes. In a way Im "trying to break it" at this point because I have a back-up XB anyway that is even nicer actually. Having my motor go will actually FORCE me to get off my ass and build this 9 into something I like better. Lunatic, should it become a 1203 or a hot 1050, what would I like better do you think? .. maybe a 2-stroke? hahaha

[user_deleted]

^^^^^ thanks for the kind words there tom. i've always been partial to the XB-9's in the cityX flavor....but that's just me.
i DO see a 2-stroke in your future. still to this day nothing more entertaining in the cycle world than 2-stroke lunacy. how about a mint original low mileage RD250 on a "buy one-get one free" sale? i'll ship both down to you.

[Gloomshadow]

you got two RDs? how much? can the 250 accept that 350 top end?

[user_deleted]

yes it can tom. thinking about 2 grand for both. shoot me your mail and i'll send you some pics as i get time. one is in need of assembly...the other is very nicely restored and runs great. both stored in my building.

[apsolus]

supposedly the 2003 xb had a smaller crank pin which was a weak link as far as ive heard and the updated to a larger one right? im hoping my xb9r lasts

[Hobes]

I have a 04 XB9S (cheap 2nd hand) that has had crank failure @ 40000 Kms however as I was stripping it there was a great deal of 03 tags on all the parts ;v( will be rebuilding with 1.5" crank etc.