Life expectancy

[Rider Steve]

Anybody know the general mileage you will get with the Can Am engine before it needs rebuilt?

[docdoru]

In my case, with turbo: 90,000 miles...

[WackyDan]

In my case, with turbo: 90,000 miles...

He left out that the rapid "dis-assembly" of his motor happened at 12 pounds of boost trying to set a new top speed on the salt flats. Doc doesn't like to brag so we brag for him!

If anyone was going to put 100k miles on a spyder Doc would have made it and probably well exceeded it, and it is safe to say Doc's spyder was well maintained, but also one of the hardest ridden.

[bone crusher]

Anybody know the general mileage you will get with the Can Am engine before it needs rebuilt?

Just curious why you ask this?

[Rider Steve]

Just curious why you ask this?

Some report 200,000 to 300,000 miles on a GL1800 engine. Just wondering how the Can Am engine stacks up.

[NancysToy]

Some report 200,000 to 300,000 miles on a GL1800 engine. Just wondering how the Can Am engine stacks up.

Nobody has gotten there yet. Give us a couple more years.

[WaltH]

I have serious doubts about 300,000 miles on any motorcycle engine.

My personal goal is to get 150,000 miles on my Spyder before major work on the engine is required. I am more than half-way there. Some laugh at me when I say 150,000 miles. We shall see.

[Rider Steve]

Nobody has gotten there yet. Give us a couple more years.

That engine goes back farther than the Can Am Spyder. Thought there might be some background history to give a hint.

[altonk]

Check. The aprilla boards it was built for the Mille

[rogerb]

Talk to some of the BMW owners, what they have to say about mileage. I met a guy with 300,000 + miles. Those are the long range people. I don't know how they can do it. BMW's are not known as comfort bikes but they do endure the mileage. Dancing Dave, he mounted a gas tank on top of the gas tank to cut down on the stops for gas.

[Lamonster]

I have serious doubts about 300,000 miles on any motorcycle engine.

My personal goal is to get 150,000 miles on my Spyder before major work on the engine is required. I am more than half-way there. Some laugh at me when I say 150,000 miles. We shall see.

The flat 6 was built for 300K+ I personally know a guy with over 500K on his Valkyrie. They call him DDT because he kills so many bugs with his bike.

I think if you get a 100K out of this motor you'll be doing good.

[NancysToy]

I have serious doubts about 300,000 miles on any motorcycle engine.

My personal goal is to get 150,000 miles on my Spyder before major work on the engine is required. I am more than half-way there. Some laugh at me when I say 150,000 miles. We shall see.

Talk to some of the BMW owners, what they have to say about mileage. I met a guy with 300,000 + miles. Those are the long range people. I don't know how they can do it. BMW's are not known as comfort bikes but they do endure the mileage. Dancing Dave, he mounted a gas tank on top of the gas tank to cut down on the stops for gas.

The most I have seen anybody get on a BMW was 357,000. He put on more miles after that, until he passed away. That is generally considered to be the exception. Like automobile engines, I think the average is far less. Painstaking maintenance helps...and BRP rivals BMW in their schedule, which is often considered overkill. With the Nicasil cylinders, a Spyder should last a long time, provided the valve train, transmission, and throttle body are up to the task. The term "overhaul" is relative. An engine that has never had anything replaced is a rare commodity...an engine with the original rings, bearings, and transmission is not unheard of, however.

[jnt]

I have serious doubts about 300,000 miles on any motorcycle engine.

Know of a BMW K1200LT that had 315,000 when a woman pulled out in front of it . . . . Rider got airlifted out, is fine now.

[Rider Steve]

Check. The aprilla boards it was built for the Mille

Didn't have much luck over there. I don't think the thought of long engine life gets much discussion on a racing board.

[altonk]

One season of racing makes for the equivalent of a lot of street miles

[Bob Denman]

Rotax power is pretty darn good stuff... They've been powering Ski Doo snowmobiles for years with their two-strokes and have been recently stuffing four-stroes under there as well... Does our V-Twin have anyting in common with the one that the sledders have been enjoying? If so you might be able to find some info on how that one is holding up under some itense conditions...
Without any hard data... IMHO these motors will probably last longer than some (most?) of us will...

[Lone Spyder Ryder]

The company was founded in 1920 in Dresden, Germany as ROTAX-WERK AG. In 1930 it was taken over by Fichtel & Sachs AG and transferred its operations to Schweinfurt, Germany. Operations were moved to Wels, Austria in 1943 and finally to Gunskirchen in 1947. In 1959, Rotax merged with the Vienna-based Lohner-Werke, a manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies. In 1970 Lohner-Rotax was bought by Bombardier Inc. The former Bombardier Inc. branch, BRP, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its motorcycles, personal water craft, and snowmobiles.[5]
The company constructed only two-stroke engines until 1982, when it started building four-stroke engines and aircraft engines. Other important dates include 1962, when a Rotax engine was first installed in a snowmobile and 1989, when Rotax received FAA Type Certification for its Model 912 A aircraft engine.
In 2008, Rotax started manufacturing the 1125cc Helicon liquid-cooled, four-stroke, fuel-injected 72° V-Twin for the Buell Motorcycle Company.

Was at one time the choice of Ultra Light pilots!

Bayerische Motoren Werke AGTypeAktiengesellschaft (FWB: BMW)IndustryAutomotive industryFounded1916Founder(s)Franz Josef PoppHeadquartersMunich, GermanyArea servedWorldwideKey peopleNorbert Reithofer (CEO), Joachim Milberg (Chairman of the supervisory board)ProductsAutomobiles, motorcycles, bicyclesRevenue€50.68 billion (2009)[1]Operating income€289 million (2009)[1]Profit€204 million (2009)[1]Employees96,230 (2009)[1]SubsidiariesRolls-Royce Motor CarsWebsitebmw.com
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (info) (BMW), (literally English: Bavarian Motor Works) is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. BMW is known for its performance and luxury vehicles.

After World War I, BMW was forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty.[2] The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted,[3] followed by automobiles in 1928–29.[4][5][6]
The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is portrayed by BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky – an interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, twelve years after the roundel was created.[7][8] The emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the white and blue colors of the flag of Bavaria, reversed to produce the BMW roundel. However, the origin of the logo being based on the movement of a propeller is in dispute, according to an article recently posted by the New York Times, quoting "At the BMW Museum in Munich, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, explained that the blue-and-white company logo did not represent a spinning propeller, but was meant to show the colors of the Free State of Bavaria." [9]

[Dudley]

How long is your life expectancy? If you take care of yourself, eat right, etc., you have a good chance of a long life if you die of old age. Same goes for anything mechanical. I believe if it was built right and cared for, the life expectancy is unknown.

[Rider Steve]

How long is your life expectancy? If you take care of yourself, eat right, etc., you have a good chance of a long life if you die of old age. Same goes for anything mechanical. I believe if it was built right and cared for, the life expectancy is unknown.

Average life expectancy of someone living in the U.S.A is 78 years if you make it the whole way. Doesn't have much to do with a mechanical engines life. I'm gonna go with lamonsters guesstimate of 100,000 miles.

[boborgera]

The company was founded in 1920 in Dresden, Germany as ROTAX-WERK AG. In 1930 it was taken over by Fichtel & Sachs AG and transferred its operations to Schweinfurt, Germany. Operations were moved to Wels, Austria in 1943 and finally to Gunskirchen in 1947. In 1959, Rotax merged with the Vienna-based Lohner-Werke, a manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies. In 1970 Lohner-Rotax was bought by Bombardier Inc. The former Bombardier Inc. branch, BRP, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its motorcycles, personal water craft, and snowmobiles.[5]
The company constructed only two-stroke engines until 1982, when it started building four-stroke engines and aircraft engines. Other important dates include 1962, when a Rotax engine was first installed in a snowmobile and 1989, when Rotax received FAA Type Certification for its Model 912 A aircraft engine.
In 2008, Rotax started manufacturing the 1125cc Helicon liquid-cooled, four-stroke, fuel-injected 72° V-Twin for the Buell Motorcycle Company.

Was at one time the choice of Ultra Light pilots!

Bayerische Motoren Werke AGTypeAktiengesellschaft (FWB: BMW)IndustryAutomotive industryFounded1916Founder(s)Franz Josef PoppHeadquartersMunich, GermanyArea servedWorldwideKey peopleNorbert Reithofer (CEO), Joachim Milberg (Chairman of the supervisory board)ProductsAutomobiles, motorcycles, bicyclesRevenue€50.68 billion (2009)[1]Operating income€289 million (2009)[1]Profit€204 million (2009)[1]Employees96,230 (2009)[1]SubsidiariesRolls-Royce Motor CarsWebsitebmw.com
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (info) (BMW), (literally English: Bavarian Motor Works) is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. BMW is known for its performance and luxury vehicles.

After World War I, BMW was forced to cease aircraft (engine) production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty.[2] The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production in 1923 once the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted,[3] followed by automobiles in 1928–29.[4][5][6]
The circular blue and white BMW logo or roundel is portrayed by BMW as the movement of an aircraft propeller, to signify the white blades cutting through the blue sky – an interpretation that BMW adopted for convenience in 1929, twelve years after the roundel was created.[7][8] The emblem evolved from the circular Rapp Motorenwerke company logo, from which the BMW company grew, combined with the white and blue colors of the flag of Bavaria, reversed to produce the BMW roundel. However, the origin of the logo being based on the movement of a propeller is in dispute, according to an article recently posted by the New York Times, quoting "At the BMW Museum in Munich, Anne Schmidt-Possiwal, explained that the blue-and-white company logo did not represent a spinning propeller, but was meant to show the colors of the Free State of Bavaria." [9]

Wow that's a lot of good info
By the way when your Spyder caught on fire, Was your canister updated i.e.= extended vent tube?

[Dudley]

Average life expectancy of someone living in the U.S.A is 78 years if you make it the whole way. Doesn't have much to do with a mechanical engines life. I'm gonna go with lamonsters guesstimate of 100,000 miles.

What I was trying to show is that no one knows how long anything will last. If you take care of what you have, you give it a better chance of a longer life. I believe that the Spyder engine has a very good chance of getting 100,000 miles, but if one just trashed it out, it won't make 20,000. Care extends life...yours or your Spyder's.

[Rider Steve]

Note to self: In future design 90 degree output shaft for GL1800 engine to be fit into Spyder frame.