For some, the allure of the open road, a rumbling exhaust, and the wind in your face are ­irresistible. Throw in camaraderie, lifestyle, and spirit of adventure, and it’s easy to understand motorcycle riding’s escapist appeal. Over the years, motorcycles have increased in refinement, sophistication, comfort, and safety. That makes them both more accessible to entry-level bikers and treats for empty-­nesters who see the new machines as more ridable than the ones they remember. The motorcycle landscape, though, is changing. The recession took a 50 percent bite out of sales (to about 560,000 units per year), and they have not recovered. The average age of bikers has crept up slightly to 43. But also, the ratio of female bikers has doubled to 12 percent of the riding population in the past decade. With those demographics in mind, Consumer Reports surveyed owners to find out two things: how reliable top-selling brands are in terms of frequency of repair and how happy those brands make their owners.

What we found is that reliability and satisfaction are not necessarily tied together. The most beloved bike belonged to an American brand—Victory—even though it was not among the more reliable brands. motorcycle dealers clovisThat distinction belongs to the perennially strong Japanese-­built machines.hero bikes price list 2014 bangalore Learn more about motorcycles and check our motorcycle buying guide.used chopper motorcycles for sale miami The last thing a biker wants to worry about is a breakdown on the open road. motorcycle parts jupiter flChoosing a bike from a brand with a better-than-average reliability track record can tilt the odds in your favor.

But the reality is, things can and sometimes do go wrong. Consumer Reports’ survey of our subscribers shows that the Japanese brands are significantly more reliable than most bikes from other regions—led in order by Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki. Domestic brands Victory and Harley-­Davidson were midpack, and Triumph, Ducati, BMW, and Can-Am were the more trouble-prone brands. Our survey of subscribers who reported on more than 12,300 motorcycles from model years 2008 to 2014 also showed that bike categories have differing levels of reliability. For this analysis, we adjusted for mileage driven over a 12-month period and estimated repair rates for 4-year-old models without a service contract. See our motorcycle reliability by brand. Where the seat meets the street But owner satisfaction—i.e., happiness—is an entirely different measure from reliability. Eighty percent of Victory owners said they would definitely buy the same bike if they were to do it all over again.

Harley-­Davidson owners were quite happy, with 72 percent responding likewise, trailed closely by Honda at 70 percent. All other brands were below 70 percent. If you want to know how satisfied riders are with their motorcycle, ask them about comfort. We found that comfort ratings track most closely with overall satisfaction scores. And among the 10 brands surveyed, only Victory earned our highest rating for comfort; it also beat out the other brands for overall satisfaction and got a top mark in almost every category. Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Triumph each garnered our lowest mark for comfort. Most other satisfaction categories—­acceleration, fun, and styling—saw close ratings across the brands. But there was one exception when it came to handling. The Can-Am, from Canadian maker BRP, with its distinctive three-wheelers (or trikes), was judged to have average handling satisfaction—a lower rating than every other brand. See our motorcycle owner satisfaction ratings.

Set aside $400 for repairs Cruisers appear to require fewer repairs than other types of motorcycles, with just a 15 percent failure rate by the fourth year of ownership. The range of problems from cruiser, dual-sport/adventure, standard, touring, sport touring, and sport bikes ranged from 15 to 23 percent, in that order. But none is statistically more failure-­prone than the others. At the other end of the spectrum, three-wheeled bikes had significantly greater risk of repairs, especially those with two front and one rear wheel. Can-Am, which makes only trikes, was almost twice as likely to experience a problem as most other types of motorcycles. Among those bikes needing repair, 45 percent incurred no expense—suggesting that many riders are performing the work themselves or having the bikes repaired under the original manufacturer’s warranty. Of those that did incur out-of-pocket expenses, the average motorcycle repair bill was $342, with the cost being heavily dependent on brand and type.

For those brands that we have adequate data on, median repair costs ranged from $269 for Kawasaki to $455 for BMW. Dual-sport/adventure bikes and cruisers were less expensive to repair, costing $313 and $322 on average, and sport touring models were pricier at $383. We realize that buying a motorcycle is often more about passion than practicality; even so, our findings can help you make an informed purchase decision. If you’re riding locally, and usually with friends, reliability may matter less than if you intend to take long-distance trips. Your own wrenching talents and proximity to repair shops can also factor in. The main takeaway is that no matter which brand you favor or type of motorcycle you buy, squirreling away $400 to cover surprise repairs would be wise. And if you plan to customize your bike, leave the complicated work to the professionals.BIG, HEAVY AND not especially stylish. Those are the defining attributes of one of the motorcycle market’s hottest segments: adventure bikes.

Like their king-of-the-road brethren, the SUVs that took the auto industry by storm in the late 1990s and early 2000s, adventure bikes are designed to be ridden off-road, even if few owners ever leave the pavement. Fans appreciate the machines’ powerful engines and unusually plush seats, as well as the huge saddlebags or trunks with which these bikes are often outfitted. A decade ago the BMW GS was pretty much the only motorcycle in this category, but today nearly every maker offers one. This is great news for riders who want to take long road trips with the option of tackling the occasional rolling field, rocky trail and rushing stream. Like traditional touring motorcycles, adventure bikes can comfortably ferry two on a long road trip (expansive storage allows you to carry more luggage than a traditional motorcycle, and the bikes come equipped with tall windshields to ward off the elements). They also tend to have higher, trail-bike-style suspensions for soaking up bumps, and seats that place the rider in a more elevated, upright position.

Fans say the less hunched-over posture is not only more comfortable but gives the driver a clearer view of the road and other traffic—just like an SUV. Here, the latest bigger-is-better models from the two-wheel world. BMW R 1200 GS Adventure Shorter riders may find the GS too high and wide for comfort, but this top-of-the-line version of BMW’s GS bike bulks up on features: an extra-large fuel tank, knobby tires, aluminum cargo boxes mounted behind the rider and cage-like protective bars around the engine. It’s a signature look that helped make this BMW’s top-selling model. Straddle the bike, then push a button to electronically adjust the suspension for a heavier load and you’ll feel the machine rising underneath you. As advanced as this latest BMW is, however, one of its most compelling features has been offered for years: heated hand grips that get really toasty. Ducati Multistrada 1200 Enduro Ducati, the Italian company known for its racing bikes, rolled out its first Multistrada a decade ago.

The early version functioned as a touring machine but was known for having limited off-road ability (as in, stick to the dirt driveway of your country house). Now the Enduro version, unveiled last fall at the Milan Motorcycle Show and due out this year, comes with a reworked suspension (and larger gas tank) that lets riders leave the pavement behind, as well as a carlike “hill-holder” clutch system to keep the bike from rolling backward as you try to get going in first gear. This is still a Ducati, though: With 160 horsepower, it is the brawniest of this group by far—and the most expensive. The Scaled-Up Dirt Bike Since winning the grueling Paris-Dakar rally in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the original Honda Africa Twin—a svelte, pared-down ride—has been a legend among off-road riders. But tastes have changed; many riders are now looking for something bigger and more comfortable. Honda already sells small adventure or “dual-purpose” bikes with 471cc and 670cc engines.

But a beefed-up version is now the brand’s off-road flagship. Due out in the spring, it has a 998cc engine, electronic-traction control and a transmission with a special off-road-riding mode, and can compete more closely with rival adventure bikes. Its relaxed, upright riding position mitigates back strain, and its frame, which is narrow around the seat, facilitates your standing on the bike’s foot to maintain balance during off-road jaunts. Triumph Tiger Explorer XC Earlier versions of this bike had a few of the high-tech electronics found on its rivals, like computerized anti-lock brakes and traction control. But only now is it getting the push-button suspension adjustment, found on the BMW and Ducati, that makes it easy to set up a bike to carry luggage or a passenger. (Owners of earlier Triumph models had to make this adjustment manually.) Motorcycles, however, are built around and defined by their engines, and this is where the Tiger Explorer XC shines. It’s the only one in the group to have a three-cylinder engine (called a triple).

With a snaking, three-pronged exhaust manifold, not only does it pull lots of power (second only to the Ducati), it also emits a rapid-fire pop-pop-pop when idling. At high speeds, that turns into a crackling roar. Yamaha Super Ténéré ES With 108 horsepower, the Yamaha lacks the muscle of the BMW, Triumph and Ducati. It’s also the heaviest mount in the group, at 584 pounds. But many riders may find this bike the most comfortable because it has what’s known as a parallel twin engine—one with two side-by-side cylinders, which is more compact (and less expensive to build) than, say, BMW’s signature opposed-twin, with its protruding cylinders that always seem to be getting in the way. We found that the diminutive engine design provides more room to move around on the seat without banging your knees and shins. Getting on and off is also easier, since you don’t have to stretch as much to swing your leg over a colossal frame. The first British woman to ride a motorcycle around the world did so long before the rise of ‘adventure touring’ gear—so she made her own

AMONG MOTORCYCLE fanatics, Elspeth Beard is something of a legend. She was just 23 when, in 1982, driven in part by wanderlust and the sadness of a recent breakup, she embarked on a 48,000-mile cross-continent journey—becoming the first British woman to ride a motorcycle around the world. You might think she was the first adventure tourer, too, judging from the photo above of Ms. Beard and her 1974 BMW R60/6 with three large aluminum cargo cases, which she built herself, strapped to its back. At the very least, she was part of a small, far-flung group of long-distance riders who traveled for weeks, months and even years on bikes in the 1980s, decades before “adventure touring” entered the motorcycle lexicon. Ms. Beard’s industrial-chic storage resembles the motorcycle luggage made today by Touratech, Metal Mule and others that has become de rigueur on the latest big adventure bikes. But Ms. Beard constructed her own, using a rivet gun to attach aluminum sheets to frames. (Specialized motorcycle luggage gradually evolved from shipping crates, metal ammunition boxes and other containers that were durable and lockable, but it would take years for aftermarket companies to start selling the big aluminum panniers for large on- and off-road bikes that are fashionable today.)

‘She built her cargo cases herself, using a rivet gun to attach aluminum sheets to frames.’ Much of the gear now associated with adventure touring—like reflective jackets and pants made of high-tech textiles, electrically heated base layers and satellite navigation systems—were not available in shops at the time. Ms. Beard wore a leather jacket, layers of wool and cotton to ward off the chill and oiled pants that she called “bloody awful.” She carried foldout maps, and built lots of flexibility into her travel plans. “A trip like that has to be open-ended,” she said in an interview. “You don’t know if it will take two months or two years.” In fact, it took two years. She did not rush and moved with the seasons to avoid extreme conditions. “I’d go north if the monsoon was south,” Ms. Beard said. She left England in October of 1982, and after traveling across the U.S. (with jaunts into Canada and Mexico), Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey, she rode back into Europe and reached home in November, 1984.