Which bike looks new the longest?

Xracer
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Xracer
Edited Date/Time 9/7/2021 4:17am
For most of my life I ridden Hondas and Yamahas and more recently, KTM. My KTM is 5 years old now with 70-ish hours and I was looking at it next to a friend's 21' Yamaha with 5 hours at the track the other day and it occurred to me that his bike already looks more roached than mine. My stock plastics are still like new other than the bottom corner of the number plates that rubs my boots. I started thinking back and it seems like I was replacing plastic and graphics on my Japanese bikes almost annually. Do KTM's actually hold up better aesthetically than the Japanese bikes, or am I just getting old and not as hard on the equipment as I used to be?
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USA
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USA 9/3/2021 6:47am
9/3/2021 6:47am
A bike that's not ridden looks new the longest
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dmm698
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dmm698 9/3/2021 7:00am
9/3/2021 7:00am
A bike ridden in an area that does not have rocks
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Thisusernameisavailable 9/3/2021 7:03am
9/3/2021 7:03am
I find the Metals on KTMs discolour faster than Japanese bikes.

I really like Husqvarna, but I wouldn’t own one as I feel the white plastic looks ropey quickly- particularly the ones with the white airbox under the rear fender- stone chips stained with dirt never clean up well.
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queen of spodes 9/3/2021 7:31am
9/3/2021 7:31am
Black/dark plastic and rims takes the least amount of time to look thrashed. It doesn't hide scratches as well.
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bh84
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bh84 9/3/2021 7:37am
9/3/2021 7:37am
Suzuki. The new ones look the same as the old ones.
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JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 9/3/2021 7:53am
9/3/2021 7:53am
bh84 wrote:
Suzuki. The new ones look the same as the old ones.
For real though, I think the yellow plastic holds it’s look the longest.

My blue 21 YZ250F plastic already looks pretty beat at only 9 hours on the bike.
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kb228
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kb228 9/3/2021 7:59am
9/3/2021 7:59am
Every brand uses the same aluminum, plastic, steel etc… on japanese bikes you can at least scotch brite the frames and make them look new again.
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Moto520
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Moto520 9/3/2021 9:35am
9/3/2021 9:35am Edited Date/Time 9/3/2021 9:44am
Honda's always look good if taken care of. Yamaha looks good too except for the plastic. Ktm's always hold up decently. My Kawi looks like it has been in a flood
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Timo
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Timo 9/3/2021 5:10pm
9/3/2021 5:10pm
This is my 19 450fx after 70 hours of rock and tree dragging from Utah to West Virginia. I think it looks pretty good still, the rear fender has taken a beating but no white streaks at all. The OEM plastic has come a long way since 2007, my last Yamaha. Not sure on the aftermarket blue since I'm still on the OEM stuff.





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Sandusky26
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Sandusky26 9/3/2021 5:36pm
9/3/2021 5:36pm
I have 60 hours on my 20 RMZ still with stock plastics that look great. I’m doing a top end right now and once I clean the frame it will look brand new.

I think the black spokes on KTMs start to look discolored faster, same with the bolts.

I think Honda has the best hardware.


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chump6784
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chump6784 9/3/2021 5:47pm
9/3/2021 5:47pm
The Yamaha plastics seem to show scratches the worst. My Suzuki's seemed to hide scratches really well. Yamaha definitely feels like it's put together better than my rm's
Sandusky26
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Sandusky26 9/3/2021 5:51pm
9/3/2021 5:51pm
chump6784 wrote:
The Yamaha plastics seem to show scratches the worst. My Suzuki's seemed to hide scratches really well. Yamaha definitely feels like it's put together better than...
The Yamaha plastics seem to show scratches the worst. My Suzuki's seemed to hide scratches really well. Yamaha definitely feels like it's put together better than my rm's
The Suzuki 2 strokes weren’t the best for durability. My RMZ is built like a small block Chevy.
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B Lenny
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B Lenny 9/3/2021 6:06pm
9/3/2021 6:06pm
Honda hands down..Even their fasteners are better...Dry
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Premix4Life
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Premix4Life 9/3/2021 6:06pm
9/3/2021 6:06pm
regardless of color, bent plastic turns white at the crease. white plastic, no problem.
Get whatever bike you like, is available or can afford. swap for white where needed. More importantly, keep riding doesn't matter what it looks like!
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BikePilot
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BikePilot 9/6/2021 4:13pm
9/6/2021 4:13pm
Imo KTMs stay new looking the longest and Honda follows in second. Good fit and finish combined with light, but not white, plastics is the key.
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Sandusky26
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Sandusky26 9/6/2021 4:25pm
9/6/2021 4:25pm
BikePilot wrote:
Imo KTMs stay new looking the longest and Honda follows in second. Good fit and finish combined with light, but not white, plastics is the key.
The steel frames, non zinc coated hardware, and the colored spokes make the KTM look beat faster than jap bikes.
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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 9/6/2021 6:22pm
9/6/2021 6:22pm
My new Honda X is 'staying fresh looking' longer than ANY bike before it. Its been ridden on a Rip to Cabo, raced at Pala/Road to Mammoth, several days at the track...GH-Pala, ridden at the Nevada Mystery 250, about 500 miles of trail scouting in the Eastern Sierra, about 300 miles in the Shasta National rocky-assed forest...and it still looks excellent.
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Leeham
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Leeham 9/6/2021 6:31pm
9/6/2021 6:31pm
My 21 YZ250F has 41 hours. Hour zero I took OEM plastics off and put on cycra plastic with graphics. I clean up the frame with scotchbrite and it still looks good. You can see ive crashed because of the numerous scratches. MUCH easier to see on darker plastic
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MKMX
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MKMX 9/6/2021 7:20pm
9/6/2021 7:20pm
The one you maintain well, looks new the longest.
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Yeti831
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Yeti831 9/7/2021 12:27am
9/7/2021 12:27am Edited Date/Time 9/7/2021 12:28am
I don’t wanna be that guy who says “my bike”, but the CRF cleans up nice.

The lower half was completely covered in caked, dry mud an hour before this picture. Just some pink spray cleaner and a pressure washer.


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chump6784
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chump6784 9/7/2021 1:50am
9/7/2021 1:50am
chump6784 wrote:
The Yamaha plastics seem to show scratches the worst. My Suzuki's seemed to hide scratches really well. Yamaha definitely feels like it's put together better than...
The Yamaha plastics seem to show scratches the worst. My Suzuki's seemed to hide scratches really well. Yamaha definitely feels like it's put together better than my rm's
Sandusky26 wrote:
The Suzuki 2 strokes weren’t the best for durability. My RMZ is built like a small block Chevy.
The fasteners on the rm 2 strokes were not very good but the plastics hid scratches well. My yzf with 15 hours on it on the other hand, it looks like shit. I gotta stop crashing
tiddlermx23
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tiddlermx23 9/7/2021 3:42am
9/7/2021 3:42am
Honda. Unless the bike is completely roached, like house fire torched, they always look good...
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Sandusky26
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Sandusky26 9/7/2021 4:16am
9/7/2021 4:16am
chump6784 wrote:
The fasteners on the rm 2 strokes were not very good but the plastics hid scratches well. My yzf with 15 hours on it on the...
The fasteners on the rm 2 strokes were not very good but the plastics hid scratches well. My yzf with 15 hours on it on the other hand, it looks like shit. I gotta stop crashing
I’ve got 60 hours on my RMZ, I’ve done 2 clutches, one top end. It’s on its third chain and sprockets and the suspension has been rebuilt twice.

I’m still on stock plastics, they just don’t look bad enough to replace, still have the OEM sticker on my shrouds.
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