deathmetal5150 Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 So how reliable has your banshee been to you? Im a relatively new owner to a banshee, and just love the bike! However, i have been reading the forums and it has proposed some questions. It seems 9 out of 10 problems are carb related, I can deal with handling that, but how about the motor itself? I see a lot of folks are putting bottom ends on it, what happened? I understand that a top end rebuild is relatively normal procedure, and thats fine, but how about the other parts on the banshee in the motor, has it been reliable to you? Im feeling a little bit anxious after reading so many posts on this, just thought I'd ask. When I ride the bike, I ride it in the powerband, I dont putz around on it, so is that dooming me for problems? I dont jump with it or anything like that, just run the rpm's a good bit but i thought that is what its for, anyways let me know how hard you run yours and if im doomed to having trouble. I always do maintanence on bikes and take good care of it in that aspect, more concerned about the rest of the reliability like transmissions and cranks and all that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.J. Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 deathmetal5150, Welcome to the BHQ. My bike is a 2000, bought new from the dealer. Still on the original bore, although I have replaced the pistons and rings with Vito's ones for a bit of extra power. The original pistons were fine. Compression is 120psi both sides at elevation of 1500 ft. As any banshee owner will tell ya, a good filter set-up is crucial on these bikes as the original sucks. That was my first mod to the bike. After the filter I got some pipes, and had to experiment a bit with the jetting to get it right. Made a few mistakes along the line, but got the carbs sorted. My bike has NEVER let me down, problems have been mostly related to bolts loosening and falling off. I use Yamalube - 2R at 32:1 and change the gearbox oil regularly. Also I have never fouled a plug. I always clean and lube my bike after every ride and check it over. Keep up with the maintenance and measure the compression often and it should last you a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locogato11283 Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 mine is never down unless im upgrading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredish Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 Likewise. I have never been out due to banshee problems. If I go to the dunes, the trails, hit the track, don't matter. Others have had to sit sidelines due to some issues, but I've NEVER been left out. Only time she can't be rode is when I'm adding new shiz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotton eyed Joe Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 I haven't ridden a whole lot in the last 2 years, but before that, I rode the hell out of it for 4 years. A 98, bought it new, still on the original bore etc.... The only times its acted up was because of something I did, or failed to maintain. Shit like the floats being so far out of whack that gas is rolling out of the bore, because I didn't strap it down tight enough on the trailer. Or when I wrecked it....I twisted the frame on it, ripped the front bumper off, and smashed the left rim in so deep that it would not clear the brake caliper, and as I was laying there in the sand I counted the impacts...The inital one, then two, then three then it landed.... on its tires. My buddy started it on the first kick. When I put it all back to gether and started it for the first time in almost a year and a half, it took about 5 kicks with the choke pulled out. All in all its been a really good bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blk02banshee Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 I bought mine new in oct. 2001 and never had a problem with the engine. It always starts easily. As long as you keep up on everything, it should'nt give you any trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
. Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 I also have a 2001 and I'm on my 2nd top end. The bottom end is still tight on it, but my top end went more quickly because I bumped the compression up quite a bit (172 lbs). I think if I kept the stock compression in it, it would have run for years and years. I beat the piss out of my engines (riding in snow, getting stuck in mud, all the good stuff), They are good reliable engine, look at the rz engines and such in the motorcycles, they put thousands of miles on them before they need to have a rebuild. If you keep everything square with the engine, dont hop it up a ton, do good maitenance and keep the jetting fat, you'll have a happy shee for years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Smoker Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 Mine is a 99 Bought used in May, all the problems that I had were caused by neglect and lack of knowing about 2 strokes. I would buy a clymer manual if I were you and follow the maintainence schedule in it, it helps alot. Clean your carbs often, and air filter, and you should be OK. The chassis on the banshee is bulletproof, lots of grease nipples everytheres to keep things lubed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indubitably Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 IMO something is as reliable as you make it, which just means maintain it really well. Clean and oil your air filter and keep clean gas in it. My bike had a set of pistons in it for 16 years before i broke the ring and needed a new topend. Just make sure you keep up your maintinence and it will last pretty freakin long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NugShee Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 Well I have had several times where I was way out in the middle of nowhere and it started acting up but it has never left me high and dry. My issues have always been with operator error. Things like not knowing that the emergency brake would keep it from running right so I wrode it all the way back at 1/4 throttle. And the last few times have been because I had just done a crap load of mods to it and didnt have my jetting dialed in yet. Other then that the banshee is a bad ass machine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathmetal5150 Posted August 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Hey guys thanks so much for the warm welcome and responses. My banshee is pretty much all stock except a k&n air filter, aftermarket locknut on the axle, rims, etc, basically cosmetics, the motor is pure stock and i intend to leave it that way. As far as maintanence, im wondering if i should drop the filter and go with a pro flow since im in an area with a lot of quarries. Other than that, i keep the bike as clean as the showroom floor banshee's, run 32:1 yamalube, and use pj1 in the tranny. I cant get over how smooth this bike shifts and runs, its just flat out awesome. It shifts better than any of the hondas ive had and thats tough to beat! I've been a 4 stroke guy all my life but i tell you what, after having this bike its going to be hard to even consider another 4 stroke, thats for sure. Just adore this bike and will do whatever it takes to make it run great. Ive never taken off a carb before, but I am extremely eager to learn! I heard of a product called seafoam and its supposed to clean out the carbs and basically the whole motor especially if its been sitting around for a while, I was a little bit concerned about that because ive never heard of folks using it on bikes but a couple people have said its a great product to use once a year. This bike is a 98 and has under 25 hours on it, showroom condition, i plan on keeping it that way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tats4life Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 mine is never down unless im upgrading. same here...........only down time is for my hp or control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meat Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 (edited) your banshee will run forever now that you've found the bansheehq forums. my last top end rebuild was back in august 2001, it has 135 lbs of compression with 24cc head domes. This past spring\April I still had 135 in cylinder and 130 in the other. So I put smaller 20cc domes in and the compression jumped to 165\170. Its been running good all summer long. 3 years and running on this set of pistons and I know they'll last another 3 years, I have no fears of my engine seizing. Run good synthetic premix oil, keep the airfilter clean and take care of the quad and it will last forever. Iv had more electrical problems than engine and frame problems combined. My banshee can sit for 2 weeks and fire up with one kick. I forgot to mention... I have porting work done too. mx port. another example. I ride a yamaha rz350 streetbike that has a similar engine as the banshee does. Twin cylinder 2 stroke. The bike is on the original pistons and the odometer reads 11,000. I checked the compression last winter and it had 130 lbs in each cylinder. Starts on the first kick. Edited August 30, 2004 by Meat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehall1 Posted September 22, 2004 Report Share Posted September 22, 2004 no reliability problems on my 03 at all and believe it or not i drive a few miles bout 7 almost every day cause i got a DWI and have no license so i been using it as basic transportation. live in the sticks luckily and its much more fun gettin to work besides when i lost my license i demo'd my car, no need 4 it. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenBB Posted September 22, 2004 Report Share Posted September 22, 2004 Damn straight, I agree with everyone's post but two really stood out: IMO something is as reliable as you make it, which just means maintain it really well. Clean and oil your air filter and keep clean gas in it. your banshee will run forever now that you've found the bansheehq forums. Take care of her and shee won't let you down, take the time to learn all you can and no problem, no matter how miniscule or devastating, will keep you from ridin'... As a side note I've had my '96 since 2000, bought used, ride damn hard but I do the best I can to maintain everything. Not to brag but give you an idea of what it's been through, one year racing local TT Novice class, 1st overall in '02; one year racing local TT Amateur class, 1st overall in '03; this year racing local desert series, 2nd in points after 5 races. I've taken her to Dumont dunes once, Kermit dunes a few times a year, and countless trips to the local Mescalero dunes. I estimate I've put nearly 400 hours on this motor, did a topend after 200 hours and this winter will rebuild, like others have said, because I WANT to, to upgrade and bulletproof it even more. Bottom line, I think they are just as reliable as any thumper, and the small amount of extra effort in maintenence is well worth the adrenaline rush you get when you roost 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.