Well Said Tim, The more I ride my bikes the better they work, I do all the required maintenance and have very few problems. The worst thing you can do to a bike is let it sit. That being said, I have a 79 Honda GL1000 ($1000) and an 81 CM400/450T Hybrid ($650). I have these bike because I could afford them and they are dead simple to keep on the road. I would love to own some other bikes but I just can't afford the retarded prices. So I ride the shit out of both my Honda's, 8-9000 Km a season minimum on both. I lust for a Ducati, or a Guzzi. I would Kill for the new Triumph Sprint GT, but I am poor. I ride what I can afford, and sadly that excludes Brit or Italian or German bikes, because around here, they go for $$$ way above the Japanese bikes of the same era, and generally are basket cases when for sale. I was on the local Kijiji and the was an 81 R100RS?? Oil head twin anyway I think, pulled out of storage of 10 years, engine runs but all brakes don't work, tires are shot, lots of other problems and the asking price was $2500. I got my GL1000 registered, running on the road ready to ride with very minor maintenance to do for $1000. Sad thing is the guy will get the asking price for the BMW. Triumphs, rusty shit boxes go for $3000, a norton frame is 2-3000 here. So that probably answers the where are all the brit bikes. We regular folks can't afford them here. As for reliability, it depends on the person maintaining the bike for sure.
Well I am a bit drunk so my .02 may be skewed too ;D