It's kind of hard to compare the new VS old because back in the day they didn't have 28" tires that an atv motor would sruggle to pull. They didn't have lift kits that would cause premature wear or falure on front end parts bikes, or a big bore kit cause nobody really had anything to put this stuff on. Now they make lockers, which will snap an axle every once and a while. Back then you ran bone stock pretty much, you might get a 24-25" bear claw, spyder trak, or blackwater and be considered to have a go anywhere bike. Half of the people I see out on the trails have monster tires, sometimes a locker, or maybe a a mod to squeeze more power out of there motors and this is what causes a lot of problems. There are some lemons but there always have been some. A new stock bike is bound to last someone for 10 years if they don't trash it out.