05/06 questionable finish

[954stew]

Hi can you please give me your honest opinions on the finish on these bikes?
I went to my local dealer in late October for a test ride loved everything about the bike and really wanted one, unfortunately could not afford it at the time.
I went back to the same dealer yesterday and saw the same demo bikes from October, i was not impressed to say the least. All of the bikes had large amounts of surface corrosion,
nuts/bolts/disc's/sprockets/engine cases, s3 ,st ,daytona all the same.
I appreciate these bikes are standing outside the shop everyday in all weathers, but it wasn't what i expected for 1 year old bikes.
I was all set to buy one yesterday but now not so sure, i am particularly interested in the opinions of UK owners with our lovely winters and salted roads.
My blade has got to go but thinking about a FZ1 now if this is typical Triumph finish.
:-/

[Zee]

Personally not all that impressed but remember to keep it clean after a ride and it's not too bad.

The hangers for the rear footpegs on mine are corroded and the headlights have some nasty pits on them which I only noticed yesterday.

As I said though, remember to clean it often and it's a fab bike!

[kuhlka]

Bolts will corrode if you let the bike sit around in the rain, salt, mud. All I can recommend is replacing the bolts with a set from pro-bolt and pick a color or go titanium if you're anal about looks. The S3 isn't a 'cute' bike to begin with so just ride it like a madman and have fun. If stuff corrodes, clean it or replace it. You're going to run into the same ***** on an FZ1, SV1000, etc. if you don't keep it clean.

Keep in mind, most dealers don't bother to do anything to a showroom bike until it is bought. Just tell the salesman you're not buying a bike that looks nasty and they'll probably give it a thorough cleaning to get it out the door.

[crashmasterd]

Personally, my biggest complaint is the quality of the paint. After a year of use mine has a lot of scratches and dull spots that don't make any sense. It doesn't have any pealing or such, but it definitely doesn't look fresh anymore and I do keep the thing clean. I just pealed off the tank protector and there's a world of difference between the "virgin" paint underneath and the rest of the tank.

I also didn't like the finish on the brand new black 05 I looked at when I bought mine. The paint didn't look nice and smooth like it should, particularly on the tank. The Blue and Yellow just looked more professional.

I haven't had corrosion problems on this bike, but they also don't use salt on the roads around these parts.

***Note: Opinions expressed by me do not necessarily represent those of normal people.***



[ This message was edited by: crashmasterd on 2006-04-16 09:43 ]

[954stew]

Thanks for the replies, i'm not anal about looks but i do like to keep my bikes clean and fresh looking with just regular cleaning, actually i don't do the cleaning i have a deal with my son he cleans it i take him for a ride.
I had a SV1000s which i rode through two lovely english winters never had any issues with corrosion!
The demonstators at the dealers were really bad especially s3 and st, daytona wasn't as bad.I'm not talking about a bit here and there all exposed ally was covered in white fur, plating on nut's, bolts, rear sprocket, axle nut again badly furred, surface rust on disc's apart from swept area obviously. The bikes were quite dirty, i suppose what i'm asking is do they all go this way eventually or have they just been neglected?

[bonnietastic]

Hi there,

I had two Triumph twins last year that did almost 10K each. The only problem was some of the engine laquer going furry on the Thruxton engine cases but that bike started out as a dealer demo.

My 05 S3 has a similar finish but I have kept it clean after some winter rides and it is still looking good. I will be riding a dealer demo Scrambler tomorrow that is only a couple of months old and it already looks pretty rough round the edges I think it all depends on how much exposure to salt they get.

I think the finish is at least as good as a Suzuki but not quite as good as the best Hondas. Dont let it put you off they are great bikes.


Regards




Oliver

[beatpusher]

Just curious if you guys that have had some paint issues; Did you put any wax on the painted surfaces at anytime?

I figure once my white starts to not look so good, I'll have an excuse to paint it flat black with some nice "Von Dutch" style pinstripping.

Yike, I almost sound like a chopper guy! :razz:

[Diego]

Didn't we have someone from England ask this very question, almost word for word, about a month ago? After a year in not-very-friendly environments, mine doesn't have a spot of corrosion.

[kuhlka]

Man, I've ridden my bike through hell and back, climate-wise, and I don't have the kind of fur you're describing. Then again, I'm on an 03 and they may have used different materials on the 05+. Or, it may just be that dealer's lack of interest in proper maintenance of demo bikes... The dealer I have locally does a beautiful job on their Triumph demo bikes.

[crashmasterd]

On 2006-04-16 14:22, beatpusher wrote:
Just curious if you guys that have had some paint issues; Did you put any wax on the painted surfaces at anytime?

Yes, I used a high quality carnuba wax a couple of times last summer. The same as I've used on all my bikes for forever. My old Trident still looks good after 10 years.

I'm considering custom paint anyway.