Triumphrat

Rockinronnie

Hi everyone I wonder how many of you are having problems with wheel corrosion on there triumph wheels.
I have a 2008 Thruxton I have corrosion on front wheel spindle laquer lifting front spokes rusting, rear wheel spokes badly rusting paint lifting from centre spindle. also rear shocks and foot res have lauqure lifting.

I have claimed through triumph as they have replaced front wheel but not back they say its down to me not maintaining properly
they have also replaced shocks but not footrests.

It seems very strange that they will replace some parts but not others, i have read some other posts about corrosion and think that there really does seam to be a problem which triumph seems to be trying to blame on its customers.

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Slinky

Unfortunately Triumph nowadays sell motorcycles as leisure vehicles rather than year round transport. It's a cop-out.

If you read the warranty it says something like the bike has to be washed/dried after every ride. Who the hell has the time or the inclination to do that?

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Bonnie06Tangerine

I just picked this up...the Sonic Scrubber. It is basically an electric toothbrush that spins at 4500 rpm's and you can change the heads on it to use different bristles; from super hard to soft. It runs on AA batteries and it is the poop!! I had my wheels gleaming to showroom quality in 45 minutes. I have been using autosol; I know this could ignite which metal polisher works best but autosol is the one doing the job for me and I have tried a bunch. Just dab it on through your entire wheel...nipples, spokes, rims, etc and then rub the heck out of it with this tool. Just hold it in place and let the thing do the work and then wipe it off. Not only am I winning the corrosion war but my stuff is shining better than before during the riding season. To add, I am riding through the winter here in the UK and the roads are heavily salted right now seeing that we are having the worst winter in thirty something years.





*I also have been spraying the bike down with Scott FS365. I will spray it down liberally before the ride and then another spraying after the ride is over. This is a great product and you can see it working on the salt as it fizzles and bubbles and sprayed on it. So spray down before the ride to create a film and then spray again afterwards to neutralize what is on top of the filmed base. MAKE SURE to wipe off your discs very thoroughly if you get any on them with the FS365!

Rockinronnie

Seems like a great tool but I think that if i had been doing that to my wheels and told triumph would have invalidated the warrenty for improper cleaning!!

They seem to be just riggling out of the fact that there using inferrior coatings i read lots of posts from around the world of problems with corrosion on bikes within warrenty and triumph not covering them.

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TIE-Pilot23

Doesnt the rust make it look more "vintage"?

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Bonnie06Tangerine

I agree but bottom line Triumph isn't going to cover this and I would rather keep my Bonnie up and not have to replace rusted out parts/items. To me rust is the enemy; I like a shiny bike with miles on the odometer. It would be nice if Triumph covered their end but they don't so I am going to keep on scrubbing.

Nickwiz

A bit of prevention is better than cure. I have never owned a motorcycle of any make or year that could be ridden through winter without needing a bit of oil or corrosion inhibitor on its shiny metal parts.

The pic of the white spots on the output sprocket cover and primary cases, is simply what I would expect a bare alloy engine case to look like if I'd ridden the bike in the wet and salt without using elbow grease and a corrosion inhibitor and cleaning it properly once in a while. A quick slosh with a bucket of soapy water won't keep any bike looking nice. Degrease, wash,rinse, re grease and coat all bare metal parts in some kind of corrosion inhibitor or light oil. It takes time and effort.

Doesn't matter if its a Honda a Beemer or a Triumph. All of em will go scabby if you don't show em some love. Its not crap coatings or shoddy parts. It is understanding what your bike is made off, accepting it and as B06 says taking preventitive measures where needed.

For example, from 08 on my understanding is Triumph stopped laquering the alloy engine covers. Much better as flaky laquer caused by unavoidable stone chips is a bastard to sort out where as bare alloy will come up nice with some autosol and some effort.


I don't buy the 'bikes are just toys nowadays the quality is crap it's all Triumph's fault' argument. I have a 68 BSA, definately sold in the era before motorcycles were just aimed at weekend warriors and if I rode it all winter without showing it an oily rag and some love then it too would look the same. Bikes are not cars. They take a bit of looking after if you use em all year round. Allways did. Always will.

My Thrux is used pretty much all year round. It bears some marks and scratches because I use it. Some parts are better made or designed than others. It has nice stainless spokes and nipples (oo er) but crappy laquer on the alloy engine covers, but corrosion is minimal because I make an effort to prevent it.

Sorry mate I know I'm lecturing but I'm borderline obsessive about looking after my bike as far as corrosion goes and I know that no bike on earth, who ever makes it, is made to just ride and forget. If you want that, just flat black the whole thing and quit worrying.

Sorry no intention to offend but just get on get cleaning! replace the bits that are too far gone and learn from the mistake and take preventitive measures next time.

invicta1

I dunno - - looks like pretty unacceptable deteriorating to me. Mine is an 04 and I don't have a lot of time to wipe it down. Not very often, but keep it off salt. And my 71 BSA hasn't corroded like that - and I never cleaned it much back when it was my daily ride - when it was already decades old.

AndyB

I think the stuff about using a corrosion protector through the winter is true. I was once shown a Road King with 100k miles that was used all year round by a HD warranty manager, and that had minimal corrosion. He just used S100 and kept re-applying until the spring when it all got washed off.

Looks like my first purchase will be a can of FS365 to cover my bike in when I pick it up on Saturday (no I know it's not a wise choice) I know however from previous experience that corrosion can start pretty quickly given a bit of road salt, grit and dirt.

Andy

blight

Question... is the corroding Thruxton parked outside 24/7 or is it stored at night in a dry garage? Makes a big difference. If you store it outdoors, a good waterproof but breathable cover is a necessity.

Also, if you live near the ocean, the salt air pretty much eats away at anything metallic whether it's indoors, outdoors, covered, or not!

If you ride home in the rain, it's good to wipe her down or blow the water off before putting it in the garage. Ever heard the term "rode hard and put away wet?" hehehe... Here's a neat little blower tool for that:

http://www.carguygarage.com/comodr.html

A little WD-40 sprayed or applied with a rag and wiped onto the areas in question will also displace water mist and keep the air from oxidizing it, whether it's plated steel or aluminum. (Just keep it off the paint and tires if you can) Carnauba wax on the paint will keep the moist air away from the paint and the water will bead up so you can just blow it off.

Sorry your having the corrosion issues, but some tedious, regular polishing, drying, and waxing will at least slow it down anyway!

You probably know all this anyway, but it's still good to bring this stuff up again for all the newbies that join the forum daily.

Cheers,
BLIGHT