Rust

[Maverick]

I washed the AT again this morning, nothing serious just a hose down and sort of scared the wheels with a brush but got bored after 30 seconds as the wheels is much tougher than I anticipated.

I know my std silencer is on it's wat out but after close inspection could not believe my eyes of how bad it really is.

The actual clamp just fell off when I touched it. Note the rust on the frame as well



While I had the digital out(yes always carry that around early Saturday Morning when you washing stuff ) took some more pics..

Will be lucky if that has not cracked right through by the end of the weekend



Even on the top of the steering column



And look at those radiators...bloody salt get's in everwhere!!



Now I am no rocket scientist and did not even know you get scientists that is so interested in a salad leave, but there is no way Honda used a primer on the frames or anything for that matter when they assembled this AT. A real pity that such a great bike would be overlooked a simple step in a painting process.

I want to start stripping and clean all the parts I can reach and repaint with something that will stick for a while. Now just to find the time to do it.

On a more positive note it still starts everytime

[robelst]

Is that steering column actually green of algea or is that just a colour shift of the camera / my computer?

The exhaust on my bike is pretty bad too, but not extreme for (in my case) an 11 years old bike. Cheap as I am I did not replace it (yet) but had the bottom-bit replaced with a section of stainless pipe, all done by my great local exhaust place "Longlife" in Falfield, Gloucestershire for a tenner.

Primer: Yes, there are no traces of that to be found near an AT. All about keeping weight down hey? Quite a difference with my old BMW's where you needed power-tools to even leave a scratch on the frame's paint work. But: on the subframe of my last BMW, a '97 R1100RT you could litteraly use your fingernail to reveal blank metal. Good-old days of proud workmanship are now history

Good luck with the restoration.

BTW: don't worry about the radiator, they are aluminium so nothing structural will happen. Don't even bother to spray-paint them, it will peel off in a matter of months.

[Dilbert]

try brushing off the loose rust and overpainting with hammerite, the bit round the steering head is beacause the paint loses surface tension at the end of the tube which then chips/ peels off, bike frames should be alloy or powder coated for longer life, but Honda don't want you to keep it that long before buying another!
if you repaint the rads, use an aluminium primer first, it should stick then, if not just keep them clean, you will see a white powder form, this is oxidation, but unlike steel it adds to the base metal instead of corroding it, rub it with an oily rag, dont sand it off that will make it worse.
not a rocket scientist either, just a Nuclear design engineer!

[Muckybill]

I am not trying to defend the Honda build quality, but if you run any bike through a british winter it is going to suffer. I had a RD04 that i used year round and had similar corrosion. My 1999 RD07A doesn't get used when the salt goes down and is still in good condition after 45000miles.
I imported a 10 year old Mitsubishi Pajero and it was mint underneath as in Japan they don't salt the roads. After 3 winters in blighty it is going the same way as your average british car and that is with waxoil on.
If you want to minimise the rust on your bike don't ride in salt and clean it regular and thoroughly, and polish it.

Bill

[old red eyes]

I use my 1996 @ right through the winter months and up here the council throw salt on the roads for fun. Come the spring I take all bodywork off and armed with wire brush and tins of black and silver hammerite go over all the scabby bits and it still looks ok.
I think I may have said before on forum that owning an @ isn't about cleaning and polishing its about riding it until it can take no more and they can take plenty.

[Dilbert]

p.s. all exhausts rust dramatically once the chrome flakes off, due to the heating and cooling (affects the actual "grian" structure of the metal), many rust from the inside out (common in cars) especially if you only go on short trips, i think they reckon about a pint of water is produced per gallon of petrol and that sits inside your pipes if it doesn't get evapourated.
I wasn't just getting at Honda either all car and bike companies manufacture to a price, on the plus side I have recently bought an '88 650 AT that only has a few bits of rust where the frame has been scratched, must have been garaged for most of its life and not taken out in the bad weather, so either don't ride in bad weather on salty roads (if they didn't salt the roads lots more of us wouldn't be here!) or keep it clean.

[paultheold]

A large percentage of my post is about the very poor build quality of the AT RS paints do paint for the AT albeit at a very high price.

[Muckybill]

I think I may have said before on forum that owning an @ isn't about cleaning and polishing its about riding it until it can take no more and they can take plenty.

Hey! It does no harm to clean a bike now and then and i do as much riding if not more than the average @ rider. I am going on a 5000mile trip in 6 weeks and the bike will get cleaned if it gets dirty. If you clean your bike regular you may find out if things are not performing as they should and you can replace or repair parts before they let you down on the road
.
Sorry if i am going on a bit but i hate to see a dirty and rusty bike.

Bill

ps
Keep all replies clean

[robelst]

Yes, a bit of washing, WD40 and ACF50 in winter work wonders on any bike. Let's not get carried away too much in negative news on the AT, finish is not the AT's strongest point and that is sad but there's always worse: have a close look at a Yamaha Super Ten next time you see one. Also, Suzuki DR's were so poorly built they all seem to have vanished shortly after Suzuki stopped building them. And let's not forget many AT's are 10 years old or more by now, have done zillions of miles all year round and not famous for having polishing-addicted owners.

On my bike most corrosion is superficial and "under control" except for these vulcanic landscapes:




Case of "they all do that sir"?
It's an agressive sort of corrosion but very local and square-shaped (except the bit round the valve): I wonder if a chemical reaction has happened between the wheel and a lead balance weight? Or am I talking bollocks again?
What do you lot think: Am I riding on dangerous wheels or is it mainly optical discomfort (the "vulcans seem dead", no change since I bought the bike 18 months ago)?

Better end with a more colourful picture to balance out the misery of this topic :

[Dilbert]

On my bike most corrosion is superficial and "under control" except for these vulcanic landscapes:

It's an agressive sort of corrosion but very local and square-shaped (except the bit round the valve): I wonder if a chemical reaction has happened between the wheel and a lead balance weight? Or am I talking bollocks again?

robelst
it could be electrolytic/ galvanic action between the dis-similar metals, aluminium is notorious for this, especially in the precense of a strong electrolyte (salt water).
if it is it will corrode and weaken the wheel, clean it off and paint/ varnish with something to keep water/ oxygen out.