[mickb]

well after 4.5 months of ownership and 6000 miles i have the first signs of corrosion on the front and rear spokes, right hand side forkleg and more annoyingly the front wheel rim .Despite regular cleaning and treating with acf50 its happening allready

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[sevenfourate1]

Oh dear. A trip back to Lings beckons then (I take it this is BRAND NEW ?).

Good luck from a fellow Lowestoft resident..............

 

[mickb]

Oh dear. A trip back to Lings beckons then (I take it this is BRAND NEW ?).

Good luck from a fellow Lowestoft resident..............

Yep was brand spanking new in august so not very happy . Although it came from lings i dont have anything to do with them, after it had its first service the chain was so tight it was like a bow string and a screw got misplaced for one of the fairing panels so they tried to force a screw in that was twice the length of the orginal causing the panel to vibrate because it wasnt tight .I use cj ball now in norwich so i will get them to look into it for me . what area of lowie ?

 

[sevenfourate1]

Ive never bought a new Honda - and infact havnt really owned a Honda at all until a few weeks ago; so have never had a need to use them. But; a few friends who were Honda die-hards through and through reckon they are less and less interested in bikes these day and push the car side more. Two of those friends now refuse to use them when buying new, one actually bought a Kawasaki from SeaStar as they were local'ish rather than use Lings.........

Im in Gunton, opposite Tescos on the Persimmon Estate. Kettles always on if your passing through.

 

[T ALP]

So disappointing that Honda cannot manage a more durable longer lasting finish

 

[sevenfourate1]

On the fairing bolt thing **** - i can also tell you two of the longest serving motorcycle mechanics from Lings are also long gone (One is a very good friend of a friend), due to being treated like ****, the conditions they had to work under, the 'supervisory' cameras put-up in the Workshop etc etc.

Another nail in the coffin i fear for them.........

 

[mickb]

On the fairing bolt thing **** - i can also tell you two of the longest serving motorcycle mechanics from Lings are also long gone (One is a very good friend of a friend), due to being treated like ****, the conditions they had to work under, the 'supervisory' cameras put-up in the Workshop etc etc.

Another nail in the coffin i fear for them.........

Havent had a problem with cj ball so far ,put the t/a in there for the 4000 mile service and a new rear tyre @5300 miles .Bike was ready when they said it would be and they give you a courtesy bike ,something which lings dont do they offerd to get someone to run me home in a car which by the time you sit in traffic its quicker to walk which is what i did.

 

[Transalp Tim]

well after 4.5 months of ownership and 6000 miles i have the first signs of corrosion on the front and rear spokes, right hand side forkleg and more annoyingly the front wheel rim .Despite regular cleaning and treating with acf50 its happening allready <br>

The spokes on mine started corroding a few months after purchasing new in 2008. I raised it with the dealer and he reported it but Honda's response was apparently along the lines of "the zinc plating is for sacrificial corrosion to protect the steel spokes". I have toyed with the idea of having a wheel building company replace them with stainless steel but haven't done anything about it. I use ACF50 and that does seem to help slow down the effects.

 

[mickb]

had a phone call from the dealer on saturday ,and im getting new front rim and spokes , new left hand side forkleg and new spokes on the rear . I was advised against stainless spokes by a welder friend of mine ,apparently you shouldnt mix alloy and stainless steel.

 

[thetimkirby]

Alloy and stainless is usually less of a problem than alloy and galvanised. Depends where the metals are in the reactivity series. Spoke to Hagon some while ago, and they were using brass nipples (or washers at the base of the nipples, can't remember which) to reduce the effect. I'd be interested to see the results.

If you want to scare yourself, bolt a bit of aluminium to a bit of galvanise steel and leave it in salty water for a few weeks. The ali turns to jelly.

 

[TimClynes]

I've had my XL 700 since October, and as yet have not had a chance to clean her.

The rims and spokes are coated in a heavy layer of road dirt.

When I get round to cleaning her in the spring I'll report back. I went for the black rims rather than the anodised gold rims, I thought they would stand up better over time.
The spokes don't look bad though.