Corrosion

Has anyone had any corrosion issues with ones made in the uk? or is it just a coincidence that all the problems seem to be from the ones made abroad?

 

Apart from the state of my wheels no.Rest is fine. Thing the TBird is made in the UK

 

all clear on my speed triple..made in UK

 

and only the ones made abroad i think

 

I'm thinking Thruxton/Bonnie here, surely all the parts, wheels, engine cases etc are manufactured in the same country ( probably Thailand ) therefore irrelevant where the bikes are assembled ? They wouldn't fly parts over to the UK for the bikes to be built.

Would they ?

 

Seems to be because as I said earlier the streets and 800 tigers have been Thailand made for a good while now. It also seems to be brightwork rather than paint finish too.

The casing aren't lacquered so you need to keep on top but chrome should be more resilient. I actually enjoy polishing to the extent my lad says I'm like a Harley owner....

Still seems there's a few baduns out there. Bike mags long term test report was full of praise for finishes on their Thruxton.....then went on to say they had left it covered in salt spray for 3 days which caused pitting on the casings but which polished out although the wheels needed a 'professional refurb' make of that what you will !

 

i don't know but it is strange all the problems seem to be with the ones built abroad,it was said before it might be something to do with the humidity in Thailand? unless they are just not protecting the parts with whatever they used before

 

Having read this thread I've spent a fair part of my day painting all the fasteners on my week old street scrambler with ACF50. I'll be doing the spokes tomorrow

 

Yeah - after having the rear wheel replaced under warranty I'm paranoid about it happening again. I have a permanent oily rag on the go and clean and oil my spokes (and the chrome shocks) weekly!!.

 

could be fun in the wet

 

My Thunderbird LT is 12 months old and at the end of this winter I did need to give the wheels and spokes a real good clean. Had some surface rust which polished out without to much effort. The one serious problem I've had is with the heel on the gear lever (the chrome peeled badly), which was replaced under warranty without any hassle. I will continue to stay on top of any corrosion issues.

Like many on the forum I have been riding for a number of years and have had many bikes form different manufactures and I never treated any of them, only ever washed them down after a ride. I have treated both my LT and Street Twin with FS365 from new and I'm hopeful that this will keep any corrosion at bay for a long. Only time will tell.

I have loved the triumph brand since the 1960's and their bikes. I really hope that these issues are resolved to customer satisfaction.
Wessa

 

.......just goes to show, modern salt that they put on the roads, is clearly much more powerful......just like modern engines size for size compared to classic or vintage stuff ! ...........

....and 'back in the day'.....and I am old enough to be a boy from 'back in the day!'.........bikes had built-in, all over lubing devices that were cleverly disguised as engines to ensure all components were always nicely coated in oil to keep corrosion at bay!.......and that jest is only just 'a bit tongue in the cheek!'......

......when I was a spotty teenager, my two wheelers were the only transport I had so they were used every single day come hell, high water snow and ice......and by the end of Winter every one of them was covered in what I called 'frost bite'.......thick, heavy, white corrosion crystals on any bare alloy surfaces, rust on steel and a creeping white and sometimes black corrosion stains spreading out on any metal surface under the lacquer that was used to cover metal surfaces to try and prevent corrosion happening!.....

It is very frustrating when your brand new bike goes bad right in front of your eyes.....and the advice to wipe all bare alloy surfaces with an oily rag both before and after every ride is a good one, believe me, this 'Corrosion Plague' is nothing new.


Cheers,

dickydido

 

Why not replace the spokes with stainless items?
I know triumph used to have them but was unaware they have been dropped, probably due to cost.
There is nothing worse than manky spokes.
You can do it yourself. Its not the black art they make it out to be.

 

I think you might be underrating your skills there t552 plus the equipment required is more than a 'normal' biker might have in their tool kit.
I would personally recommend trusting this to a reputable wheel builder.
From personal experience I once nearly came a right cropper on a pedal bike with spokes that I didn't even know were loose until belting down a hill. Massive wheel wobble, don't know how I stayed on!

 

I have done it several times. and when racing supermoto wanted to run a 5.5inch riim so moved it over .5 inch. I had no special tool just a spoke key and a black and decker workmate.
The 1st time I did it was on a Suzuki GT250 back in the eaqrly 80's then I was a real noob at stuff like that. The hardest part is having the confidence to start.

 

You don't need any specialist tools or equipment. I know of people who have rebuilt wheels using the backs of 2 dining room chairs, although not ideal.

Nowadays just have a look on YouTube.

 

Can anyone recommend an independent mechanical engineer that will do a report for me on my bike?

 

Well, I'll stand corrected, I have never rebuilt a wheel so was going from the equipment I have seen being used. Dial test indicators, vee blocks etc.

 

My 2017 T120 has corrosion on the sprocket cover and both wheel rims, despite frequent care with washing and PTFE spray. I was told by Triumph to rub the corrosion off with chrome polish, but this has ruined the brushed aluminium finish on the sprocket cover. Although I'm a fair-weather summer only rider surely a modern m/cycle should be able to be ridden as a daily commuter through the winter without corroding? Assuming a 9 to 5 job it's impossible to wash your bike everyday especially as such a commuter would only be at home during the dark hours. As I said, I don't ride in bad weather and look after my T120 and it's still corroding after less than a year. Triumph won't put this right under warranty. This isn't good enough! Car manufacturers wouldn't get away with it, why do we let the bike companies escape their responsibilities?

 

Threaten to sue them using the sale of goods act "not fit for purpose" no way should the spokes need sorting on a year old bike!