Just cleaned my new 1200 Speed Twin and having only done 550 miles I noticed the radiator had white bits on it. It looks damaged, but it appears the paint has just been worn off. Anyone else come across this? Haven't had chance to take otto dealers yet, wondering what their response would be. ?
Could it just be dirty? Mine looks like that if I've ridden down a muddy lane, can be a bugger to get off but just use a brush to get into the crevices.
Be very careful brushing radiators as they are extremely fragile. To OP; If if really is a paint issue rather than dirt, send pics direct to Triumph customer care. I did and found them very responsive. My rear wheel had done just over 500 miles when after the 1st service I had the tyres swapped. A stick on balance weight removed the paint, about the size of a finger nail. No issue whatsoever and the wheel was swapped at no expense to me other than fuel.
Had a similar issue with mine after one wet ride. Triumph would not entertain a warranty claim - apparently this is normal.
On a paint quality related point, I've found the paint on the SS wheels is very thin and easily damaged on the rim when tyre changing, even when using plastic rim protectors. On the plus side it's easy to match and touch up and virtually invisible when the tyres are inflated. On the OP about the rad, if that is paint flaking off it could get much worse if you continue riding when the salt goes down this Winter.
I just use a softish brush, have done for years on various bikes with no ill effect. Agree, wouldn't use anything with stiff bristles though.
Did you clean it with a jet wash by any chance? The paint is certainly thin enough and the fins can easily be bent slightly which might be enough to loosen the paint. It just looks like the bare metal is all on the right of each fin as you look at it. The overall effect is similar to a pebble dashed radiator which clearly your's isn't. If a jet wash isn't the culprit, then I'd say the paint wasn't well applied in the first place and Triumph should own that one. It's not peppered with stones up the centre line or from insects elsewhere, which is fair wear and tear, (which wouldn't happen in 550 miles anyway). And as Pegscraper says, if that's bare metal now, the salt will whiten the rad even more. Triumph now charge £567 for that radiator and I've noticed they don't do the rad guard they did for the 2019 model. As above, I'd recommend a guard too. I had an Evotec one which probably suits the newer Speed Twin better than my earlier one. And the bike doesn't suit a mudguard extension. Maybe the quality of finish isn't what it used to be on the newer radiators, certainly if that's happened with a hosepipe and brush, that's not right.
My 765 radiator had weeping split fins front and back all over it after riding for 30 days brand new. The dealer wouldn't approve. I had to send macro shots of the issue to Triumph USA to get the ball rolling with my dealer's service center. Better close-up detailed pics will help your case a lot.
