If you were to look at my bike you would probably wonder what I'm going on about as the bike looks very much like showroom condition. I am keeping the corrosion at bay with ACF50 but the time and effort required is ridiculous. After every ride I have to clean the ACF50 spin off from the rims and re-apply. Last night I removed the rear tyre (fitted less than a fortnight ago) to ensure that the rust I removed wasn't back. This is how ridiculous things have become. If I now go to the dealer or Triumph all they see is a mint bike. Maybe I'd have gotten further with the warranty claim if I'd neglected the bike.
If you feel so strongly about the bike but it's in perfect nick I humbly suggest its time you flogged it and moved on to something you consider a better bet I meanwhile along with many more look forward to another summer of Bonnie biking My last word on this... ride safe whatever you're on !
Just as a matter of interest old git, what was the rim like after you removed the tyre last night ? If your bike is very much like showroom condition, it cant be that bad surely, although I appreciate you are having to protect and clean it more than you would like. I have got to say, my Bonnie is the best bike I have ever ridden and I would be very loathe to get rid of it.
The rust on the inside of the rim is the same as it was before but the bit that really concerned me was all the spoke recesses. Thankfully the rim tape and I presume the pressure of the tyre looks like it's stopped the acf50 from spinning out. Unbeknown to me my son took photos of the rear rim after I'd originally cleaned it up but before I looked under the tape. Note rust concentrated on what seems to be a white film - possibly a sticky label for ID purposes?
I am seriously considering cutting my losses but I really do like riding the bike. I want something that won't cost me my licence, that me and the wife can can spend a couple of hours on in an unhurried type of way and I do like the look. You obviously think I like a good moan but Triumph have had more than one opportunity to address the corrosion issue and chose not too, I've got better things to do than spend my time running back and forward to dealers. Every time, I have to take time off work and be seriously inconvenienced to get nowhere. This isn't what I paid 10k for. I spent good money and got quality issues. If me highlighting these issues irritates people then it's just too bad. I will be back at dealers to get the service light issue addressed which they ignored when I mentioned it previously.
I've read with real interest all of this thread regarding corrosion, even checked my thunderbird LT out (spokes, wheel rims etc) and whilst initially there was what appeared to be some surface rust a good clean has actually sorted these problems out (well at least for now anyway). More worrying has been the heel end of my gear lever which the chrome has started to peal off. It has gotten really bad over the past few weeks, so today I popped into my local dealer. They took photo's of the problem and said that they would raise a warrantee ticket with Triumph and that they would let me know how things go. I came away thinking that it would likely be a while before I heard anything and whether Triumph would step up to the mark at all. Well to my surprise I got a phone call this afternoon (approximately six hours after leaving the dealers) to say that Triumph have reviewed my claim and that they would replace the part. Now I know we can all have a whinge and moan about manufacturers, but in my book my experience today represents good customer service. Of course I would have preferred to not have to had the problem in the first place (the bike was circa £16k) and hope that similar problems don't occur on other parts on my bike; time will tell. For now I'm really happy with both my street twin and my thunderbird LT, riding a triumph for me is a fantastic experience. The after care service from Triumph for me has been really positive and I would hope that this is replicated for all others should they have similar problems. Wessa
I wouldn't say your posts have irritated anyone old git. You are reporting your experiences about a new expensive bike and have every right to do so.
I thought with the 'modern' Triumphs it was a mixture of UK and Thailand manufacture ? On the 'log book' there is a letter denoting the origin of manufacture.
Well Mick, you could be right, but I'm 99% sure ALL the classics are TH built. Hinckley building the Speed Trips etc.
That's a good idea. It might be worth doing if I keep the bike. Currently looking at alternatives but haven't made a decision yet.
Just to let you know this corrosion issue isn't exclusive to Hinckley triumphs, if got corrosion on the front wheel rim of my 58 thunderbird
According to Triumph's own website, they: "have has six-world class factories around the world, all 100% owned by our company. Two of these factories are based in Hinckley in the UK, Three are in Chonburi, Thailand and one is in Manaus, Brazil." It doesn't tell you what is made where but I remember reading somewhere that only the Rocket was made at Hinckley for now and that the UK factory will become a purely research and development facility.
Don't worry Jez the thread was only going off track a wee bit, it sometimes happens on here. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed
The high humidity in Thailand makes all untreated steels rust overnight, and I mean red rust. This could very well be the issue with some of the corrosion we are seeing. If products are not pre-treated correctly and plating is applied on rust, it will quickly break through the plating.
In Manaus it would be perhaps similar, the most humid and hottest area in the country anyway. But, bikes are only assembled in CKD (complete knock down) supply chain method, moreover bikes assembled in Brazil are only sold in Brazil (maybe mercosul market, but not overseas). I hope Triumph invests in protection during work in process, finished goods inventory, transport, assemble and factory stocking in Brazil, otherwise, even with protection life will be shorter anyway. I just picked a Street Cup and I would not have picked chromed classic T120 for that reason....
I am no expert on these matters but I think all modern bikes are pretty good but there will always be the odd rogue dud get through the production process. I am very pleased with my Tiger Sport, I think the overall finish is far better than the BMW I had but I also had an excellent Honda NC750 for a while. On the Honda forum most people are fairly happy but there is the odd horror story of corrosion. And of course Africa Twins have had a rusty spoke problem - hence the 2018 has stainless steel spokes. Read an article a while ago about the Triumph operation and a few things that stood out . They switch production from plant to plant so not all bikes of a particular model are built in the same plant. They have an obsession with quality control. They source components from local suppliers so that they can control quality - unlike BMW they do not buy parts in from China. At the end of the day it is all about economics and making a profit so it is not in their interest to let poor quality stuff out onto the market - they are trying to build market share. I have had two minor warranty issues with my bike and both have been dealt with without question so I think the OP has been really unlucky with his wheels and really should press the issue directly with Triumph. If I were Triumph I would stalk this forum as well and try to anticipate problems and come up with solutions.
