I've said my piece about the wheel/spoke corrosion issue on my T120 and while I don't want to keep banging on about it I think this is worth mentioning so others can check. I'm not going to be going near dealers or Triumph - just can't be arsed dealing with either of them. While changing tyres for the first time on the T120 today I noticed some corrosion in the inside of the rims. Not too bad and some of it did scrub off but not all. I thought I'd look under the rim tape - SCAREY sight!! Every one of the spoke nipples and the recess they sit in was extensively corroded. I spent an hour (on each wheel) with the now familiar toothbrush and ACF50 which cleaned a lot of the rust off but there are bits that just couldn't be scrubbed away. These nipple recesses are a moisture trap and given that the plating (certainly on some bikes) is already suspect it really is worth checking out at the first opportunity. It looks like this is going to have to be part of the tyre changing process from now on! I change my own tyres but I imagine I'm in the minority. It may be worth asking to have a look when your tyres are getting changed as if it's left unattended the spokes will eventually fail. I've had years of offroading, riding through peaty Scottish forests and bogs and know only too well the effects of corrosion on the spoke nipples. It usually starts off with a slack spoke or two that won't adjust as it's seized solid. One by one they will all go till the only answer is a complete rebuild with new spokes. Worst case scenario is the wheel collapses. Be warned!
It is all a bit bizarre and it is pissing me off more than a little. I never dreamed I'd have a road bike where the wheels are a major part of the maintenance regime. I am aware of the problem and go through enough tyres to be able to keep an eye on it, assuming I keep the bike. Maybe in a couple of years if wheels do indeed start falling apart Triumph may finally get the corporate head out of the corporate arse and do something to address this.
I know you have (rightly it seems) a downer on Triumph and you dealer but you would do yourself and indeed the rest of us a favour if push to get this sorted once and for all. If you can't get sorted with them E mail the CE himself I can't believe the Bloors would be happy about this.
You do have a good point John T. Maybe I will get in touch with Triumph again. I should have taken photos of the corrosion under the rim tape before I cleaned it up. I know that if I do go down this route I'll end up wasting time going back and forward to dealers who really have been inept up until now. I have little enough free time and am really loathed to use it on this issue. Am really tempted to flog the bike and cut my losses but I still think that despite the corrosion issue there's a great bike there. May be worth dropping them a line in any case?
Well you could take it to the top http://ceoemail.com/s.php?id=ceo-81004&k=58bd58cc&c=Triumph Motorcycles CEO
I have to admit even after using 2 litres of FS365 over the winter months, the aluminium, chrome and zinc plate have still suffered due to using the bike almost daily. I don't know how much FS365 Delboy uses, but it must be a lot and daily. The only real prevention I have found to the corrosion is employing an almost daily cleaning regime and old fashioned grease and oil because that really does protect. There is no way bikes I owned 30+ years ago corroded like this. The alloy wheels fur up slightly overnight even when coated in FS365 and I definitely could not ignore cleaning them, carb bodies and every zinc component the same, plus the engine casings. I couldn't put more FS365 spray on, it's literally dripping off the bike. Is the salt mixture on the roads more aggressive ? or is it just shite materials and shite surface treatments ? Next year grease and oil on the main bits, fancy environmentally safe water based sprays on the hard to get at bits. Made me suspicious when I saw Delboy spraying FS on his bikes and then hosing it all off to reveal an immaculate shining Harley, obvious to me now that water does wash it off far too easily. Having said all that I think the corrosion would have been a lot worse without using the FS365 Conclusion: Use your bike in the UK through the winter months and you will get some corrosion!
Who's your dealer? Do we all need to know? It's a bit worrying but not putting me off getting my nice new T120!
Feel for you OG, especially in the wild and windy salt air of the far N.East if you're anywhere near the coast. No way you should get corrosion inside the rims like that. I ride my pushbikes in all weathers and in all my years have never seen corroded nipples on any half decent branded rim. The nipples properly secured should be a tight seal. Could the wetness have been in there during original assembly?
I'm well inland so doubt that salty air is the problem. Like I've said from the start I believe the electroplating process is flawed in some way. It's not my field of expertise so I can't say exactly how it's flawed. I haven't got time to go through the Triumph / Dealer process at the moment (have lost enough time at work through this already and got nowhere). Getting rid of the bike is becoming a more attractive option but I'll leave that decision till later in the year.
On topic, I ventured in to my local dealer the other day and got talking about the new T120 amongst other things and got round to the reported corrosion issues that seem to be prevalent on this model and I was somewhat shocked when the sales guy said he had never heard of such issues. I even tried to get him to agree that it was unacceptable on a new bike to have corrosion and that it must be a process failure to which he replied that it was an iconic brand that if that was the case it was isolated and probably down to lack of maintenance. I left shaking my head. So I have to agree with you old git re dealers and their attitude.
What I find more than a bit worrying is Triumph and their Dealers seem to be convincing some people that premature corrosion is a maintenance issue when it clearly isn't! Every time I go out on the bike and it rains I find myself spending at least an hour cleaning, drying and re-applying ACF50. The replacement clocks showed signs of "misting" on a wet ride today and the service "spanner" which has been flashing on and off for no reason now appears to be on constantly and the bike is nowhere near a service interval. "Iconic brand" my arse! Pile of badly put together crap more like. It looks like l'm going to have to lose more time from my life trying to get the dealers to do something. Really have had enough of Triumph ownership. This is the worst bike, in terms of quality, I've ever owned!
it just seems to just certain Bonnies that are having issues are they the ones made abroad?,i haven't heard any bad reports about the other models?.. my speed triple seems to have a good finish
Maybe it is just the ones made in Thailand, I'm not sure if all the Bonnies and the Thruxton are made there though?
What has happened to Triumph's quality ?????? My first big bike was a pre-unit then after years away from bikes I came back with an 02 America. My America is now 15 years old and the chrome/alloy finishes are still in great condition. After all I've read about the new models the one reoccurring theme is the quality of finish and dealer's reluctance to acknowledge reported owner's issues I now know I'll never buy a brand new Triumph. Don't get me wrong I like the early (non EFI) Bonneville's with their ease of servicing and maintenance, but a new bike is a big financial decision for me and I'm not prepared to go through what Old Git has had to put up with.
I agree with you old git, the quote "it`s an iconic brand" did it for me, "Oh okay then so a bit of rust and poor finish is acceptable then" thought I. What a joke. I actually went in to arrange a test drive of this iconic brand the new T120 but I didn`t bother in the end and left. Maybe a sale lost for him who knows.
On a happier note I did some detail work on the bonnie yesterday and I have to say even though I have ridden it through most of the winter she scrubbed up lovely and showing no signs of corrosion anywhere, I use a combination of ACF50 & FS365 and with spoke wheels I would have thought there would have been but was surprised to find none
And here we go again it seems ! OG I really think you should write to the boss if you really have such a dud bike. Surely it takes the same time to e mail messers Bloor as to write yet another moan on the forum As far as moans about crap and dodgy dealers all I can repeat is that To date Newcastle Triumph have not had one issue with corrosion and that's not from the boss but from my lad who works on the bleeding things ! If it does occur I will let you guys know.
What next, will an iconic brand in the eyes of the said salesman be 'the factory are releasing bikes with oil leaks',,,,,,,,, just like my Triumph T100 and 6tc engined triton did in the 1960's. The salesman was probably selling sofas a few weeks ago
That's pretty off-putting hearing about major corrosion issues on a modern Triumph. I have a 16 year old Bonnie which is in superb condition. I would have brought a new model based on my experience with my Hinkley built bike, but now I am seriously not so sure it would be the best move. May look at alternatives for my everyday ride.
