Do those GS's with black engines....

[motobiker]

Suffer from 'alternator cover ROT' like so many of the silver bikes do?

Front cover on my bike is in a shocking state and so this winter it's coming off. The black one is identical according to the parts fiche. But... Obviously I'ld reconsider the idea if black ones were just as prone to decay over the long term.

having the original powder coated is a no-no. as is bodging it with Smoothrite. (I'ld rather stick pins in my eyes)

 

[Rob Farmer]

Whats wrong with smoothrite?

 

[motobiker]

Whats wrong with smoothrite?

Nothing.. if you're a masochist.

I'm not... its far too much like hard work. the cover would need to come off and then fully stripped and prepped for recoating. and frankly i can't be arsed. I'ld much rather consign it to the bin.

If black ones are just as bad as the silver.. then I'll replace it with a silver. I realise that not all of them rot like mine has in the past 5 years. its pot luck.

I've got a stainless fixing set for the part.. which should also help.

 

[roddy]

what generation of bike are you refering too ?

 

[Wrigsby1]

Suffer from 'alternator cover ROT' like so many of the silver bikes do?

Front cover on my bike is in a shocking state and so this winter it's coming off. The black one is identical according to the parts fiche. But... Obviously I'ld reconsider the idea if black ones were just as prone to decay over the long term.

having the original powder coated is a no-no. as is bodging it with Smoothrite. (I'ld rather stick pins in my eyes)

Ride it through the winter and then it will look OK in it's proper habitat

 

[Pekkavee]

My alternator cover does not have any ROT.
It's the black one like my engine, 11 years old.
It looks great.

Pekka

 

[motobiker]

Ride it through the winter and then it will look OK in it's proper habitat

I do. the bike had a small patch of rot when I bought it. 5 winters later and it looks shocking... spreading as it is right across the lower face and uo to the plastic outer cover. The bike lives outside too which hasn't helped.

I've not heard about black ones having this same problem. wondered if anyone else had?

I'll order the part next month.

 

[MattW]

I did read about someone on here (MikeP?) repainting a black front cover so I guess the paint can fail?...

That said, I repainted (sorry, bodged) my silver front cover in situ. It's certainly not 'showroom' but it looks a whole heap better than it did before (just about the whole lower section from the plastic cover was bubbled and peeling).

The stripped bit here was knackered:
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/kXMGBqyP8dpXxEeG11OVSMdIjVbFe8lpPsa0N09Tvn4?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_SSn2CtCOKnU/TFGhgODLd9I/AAAAAAAADfc/V11_3DT4xnY/s800/IMG_5575.JPG" height="800" width="600" /></a>

After (screws now replaced with stainless):
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/y4-tn4wX9n85O9pH2cyhhsdIjVbFe8lpPsa0N09Tvn4?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_SSn2CtCOKnU/TFGhh8eGNbI/AAAAAAAADfg/-mLtJzIWTbs/s800/IMG_5581.JPG" height="800" width="600" /></a>

What do new front covers go for?

 

[Wrigsby1]

I do. the bike had a small patch of rot when I bought it. 5 winters later and it looks shocking... spreading as it is right across the lower face and uo to the plastic outer cover. The bike lives outside too which hasn't helped.

I've not heard about black ones having this same problem. wondered if anyone else had?

I'll order the part next month.

Never saw a black one with probs but I never saw an 1100 black engine either. The siver is thick painted surface and is awful when the corrosion gets under. The black never looked as thick so it may be a different process??

I got over the prob by using a mates Waxoyl sprayer and covering the front cover in black (tar). I would count it a drastic to change the front cover but as Matt has pictured you can get at the flaky stuff without a total deconstruct. Sadly the fins are the real bstrd so I don't bother too much

PS The black 'eens used to discolour due too much powerwashing, which is some sort of ironic joke I think?

 

[motobiker]

I'm assuming around a £100.

I was talking about myself when I said 'Bodge' - because thats exactly what it would be. I won't even try.

your down pipes are far too shiny and not nearly blue enough.

 

[MattW]

your down pipes are far too shiny and not nearly blue enough.

The pic makes them look better than they are They're actually that dirty light brown that they seem to go - life's too short to attack them with polish.

 

[MattW]

Sadly the fins are the real bstrd so I don't bother too much

Yeah - my heads / barrels are a bit tatty around the front but there's no way I'm repainting those I did do the rocker covers - a right faff with some home made dremel tools to strip the old powder coat.

 

[Wrigsby1]

One thing for all those "readers" who may not have done it.....

If you haven't already, fit a mud/crap flap to the bottom of the front mudguard. It's the stone chips that chip the paint and accellerate to rot. I make my own out of an old bit of rubber and a pair of scissors which is as good as aftetmarket ones. Or a black piece of plastic. I cable tie it on as the screws ALWAYS seize

The rear mudguard extender is to stop the crap sticking to your pillions back

 

[MattW]

One thing for all those "readers" who may not have done it.....

If you haven't already, fit a mud/crap flap to the bottom of the front mudguard. It's the stone chips that chip the paint and accellerate to rot. I make my own out of an old bit of rubber and a pair of scissors which is as good as aftetmarket ones. Or a black piece of plastic. I cable tie it on as the screws ALWAYS seize

The rear mudguard extender is to stop the crap sticking to your pillions back

+1
I also made and fitted a stainless steel front 'crud catcher' thing after repainting my front cover. These are pretty much a 'tolerate or hate' thing (no one can say they 'love' them can they?) but I hope it will help protect the finish of the front end.

 

[motobiker]

I don't believe that the damage is caused 'on the road' on the contrary, I believe the damage was caused originally in the factory. Only it takes, sometimes years to manifest itself.

When the bike is constructed.. the coating is cracked.. most likely at the fixing points round the edges and either there's some sort of reaction between the bolts and metal.. or water eventually penetrates and causes another reaction that lifts the paint from the surface.. and that's it. It just gets progressively worse.

A new cover + Stainless fixings and copious amounts of copper grease on the threads.. best I can do.

 

[Wrigsby1]

I don't believe that the damage is caused 'on the road' on the contrary, I believe the damage was caused originally in the factory. Only it takes, sometimes years to manifest itself.

When the bike is constructed.. the coating is cracked.. most likely at the fixing points round the edges and either there's some sort of reaction between the bolts and metal.. or water eventually penetrates and causes another reaction that lifts the paint from the surface.. and that's it. It just gets progressively worse.

A new cover + Stainless fixings and copious amounts of copper grease on the threads.. best I can do.

Your right that they go around the bolts but that is part due to the bolts breaking the paint which is what you mentioned. After spending a fair bit of time evaluating bikes when selling for a dealer, the 1st place you would look for corrosion is the front cover in the middle to see if they had any big bubbles due to stone chips.

Trouble is it's thick paint and crap alloy so once it's through it's a bugger to stop. I had one of the last K100LT's with the lovely sand cast cases and that hardly corroded at all and was just WD40'ed now and again.

Perhaps an RT fairing so you can't see it...

PS Oh and the front mudguard extender was the easiest aftersales item on a new bike!

 

[Packer]

My 1150GS will be off the road this winter for the first time as there are now large patches of paint missing at various points on the engine and gearbox.

A complete repaint needed I think. I'm hoping to get the entire engine and gearbox bead blasted and repainted. The subrames will also be re-done.

A couple of points

1) Stainless bolts exacerbate the corrosion of aluminium.
2) Use Alu-slip not copper slip on aluminium as the copper also promotes
aluminium corrosion.

 

[sloukes]

I'ld much rather consign it to the bin.

Don't do that - give it to me and I can refurb it and then its a quick swap sometime over winter.
Someone else can then have mine and so on and so on...

Steve

 

[motobiker]

1) Stainless bolts exacerbate the corrosion of aluminium.
2) Use Alu-slip not copper slip on aluminium as the copper also promotes
aluminium corrosion.

No evidence of that around any of the stainless fixings on my bike.. all of which were fitted with copper slip. some came with the bike 5 years ago and some have been added since.. 2 or 3 years ago.