Now sort out the quality BMW

[AP11 LAD]

I have owned several BMW bikes over the last few years and ride all year round for fun and average 18000 miles a year, so the bikes get used. They also get well looked after and I always at least rinse my bike off after every ride and wash it regularly. The only thing I don't do is blow dry it off before putting into a dry garage.

My current bike is a 17 model year triple black GSA and it gets the same treatment and has done 2700 miles. I've just spent six hours sanding rust off the discs. In addition there are rust stains all around the bracket that holds the exhaust on and also several parts of the crash bars. Several spokes were also rusting and many torx screw heads. I love the bike to ride but find the quality a joke. Mention the discs to local dealer and they say " they all do that ". And they are right - they do all do that judging by their demonstrators as they all have signs of rust on the discs

Some say you can't complain as they are built to a price and yes they are - but let's not forget that that price is high. Now if one buys a Korean car at a fraction of the price to say a VW then you can expect poorer quality but with a BMW ??

Each year the quality is getting worse and BMW are getting away with it. Now if you only ride in the summer months I accept you will not be affected

And finally, yes it can be cleaned off but why the hell should it be necessary ?

 

[unicycler]

Salt on roads will do all that very quickly

 

[younger06]

I think it's unacceptable to be honest.
My mate only has his since mid January and the aux lights are already giving trouble. Another buddy collected his 17 model GSA in December and it has already had one of the aux lights replaced.
If you don't spec keyless onto the bike...... it's impossible to have a keyfob to control your alarm, which leaves the key in the ignition to knock off an activated alarm (and they are very sensitive)

These bikes cost between €20k and €25k in Ireland. I have a 2007 model but the experience my 2 friends are having with theirs would discourage me from upgrading to one of the new bikes.
Bikes with only a few months and a few thousand miles should not be corroding........ end of!

Sent from a OnePlusX

 

[malcopopolo]

when the lc reaches five to six years old the used bike market will be full of bikes that have corroded badly,(pcp) this will affect BMW reputation. That is why they replace parts under the original two year warranty and used bikes have two years to appease the situation

 

[matchbox]

I sympathize but you should see the discs on my 2 yr old Golf, especially if it is not used for a few days. I try always to dry my discs after washing the bike. I do this by having a short ride applying both brakes as much as possible. Not only does this dry/wipe the discs but generates heat in the pads to dry them also.

I am supriised it took 6hrs. to clean them though. It is only light surface corrosion which cleans off quickly when brakes are used.

I am no metallurgist but I believe there is always a compromise with disc material. Pure(?) stainless would be great but have useless wet weather braking performance. 30/40 years ago there was constant debate in m/c press about disc material and wet and dry braking, one consequence of which is the perforations. Maybe someone on here knows more about this?

 

[MrMcNamara]

I have owned several BMW bikes over the last few years and ride all year round for fun and average 18000 miles a year, so the bikes get used. They also get well looked after and I always at least rinse my bike off after every ride and wash it regularly. The only thing I don't do is blow dry it off before putting into a dry garage.

My current bike is a 17 model year triple black GSA and it gets the same treatment and has done 2700 miles. I've just spent six hours sanding rust off the discs. In addition there are rust stains all around the bracket that holds the exhaust on and also several parts of the crash bars. Several spokes were also rusting and many torx screw heads. I love the bike to ride but find the quality a joke. Mention the discs to local dealer and they say " they all do that ". And they are right - they do all do that judging by their demonstrators as they all have signs of rust on the discs

Some say you can't complain as they are built to a price and yes they are - but let's not forget that that price is high. Now if one buys a Korean car at a fraction of the price to say a VW then you can expect poorer quality but with a BMW ??

Each year the quality is getting worse and BMW are getting away with it. Now if you only ride in the summer months I accept you will not be affected

And finally, yes it can be cleaned off but why the hell should it be necessary ?

I have had several BMW's & bikes from other manufacturers as well (like most of us on this forum) While I agree quality of finish has dropped over the years, this is the case for everything manufactured these days. In particular, machinery which I buy for a living, is all built to a 'price' rather than to a high quaity standard. its our fault as we dont want to pay for quality. I am currently stripping my son's Honda CB500X which he crashed & bent at no more than 25 mph (I was with him, he just dropped it but hit no kerbs etc) It has 158 miles on the clock from new & when stripped is covered in 'light' rust despite being garaged. The quality of the frame / welds / rear shock are apalling, the wiring reminds me of bikes 30 years ago. In short everything you cannot see at point of purchase is piss poor! While our boxers are not perfect, they are IMHO streets ahead of other reputable brands

 

[sagalout]

If the rust bothers you that much, buy a fully faired bike so you can't see it! I often hear people comparing bikes to cars when it comes to corrosion, but look under any car that's seen a winter and it will be horrendous. My 2012 twin cam has seen 5 winters and has a bit of corrosion on the engine and some bolts that I missed with the acf50, but it only gets washed 5 or 6 times a year....maybe some of you are washing them too often!

At the end of the day it's metal living outside in salty conditions- rust is going to happen!

 

[Moose]

The brake discs and calipers are made by Brembo. I know that it is not ideal but it is quite common for Brembo discs to show some rust. The material that they use is why their brakes are so good.

 

[AP11 LAD]

I am supriised it took 6hrs. to clean them though. It is only light surface corrosion which cleans off quickly when brakes are used.

The surface rust where the pad touch is not a concern as yes comes off quickly. It's at each side of this area where it is bad and on the inside and outside of disk. Getting into the inside of discs to clean is difficult.

 

[AP11 LAD]

If the rust bothers you that much, buy a fully faired bike so you can't see it! I often hear people comparing bikes to cars when it comes to corrosion, but look under any car that's seen a winter and it will be horrendous. My 2012 twin cam has seen 5 winters and has a bit of corrosion on the engine and some bolts that I missed with the acf50, but it only gets washed 5 or 6 times a year....maybe some of you are washing them too often!

At the end of the day it's metal living outside in salty conditions- rust is going to happen!

A fairing doesn't hide the wheels which are the worst effected area

 

[Deleted account 181015003]

The surface rust where the pad touch is not a concern as yes comes off quickly. It's at each side of this area where it is bad and on the inside and outside of disk. Getting into the inside of discs to clean is difficult.

Dont worry too much about the discs they are a consumable and easily changed, but do keep an eye on the engine and swinging arm paint they have been known to blister on the gasket joints.

 

[AP11 LAD]

The brake discs and calipers are made by Brembo. I know that it is not ideal but it is quite common for Brembo discs to show some rust. The material that they use is why their brakes are so good.

Fair comment. My son has a GS a few years old and never cleans it very often, however his Brembo discs are fine. I don't blame Brembo as they will be supplying to a price. Older bikes I believe used to have a reasonable percentage of s/ steel content but there no evidence on these latest ones

 

[batman1]

It's odd that so many different parts of your bike are corroding at the same time, it seems as though the whole bike has been subject to something corrosive, salt or similar.

As previously stated, the discs are supplied by Brembo.
The exhaust brackets are made elsewhere, the engine bars could well be a different supplier and could also be a slightly different material. then you mention the spokes and then the torx heads.
It's pretty unlikely that all of the components are made in the same factory and even less likely that the materials are of an identical composition.

This is why I would suspect that somehow or other the whole bike has been subject to something very corrosive somehow and somewhere. Road salts are imported into the UK from various suppliers and various countries, I wonder if some of these road salts can be much more corrosive than others. Either way it doesn't add up that so many different parts of your bike are all suffering.

You have my simpathy and I do hope that you can get to the bottom of it.

My 2017 model T/Black still cleans up like new and I've covered 3,800 miles since September. I hose it down with cold water after every single run during winter even if the roads are dry as I assume that there will be salt dust within the general road muck, after it is dry I always spray it with Scottoiler during winter and summer.

However, when you look at that beautiful original R100 with 132,000 miles on the clock in the bikes for sale section, I think that we would all agree that they don't make 'em like they used to do!

 

[B11RGER]

I have had several BMW's & bikes from other manufacturers as well (like most of us on this forum) While I agree quality of finish has dropped over the years, this is the case for everything manufactured these days. In particular, machinery which I buy for a living, is all built to a 'price' rather than to a high quaity standard. its our fault as we dont want to pay for quality. I am currently stripping my son's Honda CB500X which he crashed & bent at no more than 25 mph (I was with him, he just dropped it but hit no kerbs etc) It has 158 miles on the clock from new & when stripped is covered in 'light' rust despite being garaged. The quality of the frame / welds / rear shock are apalling, the wiring reminds me of bikes 30 years ago. In short everything you cannot see at point of purchase is piss poor! While our boxers are not perfect, they are IMHO streets ahead of other reputable brands

I agree.My last 2 bikes were Honda's Goldwing and Pan. Take off the fairings and the welds on the frames show signs of corrosion after both only being around 6 month old. Goldwing being the worst as it had other poor quality issues relating mainly to a poor quality finish on wheels and engine rocker covers. Looks like we just have to live with being charge a lot of money for poorer quality machines. Stop washing and polishing them so much and go out and ride them...

 

[Nutty]

OP, is your garage heated?

 

[Oldie]

Get some AHB disc protector spray if you're worried about the look.

http://www.directsupplyukltd.co.uk/brake-disc-protect/p368

 

[bmsouls]

BMW QUALITY

Get some AHB disc protector spray if you're worried about the look.

http://www.directsupplyukltd.co.uk/brake-disc-protect/p368

Hi,couldnt agree more with original post,quality on gs,s is on its arse i have owned enough over the years and never had any issues,my last two a 2014 and a 2016 were really poor quality 2014 was replaced due to corrosion on most silver parts,plus leaking water pump,2016 leaking water pump and poor finish on wheels,i must say though that BMW back up is probably the best on the market (just as well really) will probably give KTM ago they cant be any worse,watch tis space. Just to finish of cant see bmw doing anything about it until we start voting with our wallets

 

[trebor]

But it's not all the bikes suffer this reported corrosion.
My June 2014 GSA has now done 23000, it's done as many miles in winter has it has in summer, when I washed it the other day it looked fine, except for the centre stand which starts rusting within months of new!

I don't wash it much, I generally give it one good wash every 2 or 3 months, but I always hose it down after every ride in Winter, when they start laying down salt, then put it away wet in an unheated garage.

In Summer I hose it down if it gets muddy, otherwise I don't bother between washes.

Most Winters I give it a good wash late October/early November and coat critical bits with ACF50 (which is over 10 years old and, because it has an active ingredient that doesn't last beyond 3 years, has supposedly lost it's effectiveness). However, this last Winter I never even got round to doing that and, as I said, it looks fine.

People have been reporting about the poor quality of GSs since I got my first one in 2008, which I kept for 2.5 years before trading it in for a GSA which I kept for 4 years. I've had three altogether, one GS and two GSAs, the first two were in good condition when I traded them in, and my current one, as I mentioned, still looks good, I guess I've been lucky.

Mind you, I have seen some shocking examples. A couple of months ago one lad was showing me his 6 month old GSA, one side of his frame was terribly rusty, whilst the other was fine.

Bob

 

[AP11 LAD]

OP, is your garage heated?

My garage is not heated no. Just for clarity in response to some replies, I do ride year round but always at least rinse the bike well with loads of cold water so no salt should remain.i have ridden all year round last five years on three K1600's a GS and now GSA and done about 75000 miles. The previous bikes have been fine and I treat them all the same. The one thing I don't do is blow dry the bikes as don't have the gear to do that.

Is may seem strange that the wheels, Torx screws and other areas are effected but that's how it is. FWIW I absolutely love the GSA from the point of riding it. The latest engine and gearbox etc are the best yet. It's just me venting my frustration that I'm having great difficulty keeping this one looking nice and for the price paid I think it's a poor do. There's a huge difference in quality between my previous 16 year GS and this 17 GSA

 

[Nutty]

But it's not all the bikes suffer this reported corrosion.
My June 2014 GSA has now done 23000, it's done as many miles in winter has it has in summer, when I washed it the other day it looked fine, except for the centre stand which starts rusting within months of new!

I don't wash it much, I generally give it one good wash every 2 or 3 months, but I always hose it down after every ride in Winter, when they start laying down salt, then put it away wet in an unheated garage.

In Summer I hose it down if it gets muddy, otherwise I don't bother between washes.

Most Winters I give it a good wash late October/early November and coat critical bits with ACF50 (which is over 10 years old and, because it has an active ingredient that doesn't last beyond 3 years, has supposedly lost it's effectiveness). However, this last Winter I never even got round to doing that and, as I said, it looks fine.

People have been reporting about the poor quality of GSs since I got my first one in 2008, which I kept for 2.5 years before trading it in for a GSA which I kept for 4 years. I've had three altogether, one GS and two GSAs, the first two were in good condition when I traded them in, and my current one, as I mentioned, still looks good, I guess I've been lucky.

Mind you, I have seen some shocking examples. A couple of months ago one lad was showing me his 6 month old GSA, one side of his frame was terribly rusty, whilst the other was fine.

Bob

Exactly. Reading on here, you'd think that ALL current GS's have corrosion issues. They don't.

My garage is not heated no. Just for clarity in response to some replies, I do ride year round but always at least rinse the bike well with loads of cold water so no salt should remain.i have ridden all year round last five years on three K1600's a GS and now GSA and done about 75000 miles. The previous bikes have been fine and I treat them all the same. The one thing I don't do is blow dry the bikes as don't have the gear to do that.

Is may seem strange that the wheels, Torx screws and other areas are effected but that's how it is. FWIW I absolutely love the GSA from the point of riding it. The latest engine and gearbox etc are the best yet. It's just me venting my frustration that I'm having great difficulty keeping this one looking nice and for the price paid I think it's a poor do. There's a huge difference in quality between my previous 16 year GS and this 17 GSA

If you're rinsing the salt off the bike after a ride on salty roads, get a bike dryer. There's a good chance you're not rinsing it all off, which could be aiding the corrosion, rather than preventing it.