Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Cosmetically Challenged?

Before I get the flood of ‘how dare you criticise the most wonderful bike in the world’ responses let me say clearly that I love my new TBA- it’s great…I’m happy …life is wonderful.
O.K. have we cleared that up?
Good. I’ll continue
My new bike in black looks great now, but on a trip to a Triumph dealer the other day, I couldn’t hep but notice that all the recent TBA/ Speedmasters for sale were looking a bit sad at quite low mileages…I mean that the lacquer was peeling from fork legs and the paint on tanks and mudguards etc. looking rather flat and dull-this seemed to be especially true of the black ones and these were all at low miles- -well under 5k mostly.
This could be coincidence(or a sloppy shop) so I’m asking anyone who uses their TBA/Speedy year round in particular how they’re holding up to the job.
In some ways it’s not that important-after all a bike is to ride not just look at- but I’m also someone who likes my machine to look as good as it runs( This, after all, is a man who ran his Harleys year round through British winters and simply coated them with 4 layers of WD 40 each autumn and then scraped these off again come spring…thus disproving the myth that HD’s are in fact water soluble )
So, anyone out there got the answer to retaining my youthful good looks?
Well, the bike’s at any rate-some things are beyond help.

Al

I find the paintwork easy marked (blue and white) so care is required there.
The lacquer was crap, I did have the top yoke replaced under warrenty, but the new one went bad within a year.
Forks and yokes are now stripped and polished, same as the wheels come standard.
I do ride all year round, just not when the roads are salted, but I still have to keep on top of the alloy, you cant park the bike up wet or it marks.
The chrome seems fine on mine.

i recommend liberal coatings of ACF50 spray, it's what is used on aircraft to stop corrosion.
My lower fork legs got spidering under the lacquer and they have just been replaced under warranty.

I have no paint issues except a scratch from my jacket buckle but I don't ride much over the winter.

Well , that stinks ! All I can do is speak of my personal experience. My 2003 Bonnie-A has over 30K miles on it ( low miles due to the fact I have a second bike) and my paint, etc. is fine...we are blessed with little ice where I live so the bike are ridden 12-months a year and I'm one of those that thinks a wet day on a bike is better than a dry one in a car so the bike does see weather. I can't speak for the newer production but mine has been a real pleasure and except for normal wear , still looks good IMO

03 Speedy. I ride it year round, in the salt and grime or whatever, and every part of my bike is in excellent shape. I have a couple scratches on the tank but I did that.
I went riding the other weekend with some Goldwing dudes and one commented saying my bike looked brand new.

Thanks folks-thats an interesting selection of responses so far.
Sounds like I may need to be conscientious with the ACF50+ WD 40 but, given that, it's probably no worse than any other machine....maybe the dealer I went to just hadnt cleaned his selection of bikes for sale.....e.g.. Harleys shed their lacquer and pit their forks give half a chance to do so...and my friend in the North of Scotland has a Honda Varadero which is responding poorly to life up there.
Al

I'm starting to think this is an older vs newer bike issue. I ride an '03... an award winning '03 I might add and she is as shiny and pretty as a newborn. I can't ride in our snowy winters but in early spring she's subjected to road grim and salt. I do however wash her a lot and seldom does she sit for any length of time coated with crap.

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I'm starting to think this is an older vs newer bike issue.

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+1

Ditto, Keith. I don't mind her getting dirty with me when we're out...but when I get her back home she gets a good wash up within a day or two. That probably makes a diff in her overall appearance as she ages.

On the older bikes the fork lowers are painted, I think the top yoke as well, newer ones are lacquer coated alloy, I think thats the main problem area .

Mine's an 08 and the forks have lost their newness, mainly due to last winter, and there is a bit of rust on some of the chrome.

However, the black tank is fine after being polished up with a bit of Auto Glym stuff, back to new just about

My '02 looks new!