Yes, this 'worming' is corrosion and is actually pitting the metal underneath the lacquer. They say it's moisture that causes this, but I highly dispute this as that just hasn't been the case here. I've also read about bikes with less than 600 miles that have had this happen. It's almost as if the lacquer is porous, letting moisture underneath it, but then I have been diligent is keeping the surfaces dry, and well waxed.
I think the lacquer is at fault, but then I'm only guessing as I have no experience with metallurgy and paint chemistry.
It is somewhat ironic that the lacquer is there to protect the metal from corrosion, and yet the metal still corrodes underneath it. Maybe Triumph should contact Yamaha. Yamaha don't seem to have lacquer worming issues on their bikes.
The worming will actually pit the metal as it progresses, so stripping the lacquer off and refinishing it will not really enhance the look.
Not sure what model years are problematic. From my reading, 2006-2008 America/Speedmaster are prone to have this problem, but nobody knows if it's a specific batch. I'm hoping that the lacquer worm bug doesn't infect my 2010 Speedmaster.
H.
