Rusty Honda Goldwing Progress Update

One week on how are my repairs doing and what has Mr Honda said?

[@mclarnonc2002]

I own the same bike so was both shocked and saddened to hear you are having to give it up. My only input is that 30 years ago while serving at the naval air station in Helston the brake discs on my CBR1000F began to show signs of significant rust after only a few weeks there. I blamed the sea air at the time, though nothing like that had happened before in Portsmouth, also very close to the sea. I will be checking the underside of my GW this weekend very carefully. Hope the sale goes ok.

[@HighlandRider]

Sale went through well, price was good and I got what I wanted.

[@jgoogleheim8880]

One way or another it will work out in the long run. Keep us posted on the findings and outcome.

[@HighlandRider]

Sold the bike back to the dealer for a decent price.

[@jontaylor5322]

I would say, any metal heat protectors near the exhaust will rust earlier on, however, no primer or not PPC.... That's very poor. Reminded me of an XV535, I bought brand new back in the 90's. I bought it in September, by January, both wheels (spoked wheels) had got some terible rust all the way round them & all the spokes. I went back to the dealer and complained, their response was, "What do I expect if I ride a custom through a British winter!" I went mad, demanded to see the shop manager, he hinted the same thoughts, but within 2 weeks, they fitted 2 new wheels, so it was all good in the end. It was a bad bike anyway, Carb's Icing constantly etc, they put a rubber flap round the carb's, that's when I sold it... Best of luck with your issues...

[@HighlandRider]

Thanks, Honda have agreed to replace the heat shields but not the wheels

[@carlton683]

I would expect a better service considering you spent 25k on the bike , I sincerely hope you have better luck with your next bike

[@HighlandRider]

It would appear that Honda (and a few more I could add|) don't know the difference between expensive and premium

[@johnfrary9589]

You only have to look at used ones in the main dealer showrooms to know the quality just isn’t there, you should be able to ride in any conditions and not suffer with these issues. Best of luck sorting it out

[@HighlandRider]

I agree John, at this price why should I avoid winter riding?

[@flapjackbeans]

Its a shame but I'm sure it will get sorted I had 11 wings 10 BMW's GS GSA etc and all of them have been ridden in the winter :-) The wing you have I'm considering buying one as my legs are damaged and i like the DCT .That said I did buy a new goldwing like yours in 2021 and at the time i couldn't hold it up due to a hole in my left leg so I sold it on in fact it went to Scotland. The thing is Im noticing that you seem to have no bike bench/lift? in the video the main thing with wings and to some extent BMW'S is to have a bike lift of sorts particular the wing as the rear wheels or total hidden. I always washed my wings with cold water after every winter ride then lifted them up onto the bike ramp and use a pet dryer to blow off the access water . Later give the wheels a good polish with mr SHEEN and it's all good. I also used to take many friends and my own wheels from the wing off to the powder coaters for a better colour and more protection. Good luck with your IMHO small problems thanks for sharing. look at my wheels on my new bike had them powdered in ORANGE ! youtube@flapjackandbeans

[@HighlandRider]

Thanks, I have a scissor lift but I do need a lift. Just never been that good on cleaning after every ride, too much going on so lesson learned. Had I been told that wheels are not covered in the Honda warranty I would not have bought it

[@rmgslc]

I had a africa twin. Real bad corrosion not that far into its brand new life. Tons of bikes and never had that issue. Couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Hondas aren’t like Honda finish from 20 years ago

[@HighlandRider]

Totally agree. Had a few Hondas in the past and quality has gone right down

[@k1ckyscotland988]

It has to be the climate/region you live in. Generally,Hondas' just don't do that. I've had my Wing for 22 years,I restored a wreck 21 years ago,and as long as I keep on top of it,it's still looking pretty fresh. Mine is a 1978 GL1000,a lot less nooks and crannies for the nasty stuff to hide.I Hope Honda comes good for you.

[@HighlandRider]

Hondas of old have brilliant build quality, and having had a CBR1000F, a Fireblade RRY and a CRF1000 I bought my Goldwing believing in Honda quality. The modern bikes though are not as well built and take a lot more care.

[@davidgee1792]

I had a HD that's wheels lost the chrome. Harley refused to cover as had 1400 miles on. They only cover wheels for 1000, dealer came to rescue but HD wouldn't. I have same bike with 5000 miles on and so far no issues but i clean wheels thoroughly and had bike ceramic coated. Will be inspecting further in light of this.

[@HighlandRider]

I will be having a whole new winter regime of anti-rust coverage, even though I rarely ride in winter, mainly because of the cold

[@petercullen3438]

Hi, I’m on my second 2021 Goldwing DCT, my first one was a black airbag tour with silver wheels and chrome exhausts, my current second one is a mud grey bagger. From my own personal experience of owning these bikes I can honestly say that the paint is very poor, there’s hardly any paint applied to the wheels, just a very light Coat to stop them from oxidising, as soon as they are exposed to the weather the finish starts to perish. Also the paint on the bodywork is very thin and the topcoat lacquer scratches very easily. I really enjoy riding the Goldwing and it’s a fantastic piece of engineering but the legendary Honda quality has slipped. I have also owned 2 Honda Valkyries and they were built to last, absolutely no comparison regarding quality of finish, perhaps if they were still produced in the states then the quality would be better as they seemed to take great pride in producing them. Good luck with your refurbishing.

[@HighlandRider]

Thanks, and fully agree with what you say. Such a pity

[@jimbates6115]

Very disappointing to have so much corrosion on a bike of this age, especially when you consider how expensive this machine is!

[@mrmr9767]

Would be interesting to find out what the cause was on the wheels. I have some surface rust on the inside of the exhaust covers nothing on the wheels. Done 21000 mi in 2.5 years.

[@HighlandRider]

The amount of muck that collects and seems to stick, especially on the back wheel means it is sitting on top of the paint eating away at it. So hard to clean and my brakes bind a little too, something that has happened on all my Hondas which makes it hard to spin the back wheel when it’s on its stand. I would love to know the cause and how to stop it,

[@Moto_APT]

When I rode my ST through the winter the brakes would bind with all the road salt and grit. I did a caliper clean each month. Noticeably improved fuel consumption, that's how bad the binding was!

[@ientwistle1]

Defiantly a Honda QC problem and for all the people who say its not then why aren't all the other car and bikes in that area not rusting away?

[@td412]

The paint wheel problem is not from a break liquid leak ?

[@HighlandRider]

No

[@richlander5874]

Shocking build quality, and on a two year old bike. Bmw are the same, the more money you pay the less you seem to get.

[@HighlandRider]

Seems so true. I will not be buying any more new bikes which up to my RT in 2021 and this in 2022 I had't done for a long time.

[@richlander5874]

@@HighlandRider i'm very keen on buying a RT, i've seen a few of your videos and i'm totally put off.

[@HighlandRider]

When I was posting about the RT lots of people were experiencing similar problems but from what I hear now they are sorted. I bought a bike that was a brand new model, built during lockdown and was a lemon. BMW do have some quality issues but not all bikes suffer. To replace my wing, I have bought a four year old GSA

[@robertmercer9117]

Does your insurance company have any responsibility to replace the rust damaged parts? If your car or home was water damaged, your insurance company would pay for flood damage, why not your Honda? The damage to your exhaust system and just a portion of each wheel points to flood damage, likely from salt water. These bikes are riden in heavy rains and never have that degree of corrosion in that short of time. So sorry for your frustrations.

[@HighlandRider]

Not sure

[@aridlington2782]

I don't believe the quality is there on any bike. I had a bmw r1250gsa 3 set s of wheels front suspension keyless ride battery 2 exhaust valves corroded bolts all over dispite dealer winter prep and lots of rust blocker chipping paint on front of engine barrels shaft housing etc. The average rider stupa up on pcp 3,000 miles a year in tge summer then covers ut up in a central heated garage to keep it value up 😂

[@HighlandRider]

Fair point and I totally agree and I have stopped buying new bikes. They are horrifically expensive and low quality

[@poptumsaffi]

You are clearly not telling people the truth , when you say it hasn’t been ridden in the winter. Your previous video you did of your goldwing winter ride. Which you show people your bike covered in salt.

[@HighlandRider]

You got me! That one winter ride, of 75 miles totally exposes me as a liar! Don’t believe a word I say!

[@RGSABloke]

So one ride in the winter and the steel parts are toast, what a complete joke, Honda should not sell these bike in Scotland as they clearly can’t cope with Scottish rock salt. Many thanks for your input if you are ever in Helensburgh give me a shout, you are most welcome. Joe