New Motorcycle disintegrating

dovski

Hy,

I purchased a new motorcycle April 2018. Its been the subject of two recalls which necessitated riding in the winter to take it to my local (80 mile round trip dealer). Aside from that its been ridden a few times throughout the winter and washed after every ride except the last time after the engine management light illuminated. Its covered 2450 miles and is subject to a PCP. The bike wiring is so rotten that it suffered a complete electrical failure which happened during a subsequent start but could have happened at any time whilst riding the motorcycle. Fuses and terminals on the bike are completely corroded through including damage to the wiring loom requiring repairs. There is water in the brake fluid and the braking system is corroded to the point where the discs require replacing and the brakes are stuck on. I am an aircraft engineer and the manufacturer is claiming neglect. Th finance company are stating its my responsibility to maintain it despite having had the services and recalls etc. I'm devastated at the rate of deterioration and the state the bike is in following such brief ownership and little use. I need some help. Ive reported to the trading standards and the finance company and the dealership and the manufacturer. Nothing back from the dealer yet.
The motorcycle has a several design issues the most serious of which is the lack of protection afforded by the mudguards which spray all over the front of the bike and the rider during use. The front spray comes up throughthe gap between the fairing/forks and the speedo clocks, covering the tank and clocks at times the riders visor in spray and residue. The rear might as well not have one fitted. In essence these contribute to the contamination of winter road salts etc. The bike waas stored inside stables when not in use.
Anyone know of a good lawyer or legal path to take? I live in Scotland, bike purchased from England, finance from Wales....
rgds dov

jimbo6977

Is it Chinese?

System

dovski wrote: »

Hy,

I purchased a new motorcycle April 2018. Its been the subject of two recalls which necessitated riding in the winter to take it to my local (80 mile round trip dealer). Aside from that its been ridden a few times throughout the winter and washed after every ride except the last time after the engine management light illuminated. Its covered 2450 miles and is subject to a PCP. The bike wiring is so rotten that it suffered a complete electrical failure which happened during a subsequent start but could have happened at any time whilst riding the motorcycle. Fuses and terminals on the bike are completely corroded through including damage to the wiring loom requiring repairs. There is water in the brake fluid and the braking system is corroded to the point where the discs require replacing and the brakes are stuck on. I am an aircraft engineer and the manufacturer is claiming neglect. Th finance company are stating its my responsibility to maintain it despite having had the services and recalls etc. I'm devastated at the rate of deterioration and the state the bike is in following such brief ownership and little use. I need some help. Ive reported to the trading standards and the finance company and the dealership and the manufacturer. Nothing back from the dealer yet.
The motorcycle has a several design issues the most serious of which is the lack of protection afforded by the mudguards which spray all over the front of the bike and the rider during use. The front spray comes up throughthe gap between the fairing/forks and the speedo clocks, covering the tank and clocks at times the riders visor in spray and residue. The rear might as well not have one fitted. In essence these contribute to the contamination of winter road salts etc. The bike waas stored inside stables when not in use.
Anyone know of a good lawyer or legal path to take? I live in Scotland, bike purchased from England, finance from Wales....
rgds dov

I've had a few bikes over the years that have been kept outside one being a Ducati and none have experienced the issues you are having. What brand is the motorcycle

MEM62

jimbo6977 wrote: »

Is it Chinese?

Bound to be.

OP, if it is a Japanese or European manufacturer you will usually get good support from them with respect to quality control issues. If is Chinese or Taiwanese then build quality can be that bad as to render the bike effectively 'disposable'.

As for the design fault with the front mudguard that is absolutely a case of 'they all do that, sir'. Even the designers at the premium brands cannot design a front mudguard the properly protects the bike (maybe it's a style thing) - which is why many of us buy something called Fenda Extenda.

Jackmydad

Simonr66 wrote: »

I've had a few bikes over the years that have been kept outside one being a Ducati and none have experienced the issues you are having. What brand is the motorcycle

Ditto. It's certainly not all that good for them, but they really shouldn't be ruined by it in 12 months

Jackmydad

MEM62 wrote: »

Bound to be.

OP, if it is a Japanese or European manufacturer you will usually get good support from them with respect to quality control issues. If is Chinese or Taiwanese then build quality can be that bad as to render the bike effectively 'disposable'.

As for the design fault with the front mudguard that is absolutely a case of 'they all do that, sir'. Even the designers at the premium brands cannot design a front mudguard the properly protects the bike (maybe it's a style thing) - which is why many of us buy something called Fenda Extenda.

My regular ride in the Midlands was a bog standard BSA M21. Big, long, heavily valanced front mudguard, and you'd still get spray and horizontal 'drips' coming back at you and the bike.

walwyn1978

MEM62 wrote: »

Bound to be.

OP, if it is a Japanese or European manufacturer you will usually get good support from them with respect to quality control issues. If is Chinese or Taiwanese then build quality can be that bad as to render the bike effectively 'disposable'.

As for the design fault with the front mudguard that is absolutely a case of 'they all do that, sir'. Even the designers at the premium brands cannot design a front mudguard the properly protects the bike (maybe it's a style thing) - which is why many of us buy something called Fenda Extenda.

All of this. This isn’t worth spending any money or time on legally, assuming you could find some legal professional willing to take it on on the first place. Yes the build quality is ropy - rather than spending money on trying to fight it put that money into another bike.

As an aside I’ve had a number of Vespas/Lambrettas etc. They all were kept outside and ridden in all weathers. The one with the worst deterioration over time was the newest - and it was a Chinese copy of a Lambretta. I got it at 6 months old. It was scrap after another 12 months. :eek:They’re cheap both used and new for a reason.

silverwhistle

I had an MZ TS250 with full fairing which was my transport and hence ridden in all weathers (no decent clothing gear in those days either) and it was the clutch that eventually did for it, but only after years of use.



I didn't have the spray issue you describe, but certainly after 65 mile rides I'd still be frozen and/or wet!

lewishardwick

Was the bike brand new to you? What make and model?

I ride a 4 year old Honda CB500X all year round, which is parked outside when I'm at home. No major issues.

If you bought it brand new, you should highlight these issues to your dealer. Though they, and the finance companies are partially right, you do need to maintain the bike between services. Adjust the chain, lubricate various parts, give it a once over every week.

Perhaps a lot of these problems could have been spotted sooner.

Oh, and yes, I bet it's Chinese too!

tacpot12

Although there is a lot of critical comment above about Chinese manufacturing, if this bike is Chinese, then as a consumer you still have rights. Asserting these rights will put pressure on the Chinese (if it is they) to improve the quality of products sold into markets that have reasonable expectations of fitness for purpose.

Eventually the Chinese themselves will figure out that quality has a value and will start demanding it from indigenous manufacturers. Actually, many Chinese already do value quality, which is why they want to buy western goods if they can afford them. Pity the poor Chinese who have to pay a lot for the shoddy locally manufactured goods.

Jackmydad

silverwhistle wrote: »

I had an MZ TS250 with full fairing which was my transport and hence ridden in all weathers (no decent clothing gear in those days either) and it was the clutch that eventually did for it, but only after years of use.



I didn't have the spray issue you describe, but certainly after 65 mile rides I'd still be frozen and/or wet!

I had one of those new. Excellent bike. I had a screen on mine in Winter, not a fairing.
Only thing that went wrong was wear on gear selector forks. Easy fix.
I remember the excellent tool kit!