03-12-2014, 11:10 AM
(03-12-2014, 10:50 AM)The Spaceman_imp Wrote: I tend to agree with Mick's line of thinking that environmental factors are going to have a lot to do with how well these bikes, or any bikes, hold up. Harley has a great rep for quality, but I saw a LOT of bikes in the shop with corrosion and paint fade after a few years, and others that were much older that looked brand new. I'm not pointing a finger at owner maintenance BTW. If you ride in sandy or gravel roads your bike is going to get tiny chips that let corrosion start. Salt air at the beach...parking in the sun for long periods...etc.
There are and have been crap vehicles...my uncle's Vega comes to mind. But I haven't seen anything yet that makes me think the CBs have a quality issue in this area. Even the pipes that annoy me no end have their upside: BMW says they use the same pipes because double-wall pipes tend to corrode internally, where single-wall stainless lasts the life of the bike.
This is true, I am originally from Louisiana, very humid, and the southern part is a pretty saline environment as well. Cars, bikes, trucks, etc., that were from South Louisiana seemed to corrode/rust quicker than others. I have family down by the Gulf and I remember my Uncle griping about rust on his truck, which was only a couple of years old at the time.
It may be that the CB1100 is such a naked bike, with metal parts where others might have plastic, (true to it's UJM lineage), that owners will need to take preventative steps to avoid the problem. The more I think about it, that's kinda how they were in the old days as well.