Paint Flaking - Cylinders

My cylinders are in a bit of a mess!
Have a look at these pics....







It was new in Aug 2014, so its mid way thru its 3rd winter. It lives outside and I ride all year.

I have a hose right by where I park my bike and always wash her down if she's been out in the wet. Extra thoroughly in winter.

It's just the cylinders really, the cases and Cylinder heads all seem to be holding up quite well. I had the spark plug manifolds re-placed under warranty for the same problem.

I understand that things age but I'm a little disappointed with the quality of the paint. Is that un-reasonable?
I'm out of warranty by 6 months now, so it's all academic really.

I was thinking of painting them in situ with a HT Black satin paint. Not ideal but it's got to be better than them looking all scabby like that. Especially as the rest of the bike looks so nice....

beardyweirdy@me.com_imp said:

My cylinders are in a bit of a mess!
Have a look at these pics....

It was new in Aug 2014, so its mid way thru its 3rd winter. It lives outside and I ride all year.

I have a hose right by where I park my bike and always wash her down if she's been out in the wet. Extra thoroughly in winter.

It's just the cylinders really, the cases and Cylinder heads all seem to be holding up quite well. I had the spark plug manifolds re-placed under warranty for the same problem.

I understand that things age but I'm a little disappointed with the quality of the paint. Is that un-reasonable?
I'm out of warranty by 6 months now, so it's all academic really.

I was thinking of painting them in situ with a HT Black satin paint. Not ideal but it's got to be better than them looking all scabby like that. Especially as the rest of the bike looks so nice....

Click to expand...

"in situ" ?

Are you thinking about using a wire brush to remove the flakey stuff, and then using a brush to paint the cylinders on the assembled bike? That might be a little tricky.

Removing the cylinders and having them bead blasted and spray painted would be better, but expensive and time consuming.

Either way the motor would look better all aluminum. Just compare a picture of the 2014 Deluxe versus the 2017 EX. Having the motor all aluminum makes it stand out as the centerpiece of the motorcycle.

I know there is heat resistant aluminum spray paint, because I painted the steel cylinders of my 1966 Yamaha 305 with it when they rusted.

That SUCKS !

Ride it.

Repeat.

Nothing lasts forever !

Ride it some more.

I'm amazed that it's 2 1/2 years old and only 6 months out of warranty. I wonder why the U.S. only gets a 1 year warranty and the rest of the world gets a 2 year warranty. BTW mine is almost 3 years old, 28,000+ miles but never needed the warranty.

The painting of the cylinders doesn't look good, I agree.
Have the same cosmetic problem wirh my 2013 CB and it arose the first time very early.
My Honda and I live with it ever since. Some owners in Germany have the problem, but only with the early version as I own.
All I could find out is, that something with the grounding color for the finishing one is not as good as it should be. It let oxidation happen. Sometimes I do some brush painting, mostly I use Balistol to keep it a bit oily as a kind of prevention. My CB also lives outside....

Wisedrum

kballowe_imp said:

That SUCKS !

Ride it.

Repeat.

Nothing lasts forever !

Ride it some more.

Click to expand...

I agree. I keep mine clean and maintained... but it's definitely not new anymore... just noticed some rust around headlight ring.. just over 10k on clock and 18 months old... still very happy. Rust on oil lines.., my garage was built in 1935. I keep the bike covered inside but high humidity... I think I'm going for a ride.


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dsan1964_imp said:

kballowe_imp said:

That SUCKS !

Ride it.

Repeat.

Nothing lasts forever !

Ride it some more.

Click to expand...

I agree. I keep mine clean and maintained... but it's definitely not new anymore... just noticed some rust around headlight ring.. just over 10k on clock and 18 months old... still very happy. Rust on oil lines.., my garage was built in 1935. I keep the bike covered inside but high humidity... I think I'm going for a ride.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I agree. I keep mine clean and maintained... but it's definitely not new anymore... just noticed some rust around headlight ring.. just over 10k on clock and 18 months old... still very happy. Rust on oil lines.., my garage was built in 1935. I keep the bike covered inside but high humidity... I think I'm going for a ride.


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Indeed, that's why I ride it every day and I guess that's why the paintwork looks so bad.

I'm new to new bikes and I guess it is slightly un-reasonable to expect the paint to stay on the barrels for 2 1/2 years.

Thinking about a brush paint, just on the cylinders. My old Lightning had black Barrels and it looked quite cool. If I make an arse of it then I'll strip down the top end and have them blasted.

I'll post some pics when I freshen it up for Spring...

I'm kind of surprised that the fins are painted. Has it always been that way with Honda's air cooled fours?

It's doesn't seem to be a common problem. I'm sure it has to do with the outside elements that it's exposed to. I live and ride near the ocean all the time all year round and I don't have any issues on my 2014 with the finish at all other than the horn bracket has a little oxidation. I do wash it regularly and it is garaged. Do you cover it? Do you ride near salt water? Could be from lots of external element factors where you live. I don't know what would cause it.

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I know my 2014 has a different finish but still that seems quite extreme.

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Nortoon_imp said:

beardyweirdy@me.com_imp said:

My cylinders are in a bit of a mess!
Have a look at these pics....

It was new in Aug 2014, so its mid way thru its 3rd winter. It lives outside and I ride all year.

I have a hose right by where I park my bike and always wash her down if she's been out in the wet. Extra thoroughly in winter.

It's just the cylinders really, the cases and Cylinder heads all seem to be holding up quite well. I had the spark plug manifolds re-placed under warranty for the same problem.

I understand that things age but I'm a little disappointed with the quality of the paint. Is that un-reasonable?
I'm out of warranty by 6 months now, so it's all academic really.

I was thinking of painting them in situ with a HT Black satin paint. Not ideal but it's got to be better than them looking all scabby like that. Especially as the rest of the bike looks so nice....

Click to expand...

"in situ" ?

Are you thinking about using a wire brush to remove the flakey stuff, and then using a brush to paint the cylinders on the assembled bike? That might be a little tricky.

Removing the cylinders and having them bead blasted and spray painted would be better, but expensive and time consuming.

Either way the motor would look better all aluminum. Just compare a picture of the 2014 Deluxe versus the 2017 EX. Having the motor all aluminum makes it stand out as the centerpiece of the motorcycle.

I know there is heat resistant aluminum spray paint, because I painted the steel cylinders of my 1966 Yamaha 305 with it when they rusted.

Click to expand...

"in situ" ?

Are you thinking about using a wire brush to remove the flakey stuff, and then using a brush to paint the cylinders on the assembled bike? That might be a little tricky.

Removing the cylinders and having them bead blasted and spray painted would be better, but expensive and time consuming.

Either way the motor would look better all aluminum. Just compare a picture of the 2014 Deluxe versus the 2017 EX. Having the motor all aluminum makes it stand out as the centerpiece of the motorcycle.

I know there is heat resistant aluminum spray paint, because I painted the steel cylinders of my 1966 Yamaha 305 with it when they rusted.
i just had a look at the new2017 EX and I don't like the black barrels.
Your right, it looks much better with an all silver Engine. Although polishing the barrels will be hassle.

May just clean up and have done... Thanks, glad you joined that out. I hadn't realised the new EX already had what I was thinking of doing to mine.

uscgmac_imp said:

It's doesn't seem to be a common problem. I'm sure it has to do with the outside elements that it's exposed to. I live and ride near the ocean all the time all year round and I don't have any issues on my 2014 with the finish at all other than the horn bracket has a little oxidation. I do wash it regularly and it is garaged. Do you cover it? Do you ride near salt water? Could be from lots of external element factors where you live. I don't know what would cause it.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
I know my 2014 has a different finish but still that seems quite extreme.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I used to cover it but I thought the condensation was worse than letting it dry out, so now I leave it uncovered.

Stichill_imp said:

I'm kind of surprised that the fins are painted. Has it always been that way with Honda's air cooled fours?

Click to expand...

I don't think so. I'm sure my 400/4's had bare fins. Not certain tho.

Are the barrels painted on the USA models?

It should be fine when covered as long as the bike is completely cooled down and your using a vented cover.

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It's a shame to see the paint flaking like that.
I live within sight of the Atlantic Ocean so I'm at the mercy of salt air.
My bikes are garaged out of the sun, but I never cover them because humidity might collect underneath and form moisture.
I keep an eye on the humidity levels and when it creeps up I use a fan in the garage controlled by a timer to keep air circulating and that prevents moisture from forming all over the bikes.
Even so, I have to watch for surface rust can start to form regardless.

Remember that some of the old bikes had some sort of clear-coat on the engines and cases.
As they aged, that coating would start to lift. Some of the wheels were done the same way.

The cylinders look like they have suffered from road salt damage from winter driving. Washing it once you got home would help, but not stop the corrosion because the bike has spend the entire working day covered with the salt. Salt will chew through the whatever finish is on aluminum. That is why airports used urea, not salt, to deice runways.

BTW: If a car has dry road salt on it, it would be better to neutralize and gently clean it with white vinegar, than scrub it with soap and water. We Canadians know that from cleaning our car mats once winter is over. Unfortunately our cars smell like chip wagons for a few days each spring.

Air conditioner covers do not cover all the way to the bottom to prevent condensation from rusting the machine out during the winter. Similarly a motorcycle should not be covered right to the floor if stored in an unheated garage. Changes in temperature and slushy cars will create condensation in the garage and under the plastic bike cover. Simply lift the cover in the center and place it on the foot pegs to let it breathe.

Concrete garage floors will also give off moisture. If possible a motorcycle should be stored on a sheet of plywood or hardboard. Particle board is not recommended as it absorbs moisture.

I found out the hard way when the mufflers on a my Goldwing suffered some surface rust on the bottom one winter. After that I parked it on a sheet of plywood, and gave the mufflers a light coat of Vaseline. It helps protect against rust, and wipes off easily when the bike is started in the spring.

This problem is not due to salt or weather circumstances. I had the same issue at my CB1100. There is just a production range, which had issues with the grounding/painting process. It's mostly the 2013 model.



6 months later:

Mine has had the same problem. I just used a soft brass wire brush to clean up the flaking bits and then repainted using an airbrush. My bike is always kept under cover, hardly ever ridden in the rain and we have no salt on our roads here.[/i]

Django... look at the condition of the bolts holding the little front motor cover on in the two pics. The ones in the 6 months later pic look horrible compared to the same bolts in the top pic. Those are plated bolts are they not? Something was attacking your bike obviously. The bolts have nothing to do with paint.

I just went out and looked at mine and they still look like your top ones, just shy of 3 years old, ridden all year long thru brine and salt in winter, stored in unheated garage uncovered, gets washed spring and fall, 28,000 miles.

Hm, I think, that was just debris. Unfortunately I don't have further close ups of that area.

This problem was reported frequently on the UK forum. My CB1100 has also suffered from it. Because I'm lazy, I call it patina.

I call it Honda's bad painting. My CB also suffers right from the beginng and I'm
not lazy but take care of my Honda

Wisedrum