Sorry, Thor - but that's you and not the bike.

Look on the underside of a car after 5000 miles and being left out side and driven rain or shine. Exact same thing happens. I don't care if it's a Bugatti or a Buick.

With 27,000 miles on my '02 - I haven't anything resembling what you're talking about. But then again - mine is garage-kept and washed frequently.

Ride it hard and put it away wet - and what do you expect?

 

Im sure the bike thinks the same thing since you dont even cover it up. I hope you dont expect it to last forever too! haha

 

I ride rain or shine but mine stays in the garage, but I have noticed a little rust on the chain, the pipe doesn't ever stay clean and constantly removing road tar and bugs but all that is usually for a lot of riding.

 

Ruefus I have to disagree,

I've owned my ninja for a year now. It has been ridden all year, including on heavily salted roads. The only time it gets covered is when God sees fit to snow all over it. I clean it once every month or so. I have, however, been meticulous in maintaining the bike both functionally and aesthetically and it looks brand new still.

I'm telling you, there is no rust on this bike or appearance of corrosion. There is no fading or weathering. The paint and finish are holding up great. The plastics look like the day I bought it.

This isn't about SV vs. ninja or anything, but I don't think Thor's complaints about the SV are the first that have been voiced on this site(I can think of a few). Certainly, he could have avoided that by keeping it in a garage, but you gotta wonder, if another bike can be made to weather twice as much without blemish, why can't the SV?

 

Ben, I'd have to agree with you on some of the points, but you have to also consider that thor lives near the ocean, and that the sun in socal is most likely a bit stronger than the sun you get in Philly.  The salty air combined with hot hot sun can do as much (or more) damage than some snow.  Just another thought on the subject, but what do I know? My bike sits in the garage, too, and rarely gets ridden in the rain.

 

Ben - you agreed with me trying to disagree:

I clean it once every month or so. I have, however, been meticulous in maintaining the bike both functionally and aesthetically and it looks brand new still.

That's my entirely my point. Cleaning it regularly and taking care of it when you do will stave off what Thor is talking about. Just riding it, putting it away in whatever condition it's in and expecting it to stay nice without a good cleaning and waxing on a regular basis will destroy just about anything.

I ride in rain all the time. I ride in cold all the time. My bike has less corrosion on it than many bikes I've seen with less than a tenth of the mileage mine has. That's not the bike - that's me taking care of it.

 

...That's not the bike - that's me taking care of it.

Hey Brett, I found a bumper sticker for ya:

Bwahahahahahaha! ;D

 

Ben - you agreed with me trying to disagree:

Well...well.....I still disagree with you....just 'cause!

 

are you nuts? my bikes got about 13k miles on it and 2 low sides and a flip and it doesn't even have half the problems you stated infact the only rust i get is the brake rotors after a rain but that comes off the next time i brake.

 

are you nuts?  my bikes got about 13k miles on it and 2 low sides and a flip and it doesn't even have half the problems you stated infact the only rust i get is the brake rotors after a rain but that comes off the next time i brake.

+1.my 2001 doesnt have any of those problems.i rode all winter,rain and shine,garage kept and i keep it clean.any bike will fall apart if you dont take care of it

 

For the life of me i don't understand why anyone who had their bike outside would'nt invest in 80 bucks for a half descent cover. No offense but use your head and protect the investment you made.

 

For the life of me  i don't understand why anyone who had their bike outside would'nt invest in 80 bucks for a half  descent  cover.  No offense but use your head and protect the investment you made.

80 bux shoot i got a cheapo one from wally world and it works great.

 

my bike has weathered poorly, but i don't care to wash it that much. life goes on, it's just a girl's bike anyways.

 

the bolts are a cheap grade of stainless, chewy sells a bolt kit for the sv

 

Which bolts are stainless? A LOT of them are just plated steel.

 

Ride it hard and put it away wet

Sounds like a good life motto. ;D

 

Ruefus I have to disagree,

I have, however, been meticulous in maintaining the bike both functionally and aesthetically and it looks brand new still.

I wash it 2-3 times a month, and maintain it mechanically to the best of my ability (definitely no rust on the chain).

I guess leaving it uncovered is the biggest 'mistake'. I guess i just expected bikes today to be better built...it just doesn't seem that much more difficult or expensive to build a more rust resistant a bike.

For the life of me i don't understand why anyone who had their bike outside would'nt invest in 80 bucks for a half descent cover. No offense but use your head and protect the investment you made.

I guess that's where we differ. I DON"T see my bike as an 'investment'. it's a black hole of money. It depreciated 1-2 grand the day I took it off the lot, and it continues to depreciate this very second. Any mods I do to 'personalize' it are depreciating. maybe the $80 cover would reduce the rate of depreciation but in 2 years from now, maybe i'll sell it for a few hundred dollars less b/c of the rust. no big deal.

 

I
I guess that's where we differ. I DON"T see my bike as an 'investment'. it's a black hole of money. It depreciated 1-2 grand the day I took it off the lot, and it continues to depreciate this very second. Any mods I do to 'personalize' it are depreciating. maybe the $80 cover would reduce the rate of depreciation but in 2 years from now, maybe i'll sell it for a few hundred dollars less b/c of the rust. no big deal.

You are right we differ. Like me I'm sure you work hard for your money and to not take care of the equipment you own whether it be tools or vehicles is foolish. An 80 dollar cover to keep the electrical components and other parts dry is just not logical.You are right, investment is the wrong word,but my point is still the same. I just don't see how you can disagree with that.

 

An 80 dollar cover to keep the electrical components and other parts dry is just not logical.

Do you ride in the rain?

Do you think that a machine that is so exposed and made? to ride of tens of thousands of miles should have electricals and other components that are weather resistent?

I rode a ninja for 3 yrs and 15K miles. I parked it in outside, uncovered every single day rain or shine. I don't recall the rust and other weathering on it, but it had almost no electical or component problems. The aesthetics however, were not perfect (it had been pushed over a couple times). When it came time to sell it, I got my asking price which was $400 over the blue book price (rated for great condition). So would an $80 dollar cover paid have for itself much less save me money at the end of those 3 years? I dont know. Maybe that bike was a rare case.

In my experience, an a cover wouldn't have saved me much money, but in principle, I agree with you.

The ninja250 hasn't been changed since the mid 80's, when i see that a bike designed in 2003 (almost 20 years later) still has the same weathering issues, I wonder why they haven't done anything about this. Is it because the SV is a budget bike?...if I had a new ninja 6R, maybe it wouldn't be as sever.

 

because most people cover their bike duh! trust me i've seen bikes that stay out side all year. and they have more problems than you can count. take a bike that has been covered or even better garaged kept and well it is like brand new.

case in point. my first real street bike was a 1983 seca 750. it was my cousins he kept it out side all year in rain and snow in mud etc. the fork tubes were pitted any rubber on the bike was dry rotted there wasn't a bolt that wasn't rusted. nothing worked properly. it got to the point where me and my dad gave up and gave it away.

my dad bought an 1983 goldwing aspencade from a friend its been garage kept since the day it left the dealer. it looks and runs like its brand new. only problem with it was some thing internal but it was an easy fix. there isn't a spot of rust on it and it will start almost as fast as my sv will which is fast.

now you see the difference.

but i know now your going to say it was because it was a honda and not a yahmaha. because your not going to listen to reason so i don't know why i wasted my time.

 

What would you consider more rust resistant? Look under the body of a car with 5,000 miles on it.

As much - if not more rust than anything you're seeing. It's not rocket science - if it isn't coated aluminum or stainless steel, it's going to corrode no matter what you do.

 

i suppose.

I care more about function than form anyway. As long as it moves, I'm happy ;D

 

Then don't beech about rusting. :

 

Then don't beech about rusting. :

I don't care that there is rust, but i certainly don't expect it, so I will bitch. :

because most people cover their bike duh! trust me i've seen bikes that stay out side all year. and they have more problems than you can count. take a bike that has been covered or even better garaged kept and well it is like brand new.

case in point. my first real street bike was a 1983 seca 750. it was my cousins he kept it out side all year in rain and snow in mud etc. the fork tubes were pitted any rubber on the bike was dry rotted there wasn't a bolt that wasn't rusted. nothing worked properly. it got to the point where me and my dad gave up and gave it away.

my dad bought an 1983 goldwing aspencade from a friend its been garage kept since the day it left the dealer. it looks and runs like its brand new. only problem with it was some thing internal but it was an easy fix. there isn't a spot of rust on it and it will start almost as fast as my sv will which is fast.

now you see the difference.

Yea, I'm going to look into a cover.

But if it really is the ocean air that's causing it, is the cover going to help much?

 

I don't care that there is rust, but i certainly don't expect it, so I will B****.  :

Yea, I'm going to look into a cover.

But if it really is the ocean air that's causing it, is the cover going to help much?

I think it will help thor. I just hate seeing any bike out in the weather when it is parked. I ride my bike year round and even dry it off in the garage if I get caught in the rain.I hate a rusty bike.