Corrosion & Build Quality

[DJP]

I still love my MT07 but Christ the build quality is poor.

I tried to operate the seat lock today and it was seized solid.

I had to soak it in WD40 for half an hour just to get the key in, and even then it took another 10 minutes of wiggling to get it to turn.

Add that to the rusted disc bobbins, corroded fasteners/suspension linkages and furry rear sprocket... And I'm pretty good with cleaning and maintenance.

God knows what neglected ones will be like after a few years.

 

[badger27]

Indeed brake lines seem to be corroding very quickly

 

[S2VML]

Similar issues with mine. Corrosion in many areas and rusting ! Bit disappointed as I have owned Yamahas before and they were much more robust !!

 

[jeppebm]

Funny thing. Only ones to complain about this is peeps from UK .... the salt on the road people - avoid by not driving in it.

How long have you had your bikes? got mine in august - no sign of rust og corrosion anywhere.

 

[KristianJeppe]

The screws for the handle bar weights is an issue on mine, haven't driven in salt and have been parked in a heated garage for winter. And I live in Denmark as jeppe does.

 

[MrSquidbeak]

Funny thing. Only ones to complain about this is peeps from UK .... the salt on the road people - avoid by not driving in it.

How long have you had your bikes? got mine in august - no sign of rust og corrosion anywhere.

I have had mine since January 2015. I have the same rust issues as everyone else in the UK. I brought this up with the dealer as the rust and corrosion started after only having the bike 2 months and only riding it twice!!! Yes i did ride it in Winter conditions when the salt spreaders where out, BUT before this i had a W reg (year 2000) Kawasaki ZX6r that i used everyday to go to and from work and never had an issue with this. The Kawasaki ZX6r was a real work horse and didnt mind any weather, had minimal rust and corrosion from the road salt.
I have a owned Yamaha in the past and never had any problems with that either.
The dealer said its due to the UK changing there road salt this year for harsher product. I consider this utter CRAP! None of my riding buddies have had the same problem with there bikes this winter just me and my MT-07.
The reason is the price of the MT-07! If you selling a BRAND NEW bike for under £6k then you have to skimp somewhere, because the money wasnt saved on the engine (as engine is epic), the money was saved on ride quality (as it is so fulling to ride) and money wasn't saved on the design (as it looks so aggressive and badass).
I just wish Yamaha would come out and say it. Say yeah sorry guys to keep the price down we used cheaper parts sorry.
I love my MT-07, i just hope i dont spend a small fortune keeping it looking good to stand the tests of time

 

[Ralph]

Strangely mine as been ridden quite a lot this winter not only that but we live with the sea on two sides
and the bike as no problems, my last Suzuki was terrible and a Versys not much better, they now mix
of all things molasses with the sand and salt by all accounts which seems strange what ever it is it's
nasty stuff, you rarely see rusty cars these days and who washes under them or even over in my case.
Difference is car drivers would not put up with it bike riders do.

 

[sdrio]

I've got a few spots on mine, and I had exactly the same problem with the seat lock. The danger with that one is also that you'll bend/break the key when you're trying to jiggle it free.

The only major one I seen to have avoided is in the swingarm / suspension area, but that's probably because I used ACF50 during the winter. The pipes from the radiator to the engine are trashed on mine.

 

[MrSquidbeak]

I've got a few spots on mine, and I had exactly the same problem with the seat lock. The danger with that one is also that you'll bend/break the key when you're trying to jiggle it free.

The only major one I seen to have avoided is in the swingarm / suspension area, but that's probably because I used ACF50 during the winter. The pipes from the radiator to the engine are trashed on mine.

Mine to as you can see from this picture. Have now put a belly pan on the bike to stop this getting any worse

 

[omgitsmike!]

I have been keeping an eye on this forum for quite a while now, I am buying a new bike within the next month and finally got round to test riding the mt07 on Saturday, (bowers in bury).
Loved it was great too ride and had plenty of acceleration

I am testing the cb650f and cbr650f this Saturday and will make a decision then. The only thing is I am worried about these corrosion issues, I am not planning as such to be riding throughout the winter etc but don't want to be worrying about it everytime it gets caught in the rain.
In normal conditions should I have anything to worry about?

Thanks, Mike


Ps. My test ride was on a yellow bike with 1 mile on the clock (love the yellow)

 

[Gee]

Just waiting for Pro Bolt to release a bolt kit....that will take care of any furry bolts.

 

[sdrio]

I have been keeping an eye on this forum for quite a while now, I am buying a new bike within the next month and finally got round to test riding the mt07 on Saturday, (bowers in bury).
Loved it was great too ride and had plenty of acceleration

I am testing the cb650f and cbr650f this Saturday and will make a decision then. The only thing is I am worried about these corrosion issues, I am not planning as such to be riding throughout the winter etc but don't want to be worrying about it everytime it gets caught in the rain.
In normal conditions should I have anything to worry about?

Thanks, Mike


Ps. My test ride was on a yellow bike with 1 mile on the clock (love the yellow)

It's almost always a salt issue, and the problems all seem to be the same ones on all the bikes - so we can conclude the paint / finishes in some areas are just not resistant to corrosion. What do we know so far?

- The allen key hole in the bar end seems to go rusty on almost every bike, pretty quickly. That's not salt, as it went on mine over the summer, and others reported that one before winter too. Not a biggie, it has no effect on any functionality, just looks bad.

- The spring on the suspension seems prone to it. That's likely to be because it has been chipped or something, being so close to the back wheel. Mine seems OK because I plastered it with anti corrosion stuff, and as it's effectively out of sight I don't really care if it looks gunky, I just spray the stuff in there and leave it.

- Front disks in the area around the bolts holding them on, and the bolts themselves. Seems another common one.

- Water pipes from engine to radiator. Looks like almost every bike that has been out in the winter has had some kind of damage to them. They're obviously getting spray from the front wheel all the time, and I believe they're actually chrome pipes with what seems to be a thin lacquer over them. I suspect they'd be better of with powder coat or something. If I gave a shit about my bike I'd maybe do that now, but I'll wait till I get it serviced and can drain the system down.

- The seat lock keyhole. Mine has, and have seen someone else (in this thread) report it corroding, and getting stuck.

Those are the ones I have seen, I think other than the water pipes, they can probably all be prevented by taking an extra 5 minutes at wash time to put some anti corrosion stuff on them, and a squirt of WD40 in the seat lock.

But just remember, this is a 5 and a half grand bike, it's never going to be BMW build quality. It's made to a budget.

 

[Dave48]

I've got a few spots on mine, and I had exactly the same problem with the seat lock. The danger with that one is also that you'll bend/break the key when you're trying to jiggle it free.

The only major one I seen to have avoided is in the swingarm / suspension area, but that's probably because I used ACF50 during the winter. The pipes from the radiator to the engine are trashed on mine.

Corrosion is always going to be an issue in the UK with our damp cold winters & the really nasty sticky molasses/salt mix scattered on the roads.
All bikes are built to a price point but the best treatment is regular washing, proper drying and use of ACF 50 (except obviously on brakes/tyres).
This stuff really works and although appears expensive a little goes a long way. My 12 year old Yamaha Fazer has no corrosion having been treated with this every winter.
Regarding the corrosion on the two water pipes in the pic-yes a belly pan will help prevent further damage but its important to treat the areas already affected-ie get rid of existing rust & repaint with something like Hammmerite black smoothrite.

 

[MrSquidbeak]

It's almost always a salt issue, and the problems all seem to be the same ones on all the bikes - so we can conclude the paint / finishes in some areas are just not resistant to corrosion. What do we know so far?

- The allen key hole in the bar end seems to go rusty on almost every bike, pretty quickly. That's not salt, as it went on mine over the summer, and others reported that one before winter too. Not a biggie, it has no effect on any functionality, just looks bad.

- The spring on the suspension seems prone to it. That's likely to be because it has been chipped or something, being so close to the back wheel. Mine seems OK because I plastered it with anti corrosion stuff, and as it's effectively out of sight I don't really care if it looks gunky, I just spray the stuff in there and leave it.

- Front disks in the area around the bolts holding them on, and the bolts themselves. Seems another common one.

- Water pipes from engine to radiator. Looks like almost every bike that has been out in the winter has had some kind of damage to them. They're obviously getting spray from the front wheel all the time, and I believe they're actually chrome pipes with what seems to be a thin lacquer over them. I suspect they'd be better of with powder coat or something. If I gave a shit about my bike I'd maybe do that now, but I'll wait till I get it serviced and can drain the system down.

- The seat lock keyhole. Mine has, and have seen someone else (in this thread) report it corroding, and getting stuck.

Those are the ones I have seen, I think other than the water pipes, they can probably all be prevented by taking an extra 5 minutes at wash time to put some anti corrosion stuff on them, and a squirt of WD40 in the seat lock.

But just remember, this is a 5 and a half grand bike, it's never going to be BMW build quality. It's made to a budget.

Agree with this man right here. You are going to get it with any bike you buy these days. Just feel that my MT-07 has gone like this a little quicker than other bikes i have had in the past.
But looking after it with WD40, ACF50 and regular washes will slow down the damage. The MT-07 is not a bike to turn your nose up at for a few niggly problmes. One of the most fun bikes i have ever owned! Have alot of mate taking the piss out of me saying i went for something under 1000cc and something with small BHP but evertime i let one of them ride it the MT-07 blows them away with how amazing this little bike is!!!!
Agree with another user on here that i cant wait for the Pro Bolt kit to be released and a belly pan sorts out the water pipes (just wish i got mine on sooner

 

[Phil_B]

To OMGitsMike. Mine was fun through all the summer and spring raid it was exposed to last year. Noticed a couple of spots on chain and discs after riding it on gritted roads.

Have tried to tidy it up and stopped riding it so much in winter.

This seems to have dodged any horrid problems. So a 3 season rider should be OK.

 

[xt660isgood2]

Just fired mine after 6 months in the garage. Started 1st time, admittedly she has not been used over the winter here and no corrosion apparent anywhere

 

[DkD]

Hi all, newbie to the forum here and ready to pull the trigger to order an MT07 but..

Can anyone else comment on the corrosion issue. I'm a all weather rider and don't really want to have a rust issue after one season riding (I do take care of the bike, regular washing / ACF 50 etc).

Many years ago I do remember my YBR suffering from rust too - more so then other makes I've had. (Have a Honda CB500F for 2 years and no rust at all).

Also concerned the Akro exhaust on the MT might be hit with weathering..

 

[Ralph]

I reported no problems with mine but giving it a once over yesterday and notice that
the thin rod that runs from the gear lever to gear box as a small amount of corrosion
and the gear lever as a area of discolouration but that may be my boot rubbing as it
feels smooth.

 

[sdrio]

Hi all, newbie to the forum here and ready to pull the trigger to order an MT07 but..

Can anyone else comment on the corrosion issue. I'm a all weather rider and don't really want to have a rust issue after one season riding (I do take care of the bike, regular washing / ACF 50 etc).

Many years ago I do remember my YBR suffering from rust too - more so then other makes I've had. (Have a Honda CB500F for 2 years and no rust at all).

Also concerned the Akro exhaust on the MT might be hit with weathering..

There just seem to be one or two areas that are prone to it.

I suspect most of them are listed in this thread - the bikes have been around for a year now, so (at least in the UK) we should now see the results of all weather conditions.

Probably the only one you really have to worry about is the spring / suspension area behind the back wheel, but as it's not a very prominent area, just go in there with a pressure washer now and then, and ACF50 the shit out of it afterwards.

 

[DkD]

Appreciate the response chaps.. seems like nothing too usual really then!