Brand new bike full of rust from Victor Devine Glasgow :(

[djrikki]

( My original post is below this, I've edited this post to bring a TL;DR version to the top for new people to save going through all 16 pages )

After years of staying on 4 wheels I decided to give 2 wheeled travel a shot. The group I hung around with as teenagers had a couple of bike fatalities and the chilling effect lasted a long time but I recently caught up with a couple of these old mates and we had a good chat about things - including bikes.

I decided to give it a go and went for the CBT, found it very easy and loved being on 2 wheels and more connected than being cocooned in a car. With one of my biker pals (ex bike mechanic) we went and looked at a couple of 125s which I wanted to start on, ride through winter then come better weather go for the DAS and get a bigger 600. We saw 2 that sounded great but were either rusty or badly accident repaired so with time pressing on he recommended looking at a low cost new Honda and recommended going to Victor Devine in Glasgow.

I bought my brand new bike on the 6th of November and 3 days later proudly showed my first bike to my mates, almost instantly the ex mechanic pal pointed out a rough patch on the top of the fuel tank which turned out to be rust coming from the inside of the tank outward. He said not to delay but to get in touch with the dealership and get it sorted, he also said to get the full thing checked out as something as apparent as that should have been spotted on the PDI check and if its been missed or ignored the rest of the bike needs looked at. I had a quick look around the bike myself in more depth later and found the tax disc holder was also rusted right through. Having had the bike 3 days out of the showroom alarm bells started ringing. I emailed the dealership and they said to bring it in to check the problems, I did this and their camera wasnt up to the job of getting proper photos so while there and to avoid a wasted journey I asked if they could give the bike a once over to see if there were any other faults. They said they didnt need to and when it came in for a new tank they would look at it then - a bit odd I thought as any problems found would mean another visit for me to get the next batch of issues resolved.

When I got home I decided not to wait and looked at the bike myself with a torch. It was at this point I found a whole batch of problems with my brand new bike including :

- The fuel tank had corrosion on the top area, having started from the inside of the tank outward.
- Corrosion was dripping down the white side panels of the bike from the side of the tank.
- The tax disc holder was corroded through.
- There was corrosion on the bottom of the yoke plus impact damage from being hit with something repeatedly during installation.
- The paint had cracked and peeled off from the welds on the frame/chassis.

https://www.setcompanyglasgowltd.com/bike/bz1.jpg
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https://i.imgur.com/BEyFiMo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/M7eCOB8.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zas69GW.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Clbfres.jpg

Finding all these problems on a brand new bike shattered my confidence in the vehicle totally. Im not a mechanic and I dont know anything about bikes, so what other nasties could be lurking under panels or in areas hidden from view? I asked the dealer for an exchange of another bike that had been fully checked or a full refund and they lied to me and said I wasnt entitled to that, all I could do was speak to Honda UK about warranty work as my contract is with them and Victor Devines is only an agent.

The dealer did tell me of another customer who had the same issues (with the frame corrosion) and that they got a new frame from Honda, had it powder coated locally and the customer went away happy. I didnt like the sound of this but relented during the call as I just wanted to get out there and enjoy riding.

A few days later the dealer calls back and says they are no longer offering a new frame and that all Honda and themselves would do was - to quote "touch up the paint on the welds". With a sizable list of defects on the bike and having bought it brand new from a dealer and from a company as big as Honda I thought this was a really crap way to treat a customer who had just bought a fairly expensive product (though of course not expensive in terms of bikes). Added to that I'd already had a chat about my big bike after winter with the guys at the dealership and said I was thinking about the CBF600F - naturally coming back to them in a few months time.

I spoke with the Citizens Advice Bureau and they told me I had been lied to when I requested to reject the bike, I also spoke with my lawyer who confirmed exactly the same thing that under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) goods supplied must :

- Be fit for purpose.
- Be of satisfactory appearance and finish.
- Be free of minor defects.

Victor Devine & Co Ltd refused to accept the rejection and told me to speak to Honda UK who admitted that yes my contract is with the dealer and they are the ones that by law have to give a refund.

Back to the dealer and they say they will replace the fuel tank, replace the bottom yoke and touch up the paint on the welds and tell me I am being unreasonable asking for a replacement bike or a refund as the bike is 99% perfect and has only "minor bits and bobs wrong with it".

---

Hi everyone,

New biker here so not up on things and decided I wanted to buy a new bike as my first one to avoid problems with dropped 2nd hand ones etc.

Went to Victor Devines in Glasgow as they are the main Honda dealer and got a new CBF125 in white.

Great looking little bike and perfect for getting going on while the weather is bad and before I progress to the DAS after just doing the CBT.

Bought it on Wednesday the 6th and on the Saturday following (9th) I showed it to my biker mates who had been on my case to get on two wheels. One of them used to be a mechanic at Victors working on bikes and after a quick look spotted rust on the top of the tank. He said to let the dealer know and take it back so I did and they got me back in. He also said to have them fully vet the bike as having rust on something that hadnt been on the road yet could be a bad sign.

I took the bike back in on Saturday (16th) and they took photos to send to Honda. But the quality of the images was quite poor so I suggested I send in my own ones (which Ive included in this post).

I asked if they could check the rest of the bike as I work 6 days a week and since they are closed on a Sunday I have to arrange time off to bring it back and forward. They said they would check it over when it comes in for warranty tank replacement - didnt really like the sound of that but said ok.

When I got home my ACF50 had arrived so I went about cleaning the bike down (I do this every couple of days with a cold water hose as suggested elsewhere on here) and started applying the ACF50 - this was the first time Id really looked closely in the nooks and cranys - and what I found I've included here :

https://i.imgur.com/BEyFiMo.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/duVtceq.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Wpnk6PU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/M7eCOB8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/VSwTXC2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zas69GW.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/soj2xl1.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/b8PEhqe.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BIzBXFG.jpg

Being a complete noob - is this yellow/rust coloured stuff appearing from the frame welds and bottom of the handle bars normal or do I have serious problems and should reject the bike ?

Sorry for the war and peace post, just want to get info from people who know a lot more than me before I speak to the dealer again.

Thanks

[ocatoro]

take it back, get your moneys back and get something older... what's the point in losing so much money on something that quite clearly won't last 5 minutes in real the real world?
____________________
CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600

[iooi]

[_Iain_]

Inbox a guy called wotsthestory on here.

Ask him about CBF rust - from memory Honda actually agreed that the OEM finish was below minimum standards & paid for his swingarm to be powdercoated propperly locally.

Reject bike, get a year old YBR for £1500 with less than 1,000 miles on it, add pilot sportys & win at life.
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[reddeviljp]

[djrikki]

[Hetzer]

Honda, made in china. I'd get a full refund for that POS and tell them where to shove anything else they tried to offer.
____________________
"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[chris-red]

[djrikki]

[chris-red]

LIGHT!
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[27cows]

These bikes are notorious for their exceptionally poor finish. Young guy round the way has got one he's had about three months and the thing is riddled with rust - and we haven't had much rain during that time either.
____________________
The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[ukdiceman]

[nowhere.elysium]

[BravoCharlie]

victor devine aint the best salesman i've come across.

called him up to say i was keen on a bike.

"hold on pal, i'm just on the other line"

5 minutes later...

"i'll need to call ye back pal"

this was about 8 months ago. still no phonecall...

even when i visited the branch the guys were useless.

as said, refuse bike, spend less moneys on cheaper, better bike.

welcome to biking also
____________________
Current: Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator
Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

[Boris the spider]

Full refund.

Go get a second hand bike. It sometimes takes seeing more than 2 bikes to get what you want.
I blagged a 4 year old unused YBR with 136 miles on the clock for a grand last year.
Not a mark / brown or otherwise on it.
Gumtree is your friend.
____________________
Yes I'm a pig....And yes... The working public do pay my wages. Tho I contribute to your benefits you lazy c##t. You do not pay my wages. So go fcuk yourself.

[Ribenapigeon]

I'm not sure what we're meant to be looking at in the pics but new bikes have a lot of yellow crayon type marks on them where bolts have been tightened up or quality control have checked they've been tightened. This sort of washes away and gets smeared around so that might be what your seeing. The bubbly paint though is definately wrong and I would simply want a replacement bike. Call trading standards at your local council if you want to know your rights. Remember your dealer might be friendly but he's not your friend. He will prefer to have a fight with a customer than a fight with Honda.

As for what's normal. My first bike was a brand new WR125X I had it fifteen months and did 7000 miles on it in all weather. The only rust on it when I came to trade in was a few spots on the swing arm where I had chipped the powder coating with my security chain. Easily dealt with by some rust stopper and enamel paint. My current bike is an XJ6 also bought new with 3000 miles on since I got it in June it also has not a spot of rust. I ACF'ed the XJ for the first time last weekend and regularly ACF'ed the WR last winter. I can definately vouch for ACF-50 it stops rust on steel parts, oxidation on alloy parts and dulling of painted parts such as the bars and frame and fittings. Only downside is it will lift decals and you stink like a bad Bar b Q if you get it on the exhaust.

[ian505050]

Get a full refund and buy a second had YBR125 for between £1000 and £1500.

This is 5 years old with 10k

https://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii302/ian505050/ian505050%203/DSC01798_zpse90acf4a.jpg

This is 5 years old with 8k

https://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii302/ian505050/ian505050%202/DSC06266-Copy.jpg

Honda have decide to to produce poor quality 125cc motorcycles to make as much profit as possible out of new riders as possible. People need to return the bikes as not fit for purpose or they will start reducing the build quality on other bikes from their range.

Several random people have bought the CBF125 and joined BCF in the past year and had the same issue.

[Gunhawk]

lol, i knew before i even clicked the link into this thread that the bike was going to be a CBF 125 glad i got rid of mine before winter hit last year!
____________________
Current: Honda VFR800 VTEC
Previous: Honda CBF125, Honda XL650 Transalp, Honda CBR600f3
CBT: 19/5/12 > Theory: 06/08/12 > MOD1: 29/08/12 > MOD2: 16/10/12

[Rogerborg]

[FriendlyEllis]

No that's not good.

Don't let the dealer bump on the problem. Insist on your money back.

Bet the bike was poorly stored prior/during shipping.

I'd accept all my money back and nothing else.

I'm a big Honda fan by the way but this looks wrong.
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Honda CB600F Hornet 2013 -> Kawasaki Z1000SX ABS Tourer 2015

[evoboy]

[FriendlyEllis]

[evoboy]

[jeddy11]

If you search CBF 125 rust there a number of posts but one in particular was a good one to read through..
https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=257364&highlight=cbf+125+rust
____________________
Fuelly My Z1000SX
cbt 06/08/11 mod1 (second go) 01/08/12 mod2 21/09/12
Varadero Viking YBR125>Varadero125>ER6F>Z1000SX !!!

[djrikki]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Got a call yesterday from the dealer to say my new tank (which was the problem I first noticed) was ready and I could bring the bike back.

I said I wasnt happy with the rest of the issues so once the dealer manager came on the phone he said he would order a replacement frame from Honda UK and have it sent away for powder coating as they had a problem with a previous 125 for which they did the same thing.

This tallys with another post on here where Honda basically said the bits werent up to scratch for the weather over here.

I said I had no confidence in the bike with these issues and wanted to reject it on the ground of the rust issues. Bloke then said Id have to take that up with Honda UK as warranty lies with them.

I thought this was a bit fishy as I thought the contact of sale was with the person taking the money which was the dealer as the bike was not bought on finance.

Does anyone have links to the letter of the law on this. I know a lot of folks are saying on here "ask for money back" but Ive never had to do that and a bit of googling shows up stuff to do with cars but also saying you have to allow the dealer to rectify faults before pushing for a refund.

Yours confusingly, Rikki

PS: I went for Honda based on company rep and Id also looked around on the net before hand and the reviews from the bike mag sites were all decent (in the most part). Only now finding out they are made by 5 year old Ahmed in Calcutta