[StuUK]

Not sure if this applies to the US but the Black and silver/grey blades supplied to the UK seem to have a black paint quality problem.

I've only had my blade just over a week and the paint on the tank is already scuffed in the knee wells to the point where the paint is damaged.

Also went out yesterday, it was a warm day here in the UK and by the time I got back the front fairing was covered in dead flies and bugs.

I cleaned all this off carefully with fly remover then washed a couple of times and noticed areas of the paintwork where the dead flies have left an impression in the paintwork.

Also worth mentioning is that the black paintwork on my bike doesn't seem to have any clearcoat over the black, if I rub any black area for even just a few seconds with t'cut you can see black on the cloth.

My dealer is investigating this and he is obviously aware of something, as he said it only seems to affect black blades.

I'm wondering if due to demand Honda are letting these bikes come straight from the factory before the paint has had chance to cure properly??

 

[tn1krr]

Same paint scheme, same problem here. My dealer tells me it will very likely be covered under warranty. I have 1000 kilometers in it and the sides of tank where the knees are prettymuch gray by now. I have a very good relationship with my dealer (I buy a new Blade from them every 2 years when model changes) and they actually told me that there have been similar problems with some Euro-tricolor (red/white/blue) bikes too.

 

[Will69]

After 1 ride, my black RR looks like it's been ridden for 2 years. Scuffing on the sides and the front of the tank. I tried using some Honda polish, but it's still bad. Haven't checked the rest of the bike yet. Hoping to wash it tonight. So is there warranty coverage on paint?

 

[get_dude]

You all have the black and silver correct? I hope this doesn't affect the all black models...

 

[red02f4i]

I just picked up my all black in the US on Saturday. I only have about 100 miles on it so far, but have not noticed the problem yet. My tankslapper kit is already on order and should be here today. By the way, the all black looks incredible in person. Glad I waited.

 

[zman]

yup it happends on the all black also

im looking into getting the tanslaper film before it gets worse

 

[ashleys rr]

Guys I hate to tell you this but this is the exact same problem we 600rr owners have been dealing with for the past year. I have an all black 600rr, an all black 1000rr, and my husband has a red 600rr. Plain and simple the paint on these bikes SUCKS! We have already replaced the plastic on the red 600rr once but it did not make any diffrence, and yes you are right the red is clear coated. I have had a body shop clear coat the tank on my 600rr and it did seam to help, now you are able to buff out the sides without pulling color off. The tank slapper kit is probably the best quick fix. I was dissapointed to see that Honda did not address this problem before they brought out the 1000rr's. Even with this problem I would still buy both the 600rr,and the 1000rr again without giving it a second thought.

 

[ashleys rr]

dont know what went wrong message posted twice. SORRY

 

[Nillotuc]

I ordered my tankslapper kit after riding mine about 70 miles the rear center of the tank looked like ass, although just a bit of wax took care of most of it.

 

[SecretAgentRR]

man, whatever happened to honda reliability??? we got the paint problems, the speedo's being off, and the low rpm pinging that honda is still saying is normal...and yet the ZX-10r's have had zero issues.

 

[DucatiEVO]

Damn and I so didn't want to buy a 10r either. All these problems are having an adverse effect on my choice of bikes!

 

[immortal]

it's paint, it wears out....get over it and ride your bike.

 

[SecretAgentRR]

that's a shitty reason. sorry, i'm not going to pay 11k for a bike only to have the paint rub off from normal use in 2 months. paint is NOT that delicate. my 1973 firebird has it's original paint, and it's as shiny as can be. there's no reason to have paint that rubs off, or doesn't even have a clear coat.

the black 04 sitting up at my dealer waiting for me (if i still decide to get it) already has a couple paint scuffs on the tank, and tail section, just from a few people sitting on it.

every ZX10R i've seen has perfect paint (minus the orange ones). same with the R1's and GSXR1000's.

11k may be pocket change for you, but i have to spend my money wisely, i can't afford to buy a new bike every year, nor do i want to. i'm going to be stuck with whatever bike i get for at least 5 years, i don't want a bike that has obvious wear on it by then.

 

[immortal]

then buy a kawasaki, no ones telling you to buy the honda. if you're worried about some "dulling" of the shine on the tank then you're buying a bike for all the wrong reasons... go buy a car and throw some 24" spinners on it and you can be a bling bling pimp then.

or you can spend $15 and buy a tankslapper kit and your problem is solved.

 

[SecretAgentRR]

no thx. and no, that isn't only reason why i probably won't be buying a CBR. those are just annoying quirks that i would rather not have to deal with, especially when there is something else out there that is just as good, if not better, and doesn't have the quirks. there's no need to be a jerk.

 

[JNM]

The problem does sound a little more involved than just normal scuffing from leathers, which can easily be buffed out with Zymol, etc.
It's not my style to come on another user site and post, but I will say that my black ZX10 has had no scuffing whatsoever after hard riding with full leathers. No need for 3M plastic. My previous RC-51, which I had for four years, had outstanding paint and looked showroom upon it's sale. A little 3M was used on the tank, that was it. Hope you guys get the issue fixed, because you do have a great bike on your hands.

 

[IronNutz]

Wow, finally a post that makes me happy I didn't wait for the black... :wink: Seriously though, that sucks. I have no issues with the paint on my red/black after 1600 miles. My knee pucks have scraped the tank many many times already, the marks wipe right off with no paint problems. It must just be a all black specific problem. Might want to look into having it clear coated, or buying the tankslapper kit. I'm sure Honda will warrantee it for you, but it would probably just be replaced with another non-clearcoated one. Sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and come up with a solution yourself.

For anyone that posts something like "Wow, I can't buy the Honda now" on this or any other thread, every new bike will have some type of minor issues. After having ridden the bike myself, although I would be upset about the paint (Or other small things), I sure as hell wouldn't let that stop me from buying this, or any other bike of it's caliber. Do a pro's/con's list of the bike, and you will see the pro's far outweigh any con's.

 

[Thorn92]

This must be a new issue with the !K. I had a 1998 Black 900RR and the paint did scuff....very little.....but it didn't really begin to show for at least 5 years. Two months does sound a little odd.

 

[SecretAgentRR]

ashelys rr was saying the 600rr's have the same problem as well, so it's not just a new problem.

don't get me wrong with what i've been saying in this thread, i LOVE the 1k, but I LOVE the zx-10r as well. And i know i will be more than happy with either, but when I buy a new bike, it buy it to not have all these little problems. so far the zx hasn't had any. with that being said, i dropped the deposit on a black zx-10r today. it'll be in in 3 weeks.

my buddy has a red/black cbr1k, so as soon as i get mine broken in, i'll be sure to do another back to back riding comparision.

 

[ashleys rr]

For you guys that are saying the older Hondas (RC51 & 900rr) didnt have this problem think about it for a sec., they have metal gas tanks that are actually the gas tank, not a plastic cover. All of the Hondas I have had in the past had metal tanks and the paint held up well. I just dont think that you can expect painted plastic to hold up very well under these conditions. After all, who buys a Honda for the paint :?: