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Bol'D'ors dont like rain....

Stuza

Stuza

Joined May 2008
136 Posts | 0+
London
Hey Guys

got a couple of small probs that seem to have developed from commuting round the M25 this winter.

First off, the red paint on my wheels appears to be flaking off and showing the silver metal underneath. Apart from cosmetics, do I need to worry about this? Is it part of the rust proofing?


Secondly, ive noticed that the bike can seem to be starved of power in the rain after a while. Its like it gets really sluggish but doesn't jerk or anything and its having its power sapped out of it. I can generaly ride through it but I won't be winning any GP's whilst its like it. Again, anything to worry about or is it just water in the electrics or something simple?

Thanks in advance.
 
I would take up both issues with your dealer.

The wheel paint will only get worse now that salt/water can get under the paint and to the aluminium and the bike should run fine in all weathers. You should really be rinsing off the worst of the salt after each ride in an ideal world or it will eat away at things.

I've ridden all day in heavy rain without issues before.
 
spoonz said:
I would take up both issues with your dealer.

The wheel paint will only get worse now that salt/water can get under the paint and to the aluminium and the bike should run fine in all weathers. You should really be rinsing off the worst of the salt after each ride in an ideal world or it will eat away at things.

I've ridden all day in heavy rain without issues before.
Click to expand...


What he said, how old is the bike? I wouldn't expect paint to be coming off the wheels though?

BTW, somebody on a Bol RSV used to come up around Old St. roundabout about 8:40 in the mornings when I was on my way to my last job, not you by any chance? It was fecking loud!
 
very small world but no, although I did used to work at BT/Openreach at that roundabout but that was when I was on an SP1.

The bikes an 07 so only 18 to 24 months old(ish)?


edit: Im wondering if I can get the wheels "repaired" under warranty as they are obviously faulty. If so, is this something Southern Cross will be able to do for me?
 
I would push for warranty on the wheels certainly. Don at Southern Cross is pretty good at fighting customers corners so give it go.

Unless the wheels were damaged by tyre fitting etc i don't see how they can not warranty them. Salt or not the paint shouldn't come of that quickly.
 
Thanks spoonz. I can't really see how tyre fitting would have done it as the damage is up near the spokes (is that what they are called?). Does it matter that I didn't buy the bike from SC?

edit: What is the warranty length on an 07?
 
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It shouldn't do

That said some dealers don't like doing warranty work on bikes they didn't sell. Mainly cos Aprilia pay peanuts for doing it.
I think Don is a bit more of an enthusiast than most dealers so give him a whirl and if he sorts you out return the favour and use him for your next service. A relationship with a local dealer is always an advantage.

Get the rain issue checked under warranty as well. Whoever you go to use polite insistance that it's warranty if they baulk at it. Like i said some dealers will fob you off because they don't want the job even though Aprilia themselves might have honoured the work.

Think Warranty was 2 years with an optional 3rd year extension but not 100% sure about the 3rd year.
 
thanks again mate :thumbup

Will check the service book when I get home but unless i'm extremley unlucky, warranty should be in date. As for using SC, I have no idea other than to use SC for EVERYTHING. Had them repair the mess other dealers had made with a Scott Oiler and Datatools.

No way I'm risking anyone else having a look at my baby ever again.....

Is Don the Safa guy that seems to run the place?

(besides, the little "value add" they do by cleaning the bike has me everytime!)
 
Never met Don face to face, only talked on phone so don't know what he looks like.

A few of the guys on here use him so might be able to steer you on his appearance.
 
OK mate, thanks very much for all the usefull info!!!! You might just have saved me a few bob :thumbup
 
I must say, Southern Cross have just dropped down in my estimation. Just phoned them and they won't do the wheels as the bike was not bought from them.

I could well be wrong but I thought this was against the rules of being an Aprilia dealership :dunno
 
Stuza said:
Is Don the Safa guy that seems to run the place?
Click to expand...

Kiwi - big bloke, really cool.

Also, Andy (another Kiwi) in the workshop really knows his sh!t as well

As Spoonz says, maybe they didn't want to take it on as the bike wasn't bought from there - back to your dealers/where it was bought new from I guess?
 
danish ep said:
....As Spoonz says, maybe they didn't want to take it on as the bike wasn't bought from there - back to your dealers/where it was bought new from I guess?
Click to expand...

hell of a ride back to them (the original dealer) but, having phoned consumer direct they say that the best bet is the original dealer. Having phoned the original dealer who said "oo aprilia are really good at getting out of warranty work" to which I replied, "Dont care, its failing and covered under the sales of goods act and is not of merchantable quality" - which the person at consumer direct said.

Anyway now need to email Bikewise picture of the flaking and see where we go from there. According to the warranty book I have in front of me, I have to report the fault within 60 days of noticing it - which i now have :thumbup


Back to the main issue: I have now looked at the service book and there is nothing in it that says the dealer HAS to be be the orginal dealer - it just says take it to an authorised dealer. Guess Southern Cross are backing out of there Aprilia commitments there.:puke
 
I'm guessing it probably is against the rules but knowing how much Aprilia pay for warranty work i'm not suprised.
My local dealer will also not do warrnaty work unless it's a bike they sold.

Something Aprilia should and need to have sorted out long ago.
 
Mate it's a big and ongoing problem that goes back sometime and i feel for ya and largely why i have now switched to Ducati for the time being.

I was in the market for a new bike and got qoutes for a newer Factory. I would have to buy one from Taz or DK to get a deal which are a serious distance from me and my local dealer will not take on warranty work from elsewhere.

Imagine touring (which i do a lot of) and the bike breaks down and no one will help you out. It sucks. When i toured with my last Factory i had to have an engines worth in common sensors etc just in case of trouble and getting stuck.

Ducati bikes are not perfect but trawl a Ducati forum and look for a refused waranty or a dealer unwilling to look. There are none and to me that makes a big difference to a new bike experience should the worst happen.
Best aprilia buys are S/H and then use independants for work. You can't really do that for new bikes with warranty issues with the exception of Griff.

It's a sad thing to say but i couldn't honestly recommend a new Aprilia to anyone and be confident they wouldn't come back and punch me on the nose later. And through no fault of the bike really.
 
spoonz said:
...... There are none and to me that makes a big difference to a new bike experience should the worst happen.
...
Click to expand...

And lets be honest here, we are buying Italian so it probably will!:devious

Guess Aprilia suck arse on the after sales service, one to note for the future. That said, I doubt I would have been able to ride a duc through the last three weeks worth of weather .... although, they are supposed to better these days:dunno At least the RSV starts in the morning and gets me to work :thumbup


I've now emailed Bikewise with the following:

"Good Morning Bikewise

as discussed and requested, please find attached a few pics of where the paint is flaking off the inner rim of the front wheel. Please arrange with Aprilia a repair or replacement. If they decide that its not covered under warranty, please feel free to remind them that it also falls under the "not of merchantable quality" clause of the Sales Of Goods Act (hope it doesn't come to that of course!).

The bike has only been used as a commuter, never raced, never been in an accident or dropped and has been frequently cleaned.


Many thanks,"

Lets see what happens. Will keep you informed. Either way, I AM getting new wheels as I really do know my consumer law very well and this wheel is clearly not of satisfactory quality.

Will keep in touch!
 
It is an @rse, but my local Kwak dealer (when I lived in Manchester) used to refuse to undertake any work on any bike that had not been bought from him, and in his own words, "Why should he undo all the crap mechanicing that other people had done, as if he did it, he knew it would be correct" (he was referring to Motorcycle City bikes and mechanics at the time.

There is also an issue over supporting your local bike dealer, but more often than not people chase the lowest unit cost, so will go where the bikes are bought in large numbers, e.g. DK. Apreciate this is an arse when you buy 2nd-hand, and move away etc.

Out of interest, how much work have you had done at SC previously?

I've used them fairly steadily for the last 3 years, and would like to think that this is the type of thing they would willing sort out for someone who has spent a not insignificant amount of money there?
 
well, so far, im new to apes and so this is my first. When I first got the bike i took it to a local garage (cab distance) to have a scott oiler fitted. It was fitted wrong. Guys on here recommended SC so I took it to them.

Whilst I was with SC I found out that the datatools was also wired up wrong. I asked them to resolve both issues and also to adjust the forks (drop the front down 1 notch etc) at there recommendation. They did fix the datatools, or rather, stop it wiping my ecu's, and they unplugged the Oiler but said they didnt have a Y pipe so I needed to rebook. They also adjusted the suspension as they saw fit and it handles a lot better.

Having found this paint issue I spoke to them this morning, first about the Y piece to which i was
told "Sure we will phone you back" and then I mentioned the wheels/warranty - which this work was flattly refused. Unsuprisingly I haven't heard back about finishing the Y piece/scott oiler and im more than a little disapointed. I strongly suspect that they would like to say they are too busy for non-SC warranty work and by accepting the Y piece/oiler they would be saying they are not too busy to do work.

I now have a scott oiler on the bike thats not plumbed in and in my eyes, SC has now gone from an excellent rep to a tarnished. Sadly, I don't know any Aprilia dealers near me so I have no way of getting the scott oiler plumbed in properly. What they dont realise is that I was also going to ask (pay) them to install heated hand grips as well (via the rear brake wires). An easy job for them no doubt and they could of earn't an easy hours labour out of me.



edit: Any mods/admins add to the original title something like "Warranty issues and Southern Cross". Its no longer just about the original warranty but also the current poor experience im getting from SC. As many recommend SC here they might like to know that not everything is perfect - at least from my experience - and the title change might get SC fans to take note. Just a suggestion :) I cant edit my own posts past the current - maybe someone will know how to get this resolved by SC?
 
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Whereabouts in London - there is the Aprilia Centre on Commercial Street, http://www.theapriliacentre.com/
However, I know someone who bought a Factory from DK, had all sorts of problems with it, that were not resolved by the above dealers, so am in no way endorsing them. Shouldn't be so bad if it were just the wheels though?
 

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