Replacement of OE exhaust under warranty

Hi all -

I have a vague recollection from an old bike magazine that the '08 exhausts were pretty poor and corroded heavily. I seem to recall the magazine implying that the part can be replaced under warranty?

I don't have a Blade yet but all being well will get back onto two wheels again this year. Is having the OE exhaust replaced under warranty something that anyone has had experience of?

Cheers,

Soss

 

I think newer models 2010+ have a shroud that covers the rust prone bits. Mine is a 09 and it has corroded. Took it down to bare metal the a few months ago and resprayed with UHT paint, been ok so far....

 

Mine is a 10 year model, the black part of the exhaust has sprung a lot of surface corrosion this winter, despite constant cleaning. (the previous owner did not use the bike through the winter), so just 4 to 5 months of winter crud has done for it.

Whilst allowing goodwill on all my braking issues last week, Honda refused any assistance on the exhaust.

 

Had my '08 from new my exhaust is still in reasonable nick, helped by a coat of BBQ paint. It gets put away every winter. A bloke who got an '08 about the same time as me from the same dealer and rode through the first winter commuting to London his exhaust was rotten, think he got it replaced under warrenty. Wouldn't expect it now after 4 years though.

 

I had mine replaced on my '08 twice, due to the corrosion/discolouring. They recognised it as an inherent defect thus putting the guard over the top of the subsequent models, but they wouldn't budge when I asked them to put one on my '08 so I didn't have to keep going through the claims process. In the end I got my dealer to put one on at my own cost, which was fairly cheap, iirc.

I would imagine you'd have trouble getting one replaced now though?

 

time for me to put my hand up again!

Yes, I had mine replaced (2011/12 model RAB), I use mine in all weathers and I complained that it was showing corrosion after only 6 months!
so Honda replaced it under warranty whilst sorting out the seized callipers too

The quality is piss poor on them, in fact Dobles technicians confirmed it (unofficially) and recommended i spray the new exhaust with paint as the original paint is wafer thin and not up to much, keep meaning to do it but dont know what paint wont blister, but to be honest Im toying with getting part exing mine as Im fed up with Hondas current shoddy fittings, just don't know what will definately be better (Im hoping/thinking Triumph?).

Pains me to slur Honda as I loved my previous blade, just this one is so fragile with delicate parts!

 

Made this video at the weekend when i was a touch angry!
but it does show my NEW exhaust 4 months old...what do you reckon.
Wish I could get this video to the people that count at Hondas Quality control.

 

Got to agree with you zipster your bike is not wearing well. Using it through the winter has been its downfall, it will be interesting to see the dealers response ! My bike is a similar age to yours, but I don't use it in winter, needless to say it is in far better condition than yours. Keep us updated on how you get on, good luck. On a general note I do think bike quality has dropped right across the market, manufacturers are penny pinching on materials.

 

Zipster, mines used daily and all the nuts and blots and brackets are the same as yours, never had this on any Honda before and have had many of them all ridden 12 months a year, obviously some issues at high mileage, but not like this.

Honda was the premium Jap brand, I think its just the same as the others now, and there is no doubt the 08 onwards Blades have been the worst overall in the history of Bladeology, far too many problems for their halo bike.

 

Zipster, mines used daily and all the nuts and blots and brackets are the same as yours, never had this on any Honda before and have had many of them all ridden 12 months a year, obviously some issues at high mileage, but not like this.

Honda was the premium Jap brand, I think its just the same as the others now, and there is no doubt the 08 onwards Blades have been the worst overall in the history of Bladeology, far too many problems for their halo bike.

 

Honda will probably say something about preventative maintenance. Seems to be a common line recently.

 

Hi guys -

Thanks for all the replies and to Zippster for the video. I wasn't ever expecting to get an 08 one sorted under warranty now, was more thinking about the chances of getting a Blade that had already been sorted under warranty - ie. how much of a problem is the exhaust still.

Probably the best thing to do is try and budget for a Yoshi or Akra when I eventually come round to getting my Blade

S

 

I have an original exhaust which is in very good condition should you need to replace it cheaply

 

The '08 stock exhaust will always be a problem, even if replaced under warranty as they just replaced like-for-like. As mentioned, your options would be: get the plate/guard fitted over the top (as I did), or get an aftermarket slip-on.

 

I'm surprised. I thought the headers would be stainless steel like the VFRs etc.
Obviously not.
Where is the catalytic converter then? It must be in the muffler because exhausts with cats have to be stainless, they have just cheapened it down and made the headers out of mild steel it appears.
Crap!

 

To be honest I wish Id found the extra cash and gone for the aftermarket exhaust when I bought the bike, but I was stretched buying the bike!

I posted the vid on twitter and Honda contacted me! they have spoken to their CR team and have suggested I take it to my dealer who will be able to 'advise on my issue'
I may just do it to, despite knowing what he will say (seems unfair to clobber a stranger, lol)

 

I'm also selling my 2nd hand aftermarket TaylorMade exhaust reasonably cheaply if you want a short term fix

 

Picked up the latest copy of 'RiDE' mag, which features an '08 Blade on the cover for the main feature of the Buying Guide for '08-11 Blades. Guess what - the '08 Blade on the cover has a discoloured exhaust! The article does warn you about them too, with the suggestion of going for an aftermarket zorst instead.

There's a few owners' stories in there too, including one guy who's done 34,725 miles on his RR-A! Good to see, as I'm on 27K and going to be adding another 3,000 miles on that this month.

ETA: Finished reading the article now, and only then realised that it mentioned this beloved forum so had a search and saw the request for info from Kev Raymond, and the fact that Alblade was featured and had done 60,000 miles on his!!