Has anyone experienced this? I've pecked at the rust and removed the big chunks and loose pieces of chrome plating. Looking for suggestions on how to neutralize the rust and effectively cover it and the remaining chromed area. <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/54611912">Rust in rear axle of BMW R 1200 GS</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/brianstanfill">Brian Stanfill</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Brian, I had a small amount of flaking just on the lip of the "axle" area. I was still under warranty so I showed the dealer. He took pictures and notified BMW NA. Haven't heard a thing since. That was this summer. On the positive side it hasn't gotten worse. Yours looks pretty bad. Don't know if you're still in warranty, but it might be worth taking it to the dealer (if you haven't all ready) and at least make them aware of the condition. Maybe it's another one of those "GS things". Mick
It isn't chrome, it is a coating. None the less, unless you are within 1 year BMW won't cover it. It is basic corrosion. IMHO, sand it off, the treat it. Some have been sucessful using gun blueing. Jim
My 3-year warranty was out last March. I bought a can of spray-on rust neutralizer. It says it goes on clear and turns rust black into a paintable surface. Of course I'd need to then also cover the shiny coating that remains. I doubt anything out of a rattle can will last very long.
My 06 has a goldish tint and is in as good , if not better cosmetic shape then my '11 GS. The new bike lacks the coating and appears quite vulnerable to corrosion.
As a follow-up, I'm now using a wax chain lubricant for corrosion control all over the bike, including on the axle part shown in my original post. It sustains washings, rain, and sun, dries white, and looks mostly just like a messy, fun evening on the bike.
Water is the electrolyte between two dissimilar metals. Dirt and bike. Prudently hand washing it is the best thing you can do for corrosion control. I know that is anti-groupthink.
Hey! I resemble that remark. BTW, my FD was so dry @ 48K that the grease on the splines evaporated. There was almost no rust. It's like it lived in Arizona or something.
