R1200 Corrosion Control! (Pictorial)

[JimVonBaden]

It is not so common on the R1100/1150, but the front cover paint on the R1200, particularly the black, but also the silver, tends to flake and the metal underneath corrode. My new, to me, R1200ST is a perfect example. It has 55K miles on it, in all kinds of weather, and the front cover was very bad.

The GS and R are very exposed, and you might want to spend more time making it pretty. If you own an RT or ST, you may not even realize how bad this is on your bike under the plastic.

So, I decided it was time to clean it up, and protect the cover from permanent damage requiring replacement.

The following is a pictorial on how I did it. Some wont like that I did not use an aluminum primer, but the paint I used is designed to be used without primer.


As you can see, the paint was flaking, and corrosion was under the paint everywhere.



Another angle.



Here is with the belt cover removed.



Another angle.



I initially used a small screwdriver to remove the loose paint. There was more than I thought, pretty much the whole cover.



You can see how much came off with just the scraping, took 5 minutes.



Because my goal was to protect the cover, not make it really perfect, I used a large wire brush on a drill to remove the more stubborn stuff.



As you can see, it did a good job, but did leave some gouging that some might find objectionable.



I used a Dremel with a small round wire brush and cleaned all the tight areas. I also pulled out each cover bolt one at a time and cleaned in there. Make sure you torque it properly when you put it back.


You can see how clean it got. There was a lot of corrosion in these areas.



Here I have finished cleaning, and wiped it down with paint thinner. It looks blotchy, but it is very clean.




Blue Painters tape to keep the over spray down. I could have painted the whole motor to make it look good, but it is 25° out, and it is just going to get dirty again anyhow.

Make sure you take the time to cover the belt and pulleys, you don't want to get paint on them.



Here is the after shot. I put on two light coats ten minutes apart, then one medium coat to finish. It looks pretty good!



The paint I used. It is not necessary to get 500° paint as the cover never gets that hot, but I wanted protection in the heat and stop and go traffic from the headers.



After I pulled the tape off. I let it sit 30 minutes before pulling the tape.



An hour later, after cleaning the headers of rust, I reassembled the bike. The paint was dry to the touch.



Completely assembled. Hopefully it will last at least a few years. It only took a couple hours to do, and I am very happy with the results.

Jim

[kjclark7]

great write up. there's a good reason to install a fender extender!

[Lobby]

Thanks, Jim.

[wjherrick]

I really enjoy the DIY part of GS riders. Great job and pic's. Keep your projects coming!

Bill in OR

[Unca Fud]

Nice job - and a nice job of documenting it. Some people just live in a horrible corrosion environment.

[Dan Cãta]

@Jim, does a longer wheel fender stop this from happening?

[Beezer]

The white powder corrosion & the way it bubbled the paint.... makes me think that cover is magnesium.

[bsogri]

Good write up I might do mine now, does the cover come off without disturbing timing bekt/pulley's

[MooseBuilt]

hey,
find a local anodizing shop and get it hardcoat anodized and problem solved. you can even have it redone every 5 years if you want, but the duplicolor likes to act like a ziplock.....

pretty though..

[Beezer]

errrrrr.... don't think you can anodize magnesium.

[BmwRudy]

Another great one Jim!! I'm all about a wire brush and a spray can.

[Bruce Caldwell]

Yes, good job Jim! Dupli-Color makes some pretty good paint IMO. A few years ago I pulled the handle bars off my 1100 because they were starting to look pretty bad & re-painted with Dupli Color. They still look good. While my wheels are at Woody's I re-painted my forks also. I hate bugs!

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by bsogri

Good write up I might do mine now, does the cover come off without disturbing timing bekt/pulley's

No, the lower pully must come off, and then you have to deal with making sure you reinstall a new crank seal and reseal the whole cover. Just getting it iff can be a pain, so if it is not leaking I would just do as I did.

As for the fender extender, it sure couldn't hurt. I am getting one for this bike.

Jim

[a65l]

I think some of the corrosion problem might be the sound deadening foam that is installed on the backside of the belt cover. The foam holds water against the front cover and promotes the corrosion. I remember replacing a front cover on an 05 Gs some years ago under warranty because of the corrosion. My 05 has it as well, but has gotten pretty much the same fix you did. I removed the foam from the belt cover, and haven't noticed any more noise........

A

Oh and corrosion on Aluminimum and Magnesium appear the same.... and it is possible to anodize magnesium.

[Beezer]

Ya, we don't see it in aircraft (my background), but yep... magnesium can be anodized. On the other hand no way does corrosion on mag look the same as corrosion on aluminum. That dark olive gray background & the spotty porosity along with the white powder... that is the classic magnesium look.

I'm not trying to be adversarial here, but I'm pretty sure what's in the picture is a magnesium alloy & that means it needs to coated with something at all times. Aluminum is far more corrosion resistant by it's nature. Mag on the other hand is anodic to pretty much everything. Being up front in the spray off the road means it is often wet & road salts & other residue make a real test out of controlling the corrosion. What Jim's got going is a good way to deal with it... whenever there is even a tiny break in the paint... get out the spray can & hit it.