[WhizzbangK.C.]

I was replacing my front tire today and found this

and this

Deep pitting inside the rim, right at the bead area. Some of these pits are visibly half way through the metal. The larges area is as big as then end of my finger. I took the wheel to the dealer, they are submitting a warranty claim and ordering a new one. When the service manager saw it he replied "that's not even safe to mount a tire on". It looks like they got a bad batch of metal when this rim was made. The entire rim is effectively perforated, and ready to come apart. Not bashing, it can happen to anyone, just make sure that when you have your tires replaced to inspect this area thoroughly to make sure you don't have a similar issue.

Bike is a 2014, bought new July 14. 38000 miles. Just as a point of reference, I have H-D and Honda wheels on my Shovel and in the shed that are well over 20 years old and do not have this type of rust issue. A little surface rust, but no real pitting.

 

[WhizzbangK.C.]

I used to work I'm the metal industry. normally that much rust takes several years to get half that bad. methinks it came out of the factory in that condition and should have never passed inspection before shipping

This is the second time the tire has been changed. The first time there was just very small areas that I assumed were just surface rust. Didn't think much of that and just replaced the tire. These pits came as quite a shock actually. To me they look like the result of the rim being made from a very poor batch of metal with a lot of impurities in it that have corroded quickly.

 

[WhizzbangK.C.]

Have you looked at your rear rim? Is it in the same condition?

Rear has some surface rust inside, but I didn't notice any deep pits. I took pics of it also, thinking maybe I would add them to the thread on sealing spoke rims for tubeless tires.

 

[WhizzbangK.C.]

Hey Whizzbang...if the wheels look so bad, how do your hubs and bearings look? I suspect the hubs/bearings might be at the same "quality" level as the rims.

To each his own, but when looking at your pic's, I would probably be replacing the wheel assemblies and bearings with some known high quality pieces. I would especially be concerned about the metalology in the OEM assemblies and not just the plating...As your thread title says...Safety Alert!

BTW...a general question about seeing more overall citations on this forum reflecting on Polaris using parts that are not holding up or just don't measure up? Seeing more posts here (and another forum) with bad batteries, cables, electrical issues in addition to batteries, paint, plating, Scout tires and suspension components and factory assembly issues. These bikes have now been around long enough to start showing issues and trends...bar hopping bikes notwithstanding.

Hubs and bearings look fine. I replaced the bearings in the rear as a preventative measure, and have new ones on hand for the front, was going to replace them after the tire was on the rim. All Balls bearings and seals, BTW.

I'm not really seeing this as reflecting badly on Polaris at this point. I work for an OEM myself, and we do occasionally see batches of parts made with sub-standard materials, out of spec dimensions, improper heat treat or surface treatments, etc. These things happen, on a mass produced consumer item there is no margin to pay for 100% QC checks on every single stage of every single part so some things can make it to the consumer that really shouldn't. Just the way it is. The real test is how the company deals with it. If they dig in and resolve the issue promptly, and take steps to isolate the cause and correct any others that made it to the road, then there is no problem. On the other hand, if they try to avoid, obfuscate, and deny I for one would consider that a real issue.

 

[WhizzbangK.C.]

Well, Polaris stepped right up and replaced the wheel under the extended warranty, just got the new one today and got it mounted, so I'm back on the road. I'm still calling for everyone to inspect their wheels at the next tire change to make sure this isn't a wide spread issue. It may be a very small number that were affected by a poor batch of metal, or it might be a major issue. The only way to know is to inspect them and see what's found.

 

[WhizzbangK.C.]

Question .................. has this bike been subject to wet weather riding conditions? If so, how much ?

Absolutely it has been ridden in wet conditions, as well as winter road conditions. I've also washed it a few times. I don't see how that could have any legitimate bearing on the case though. My '79 Shovelhead front wheel is a steel rim laced with chromed spokes. I put it on there about 20 years ago, and it's been ridden in exactly the same conditions it's entire life, well over 200,000 miles on that front wheel. There is a little surface corrosion on the rim, but no pitting comparable to this at all. The only way this could happen is defective material.