Honda CB650R: A warped brake disc & Honda's subpar response

The bike has just done 1152 km on the odometer and I am wondering if a root cause analysis would be done to identify what caused the rear disc to bend in such a way.

BHPian PA_86 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dealership:

Honda topline Andheri, Mumbai.

Booking:

I went to the showroom on 2nd Sep'22 to get the on-road price of the CB650R, I was given a quotation on 8.67L being the ex-showroom price. I asked the salesperson if he was sure that the ex-showroom price was 8.67L because I had checked the website and it showed 9.14L.The salesperson was clueless about the change in the ex-showroom price and told me that he could check with the manager and confirm. He came back saying, yes sir the prices have been revised. What surprised me the most was the fact that the sales staff was not updated/aware of the change in the ex-showroom price of the vehicles they were selling. I booked the bile on the same day.

Payment and delivery:

I was informed that the bike had arrived at the showroom and I made the balance payment (on road price + 31k for accessories - Radiator Guard / Front spools / rear spools and Crash bobbins) of the bike on 02nd Oct 2022 and informed the sales person that I wanted the delivery of the bike on 17th of October. The salesman informed me that there was enough time for completing the registration process and it wouldn't be an issue to deliver the bike on 17th Oct'22. After receiving the payment there was no communication from the salesperson at all.

I got the choice number on 03rd Oct'22 and shared the details with the salesperson on the same day. I walked in the showroom on the 15th Oct to check that everything was in order for the delivery. To my surprise the salesman told me very casually that there was an issue with the registration online due to a different number on my adhaar card (Father's number). What surprised me the most was that the salesman was very casual after the payment was made and he didn't bother to communicate about the issue. Thankfully I didn't get embarrassed in front of my family and friends had I walked into the showroom on 17th Oct to get the delivery.

I get back home from the showroom and raise a complaint about the careless attitude and no communication from the sales team regarding the issue with the registration and delivery. To my surprise the sales person called me the same evening and asked, Sir , what is the issue? Why have you raised a complaint? I failed to understand the escalation matrix of Honda bigwing, the person against who the complaint was raised is calling me back to ask me about the issue. With the complaint not being escalated to the right person, I tried to contact Mr Rajagopi Padmanaban on linkedin. Mr Venkatramanan Janak got in touch with me via linkedin and I shared my experience over a call. He got in touch with the dealership to ensure that the delivery would be
a memorable experience.

Delivery:

The registration issue was sorted and I decided to take the delivery on the 23rd Oct'22. After the complaint, the delivery was a mere formality. The saree guard was removed from the bike without my consent and the justification I got was that 80% of the buyers got it removed. No welcome kit (Mug and keychain) was provided saying that it was out of stock, and I haven't received it till date. The documents for the extended warranty and the RSA were provided on whatsapp after a week of delivery. Only the radiator guard and the front spools were installed at the time of delivery and I was told that the spares are out of stock and might take upto a month.

Service:

I got the first service done at 700 kms in mid November, that is when the rear spools and the crash bobbins along with the saree guard were installed on the bike.

Current Brake Disc Issue:

A strange noise was coming from the bike on the 14th of Jan'23. I took the bike at the service center on the 15th to get the issue checked. After the technician inspected and removed the rear brake pad, it was observed that the disc was rubbing against the brake arm and was bent (images attached for reference). Since the service center manager was on leave, I went to the service center on 16th Jan again to speak to the manager about the issue. Mr Frank informed me that he checked the bike and there was no visible impact on the bike for the rear disc to bend that way. A report was submitted to the technical team to get the issue resolved under warranty. The technical team rejected the HTR claim and I was informed by the manager that he would get the replacement done under goodwill warranty. It's been 17 days since the bike is at the service center and they are awaiting internal approval.

The bike has just done 1152 kms on the odometer and I am wondering if a root cause analysis would be done to identify what caused the rear disc to bend in such a way.

I received a call from the service center manager stating that the technical team has rejected the claim however from the dealer side we have decided to give you a 50% discount on the parts and labor charges. I am wondering why should I even pay 50% with no fault of mine.

I would really appreciate if senior members would guide me with the way forward.

Here's what BHPian abhi_tjet had to say on the matter:

Hey buddy! Felt sad reading your ordeal.

Couple of points from my side -

1. What are they replacing? Are they just putting the new brake disc or some straightening of brake arm is also needed. If its just disc, I don't think it will cost much, they are anyways agreeing on waving 50%, just get it done with and enjoy the bike.

2. Since you have ridden bike for initial 1K kms without any problem, I suppose its not a factory issue and hence no warranty.

Looks like you are just unlucky and unfortunately you will have to proceed with what dealer is saying IMO.

Here's what BHPian Rehaan had to say on the matter:

Thanks for sharing, PA_86!

In this particular case, a warped brake disc could very well be a manufacturing defect due to poor quality of materials used in the part. Given the amount of heating & cooling cycles that a brake disc goes through, it would be a good candidate for early failure if it wasn't up to spec. I'm frankly amazed that Honda rejected this warranty claim, especially on a virtually new bike even after the manager confirmed there's no visible impact.

Here's what BHPian shree_shell had to say on the matter:

This is unfortunate and so un-Honda given that the bike has just over 600 miles!

That said, floating rotors are exceptionally better in managing heat than fixed/ solid rotors like ones on your CBR. Given this, if rider was indeed responsible for this warping, it should be due to:

1. Going through heating and cooling of rotors very quickly

2. Holding onto your rear brake too long, when disks are hot

3. When the rear brakes take a direct hit

I also think this is a potential quality-control issue.

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