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« on: August 01, 2011, 08:50:41 PM »
Hey JWTR,
I put on my high-powered reading specs and sure enough, the rear tire is showing the same symptoms, again only on one side of the tire, the same side as the front tire. I will post photos once my daughter comes home and snaps them. Not only is there delamination, but the same cracking right at the bead, although it is not as prominent on the rear tire as it is on the front tire.
I know the bike is 3 years old, and hence the tires must be as well. When I purchased the bike, I asked if the dealer would bring in a 2010 model for me, but he made a convincing case for putting me over the curb on the 2008, saying that was is exactly the same bike, with the same full two year warranty, and he would move on the price.
Tires age was not something that even crossed my mind at the time I bought the bike.
I have since read about several cases where dealers were knowingly selling bikes with older tires on them, and not disclosing the pitfalls and dangers of this practice to the customer. In one case concerning Harley Davidsons that were subsequently involved in accidents on these older tires, the dealer was held responsible. The court found that it was incumbent upon the dealer to adequately explain the dangers associated with riding on older tires - something that they failed to do.
Similarly, my dealer never mentioned anything about the aging tires on my "new-with-full-factory-warranty" 2008 Xciting 500Ri.
Whenever an "old stock" new bike is sold - and I'm sure I'm neither the first nor the last customer to purchase an "old stock" new scooter - it would seem to me that the dealer should fully inform the customer of the possibility of premature tire failure - premature in the sense that failure can occur at very low mileage. My tires have 3000 km (1800 miles) on them, and now it appears that they both will need to be replaced.
Kymco Canada continues to insist that since tires are not covered under my warranty, I must absorb the full cost of replacing the front tire, and apparently the rear tire as well.
I love the bike, but in my estimation, Kymco Canada has failed in this instance to provide adequate customer information, service and consequently - satisfaction. Further, I feel that their "concern" for rider safety is woefully lacking, as demonstrated by the quote in the second post of this thread.
The bike has been sitting for three weeks, unridden, as I cannot afford a new front tire at this time, and now that I've seen the rear tire cracks today, it looks as though I will have to cancel my insurance and park the bike until I can scrape up the money to replace both tires.
So it looks like the riding season has already ended for me, unless Kymco Canada steps up to the plate to address the issue. Given my experience with them over the last three weeks, I just don't see this happening.
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