Honda response to paint issue
I'm not sure if this comes from Mother Honda or just my dealer, but they want me to bring my bike in this coming week, and they're replacing the side covers and saddlebag lids. I'll be curious to see if the finish is any more durable. Of course, this doesn't address the issue with the finish on the tail area or the forward area where the knees rest against the bike. Should be an interesting discussion.
To tag on to what Miles said...
I have a hard time with the argument that we shouldn't expect a decent finish on a black bike. My previous bike was a '00 black Roadstar. When I sold it in April, the finish looked as good as the day I bought it. That's after many years and miles with road grime, tank bags, etc. I'll grant that the Roadie's tank and fenders were metal, but the plastic side covers fared just fine after 13 years of frequent removal and getting scraped with boots and rubbed with denim.
My F6B is red, and the finish is soft and fragile. I felt that my dealer blew me off about this until I sent a very pointed email and reminded them that in this hi-tech age, it was very easy to share my experience with a lot of people. I feel they're at least taking my complaints seriously now.
Be the squeaky wheel, and good luck to everyone in getting this resolved satisfactorily.
I'll wait for them to fix the paint issue
As one who was planning to buy this bike, I'm now waiting until I hear the paint issue is resolved. I've owned 2 Harleys, 2 Hondas (incl an '83 Goldwing 1100 - sweet machine!) and a Yamaha, and this is the first time I've ever even heard of "soft" paint. There's just no excuse for something like that. I hope when they fix that they add the cruise control and ABS. Hell, even the '83 had cruise control!
I got mine back from the dealer the other day
It now has new saddlebag lids and side covers. The balance of the Tupperware was given the 3M treatment.
SO FAR, the replaced parts appear to have a harder finish. I've been flying a lot since I got it back, so I don't feel like I've really "tested" it yet. The lids and side panels don't seem to have the surface scratches the old ones got from handling. As far as the 3M treated parts go, I have no idea what to expect.
I told the service department folks that I was regarding this as an experimental treatment. They agreed that I may have to bring it back.
We shall see.