Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please

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Hi, and thanks for the add - new here and looking for some much needed help.

Late 2018 we bought a 0-mileage Dominator Naked in Germany. We arranged for shipping back home to Norway, but the transport company managed to place the new (bare aluminum) bike on an open trailer through salted european roads. To make matters worse, it arrived here on christmas and was left covered in salt for nearly two weeks before we were allowed to pick her up. Suffice to say, the bike was ruined. The transport company'e insurance company has been a total pain in the a**, and we are now fead up and will proceed with the repair work regardless of the insurance.

Of course, to add injury to insult, Norton went on to go bankrupt so now we need help/tips sourcing parts. I'll post a complete list of parts wanted when it is ready, but for now we really need help sourcing a new tank. I'm guessing we'll need to have a new one made, so ANY tips to where such a tank can be made to original specs is very much appreciated.

I've attached images - it may not look as bad as I've described, but bear in mind that it was brand new and unblemished when it left germany. Thanks in advance, guys!

Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please


Dominator Naked damaged - help needed please
 
Wow. That is shocking. It is inexcusable that ANY new motorcycle was transported and delivered in that condition, never mind one so obviously ‘special’ and with so much bare alloy.

In your shoes I would NOT proceed and do it yourself. I would make those bastards pay dearly...

However, you do not need a new tank. You just need a specialist to re finish it. It needs mirror polishing, then gently flatting back with fine Scotchbrite pads, then new logos applying.

How pedantic you need to be with the rest of it depends on what you intended to do with it. If it’s a rider, then you can take a more casual approach of cleaning things up in situ because they’ll get patinated anyway in use. However, if it was intended to be a pampered show bike / collectors piece, it needs more work. The engine covers will need removimg to polish properly, front end dismantling, etc, etc.

Whatever route you go, I would take it to a motorcycle shop and get them to price up returning it to showroom condition and use that to make the bastards pay you...
 
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The problem with using any logistics firm is the terms and conditions, if they use the industry standard terms then the insurance is limited to a max figure set by the volume or weight of the item. This will not cover anything of value as a local company found out. They paid for std insurance for a machine to be moved and the freight company driver drove under a low bridge and the machine was a total write off, insurance limited the pay out to 10% of the value. You always should insure for the full value with all risks covered door to door, its actually quite cheap but not mentioned unless you know about it and ask. The local company nearly went bust, they had to order and pay for another machine, as it was part of a larger contract, and they took the loss into the books and traded out of the issue. They tried to take the freight company to court but their lawyer read the Freight T&C's with the insurance limitations in plain sight and told them to not waste their money.
 
I feel your pain it looks like my bike after one day's riding in the middle of winter on London's heavy salted roads.
I do not know the legal process in your country, but the carrier clearly didn't take care in keeping the weather off the goods he/she carried. In the UK we have the small claims court, but it may not apply there. I would do as Fast Eddie says and get 2 Independent estimates along with a lot of pictures, and only when you have threatened them with legal action will they start to sit up and take notice, but have a look at the legal small print first, they may have given themselves a loophole. Who was the carrier company who carried out the move ?
I would check social media to see if there are any bad reports about them, it's surprising what you can dig up sometimes.
 
OMG what a shocker! The sight of your bike brought a tear to my eye.
Norton is now owned by TVS who have said they will support exiting customers and models. Try giving them a ring or email enquires@nortonmotorcycles.com for any factory/dealer support available.
Good luck and best wishes.
 
Its not that bad at all, easy to refinish everything. Just give it a real good wash using Mr Motul Bke wash and a soft brush to adgitate it and wash off, you can see what you have to work with. I just stripped mine and put it back together myself, it was well worth doing as I found so many problems, mostly minor and stupid assembly issues, Polishing is just a matter of dropping all the alloy parts at a polishers, if the frame needs recoating then any good custom powdercoater can do that. Will be a fun project and you will learn so much about the bike doing it. Its a easy bike to work on, dont be afraid and just get stuck in. I could do it for you if you were here in Califonia. feel free to message me, cheers Adrian canyonmotorcyces.com
 
The good news is that the alloy parts will restore nicely and from my experience the blackened engine parts are tough as teflon.... but get all that salt off asap. The painted parts on Norton bikes isn't brilliant so I would be extremely concerned about the durability of the coating on that 'naked' frame, a full strip down to get it clear coated again would be a right pita, but you could even do a better job than the factory.
 
Guys, whilst I admire the ‘glass half full’ thinking here... let’s not forget this poor guy just bought a BRAND NEW bike... stripping it down to a bare frame, getting the frame re clear coated and rebuilding the bike (all whilst the factory is currently not operational and parts are unavailable) probably wasn’t his game plan when he forked out his hard earned on his dream BRAND NEW bike...
 
Compensation from the shipper definitely required but in the meantime a thorough wash down then a good rubdown with an oily rag. Followed by reclean/refinishing by which time the bond betwixt bike and rider will be established. Riding the beast just icing on the cake.
 
Shipper must have insurance correct or is it called bonded ? Either way they are responsible for the costs of the damage. The salt will continue to corrode , washing/scrubbing and complete fresh water rinsing must be done . I hope he has done this , do not wait . Then off with the tank and check underneath. Believe me I don't miss the point !
Guys, whilst I admire the ‘glass half full’ thinking here... let’s not forget this poor guy just bought a BRAND NEW bike... stripping it down to a bare frame, getting the frame re clear coated and rebuilding the bike (all whilst the factory is currently not operational and parts are unavailable) probably wasn’t his game plan when he forked out his hard earned on his dream BRAND NEW bike...
 
Guys, whilst I admire the ‘glass half full’ thinking here... let’s not forget this poor guy just bought a BRAND NEW bike... stripping it down to a bare frame, getting the frame re clear coated and rebuilding the bike (all whilst the factory is currently not operational and parts are unavailable) probably wasn’t his game plan when he forked out his hard earned on his dream BRAND NEW bike...
Late 2018 the op said, and he's been banging his head on a brick wall with regard to the transport insurers. If the bike has been sitting like this for the past 18mths (which I hope not) then a full strip down it's gonna have to be.
 
No technical guidance from me just my profound sympathies. I struggle with leaving my bike dirty for more than a day after a ride. The wife tells me that I usually disappear off slowly with a light whistle in the air, pretending that I’m going to do some much needed household chore. She’ll find me two hours later in the garage with a beer in one hand and Solvo Autosol in the other!

Be assured though that the collective wisdom of this forum will be able to guide you through just about any cleaning or maintenance task. It no doubt seems completely overwhelming. It probably is’nt. Hold the bastards feet to the fire though! Let us know if you want us to start sending them hate mail:)
 
Thanks for the answers, guys. Out attorney is handling the transport company, but we just can’t wait for a settlement - this beauty needs to get back on the road asap:). we immediately had a professional detailer steam, polish and clean the bike but the damage is quite severe to most parts. A very capable mechanic has started the repair work, so hopefully she will turn out good as new. I’ll look into mirrorpolishimg the tank - thanks for the tip @Fast Eddie - not sure I can find anyone here in Norway so may ask for further guidance. Will keep posting pics as work progresses:)
 
I would contact Norton (nice to be able to say that) and ask their advice about the tank. The parts that were already polished will probably be easier to recover I think. Obviously you need to get all that salt off asap though. Surely the company you purchased the bike from must be also culpable to some extent?
 
I feel deeply saddened for you. I also have a Dominator Naked. When I placed my order for mine and did the 6 month wait, shipped from the UK, to California then to me in Michigan I knew I’d have issues.
Indian of Orange Country was excellent to work with and I highly recommend them.
leo put insurance on my bike when it was shipped from California to Michigan and when it arrived to my door, the headlight bucket was scratched, the tail light lens, bracket and left rear turn signal were broken / bent. The right side long muffler had a dent in it and the top yolk had a scratch in it.
When I took pictures of it as it was being unloaded from the truck I sent them to leo.
He then contacted the trucking company and they denied all of it saying it wasn’t from them.
Because I was only able to get the pictures of the tail light damage while it was still in their delivery truck, and the other damage after it was unloaded, they only agreed to cover $150 for the tail light lens.
they refused to cover the other damage even though leo sent me pictures of the bike before it was shipped proving it was flawless when it left his dealership.
Even though leo insured the bike for its full value, and the trucking company charged me extra for insurance, the assholes only cut me a $150 check and said they insure a percentage by the pound.
So they dicked me on insurance coverage fees and never covered the damn damage.
Sorry you’re going through this heart breaking moment. Truly takes away from that exciting moment.
 
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