This is my third LS650; I bought it about a year ago. I had a '96, an '01 and now this '06. For the first time, I am experiencing rust problems. My rear wheel is rusting, my belt guard is rusting, and my toolkit cover is rusting. Note that these are all chrome. Has Suzuki's chrome plating gone to h*ll?  

It is mostly spots, but a lot of them. They don't use salt on the roads around here so thats not it. I find it very frustrating and it leaves me rather angry.

I gave very serious thought to getting rid of the bike, but I like it otherwise. It is simple, light, low seat, and narrow, all things that I find desirable in a motorcycle.

Every other bike that I considered was heavier by quite a bit.

I finally decided to stay with the S40, but to make a few changes. I've added a passenger backrest/luggage rack, and installed a Dyna muffler. Next jobs are fuel filter, manual petcock and carburetor re-jet.

I wish I had a good answer for what to do about the rust though.

Some of my chrome on the mirrors and a few other places pitted last winter from keeping the bike in an unheated garage over the winter.  Around here, winter days that are in the 30s or 40s, with drizzle or rain are naturally very humid, and that humidity causes the pitting and rust.

Only solutions of which I'm aware are:

1.  Keep the bike in heated storage, and

2.  Keep it clean and WAXED with a good quality wax that will prevent moisture from eating the chrome.

that's nature's way of sayin to flat black the whole thing! lol

i like a little rust myself!!!

When I lived in Honolulu, because of the warm air, there was moisture in the air all the time.  In warm coastal climates this warm moist air will contain sea salt too.
A day after washing my Harley, I could wipe a finger across a surface and have white salt residue on it.
If you live in one of these places, wash or wipe down the bike every day to prevent rust.  keeping it in a garage will help a lot.

Phelonius

Perhaps there are advantages to the much-maligned plastic.