WHAT CAUSES THIS??

Is something burning off the exhaust? Or is it from the fuel you are using (exhaust polutiuon) or running extremely rich?
 
Suggest you clean it off, and keep an eye on the mower before the next mowing. Are you the only one who uses it? If not, something about the way another person is using the mower may have some clues about the black marks.

If you are the only user, then watch and see what happens after you clean off the marks and put the mower away. Do the marks just appear on their own? Do they appear after you've fueled the mower? Do they appear after you've started the engine? Do they appear after you've mowed the lawn (or during)?

I'm pretty confident there's nothing about the mower itself that would cause black marks like that to simply appear, *unless* there's oil, fuel, or some other fluid leaking, but even then, I can't imagine what could leak that would cover so much area on the mower.

If still no solution, I'd take it to a dealer for a full inspection. They are experts, and can probably tell you exactly what is going on. If it's shown to be a genuine factory defect, and the mower is still under warranty, repairs are typically covered by Honda.

Hope this helps.
 
Down here, we call that stuff dust.



It is an accumulation of fine, airborne particules facilitated by static electricty and airflow around the machine
 
I agree with Robert Brown. The blade expels the clippings and a lot of air with them. Where does the air come from? There has to be a lot of air flow around the mower and I bet the exhaust smoke and dust gets caught up in it, leaving those marks on the mower. Wait till it's older and youu're not cleaning and polishing it after each cutting and you won't even notice the marks. :laughing:
 
It happened again! (Pictures attached). It hadn't gotten black ever since I started this thread. I think it is the heat. Static electricity makes the dust stick to the plastic (I think someone mentioned that before). After mowing my first lawn this morning it was fine and then I mowed another one this afternoon (it was hot out) and it got REALLY black, worse than before. I think it was worse because it was WAY more dusty than usual.
DSCN8792.jpg

DSCN8793.jpg
 
All the dust here is the light colored stuff. But the last two mows I got the same thing you have after mowing. Last year I had the same thing in October. I think it is coming from the grass itself. Some kind of mold.
 
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