Best way to seal/coat forks to prevent rust & gremlins

cgguy09

cgguy09

1971 CB350 K3
Hey chuckle heads,
I shined up all the medal on my cb350k3 cafe wanna-be and I'm trying to figure out what to put on the forks ( specifically the fork pipes) to stop them from rusting. I bought some clear coat enamel from the hardware store and not only does it flake off but it looks like shit and ruins the shine. The pipes will be exposed as my aftermarket headlight forks attach to them.
I thought about putting some autosol on there or mothers, but I'm pretty sure that's just for aluminum-tarnish-prevention & won't prevent rust on these steal-bitches.

Thanks ahead of time guys, as always appreciate the feed back.

cFogs out
BT
NNNN
 
Hey Marty,
Fluid Film doesn't dry though right? I did a little research & it looks like it would prevent rust but it would need to be constantly reapplied & can always be easily removed. That would make it difficult to reapply in the tight spaces & I'd hate to rub up against something & have it wiped away & rust up over night.
Is that right or am I confused? I've never actually used/heard of fluid film.
Thanks man.
 
I've done alot of research on this & I haven't really seen too much in the way of people placing lacquer or anything else on them...Alot of people chromed them though. Which is great if you gots the cash. I'm going to give an Eastwood product a shot. I've had alot of luck with their knowledge/ products. I gave one of their techs a call & he said the Diamond lacquer would get the job done. I'll post back & let you know how it goes.

Take care boys.
 
they are normally hard chromed not decorative chromed, different animals . i have never heard of anyone painting or coating stanchion tubes. if yours were rusty remove the rust mechanically and then use a rust remover and neutralizer. then you could just wipe them down with a Lps 2 or 3(or similar long term rust inhibitor) to keep them from corroding if you ride in a lot of wet weather. paint will probably be scratched off as you install the tubes past the lower triple clamp and will end up in the seal causing leaks.
joe@ vcycle
 
problem with wd40 is it is a water displacement and evaporates quickly(a few days in warm weather) vs lps 2 or 3...
if they are not corroded they should not need anything.
most of the stanchion tube is lubed when forks compress.
 
Corroded where and how badly? The fork tubes or stanchions are hard chromed and made to a VERY specific diameter giving them a perfect smooth surface. For a reason. As the lowers travel up and down the seals inside (which seal in your fluid) need to.. You guessed it... Form a perfect seal. If you have any damage or corrosion to the the finish within the travel area, the forks will leak or if bad enough it could destroy the seals. Leaking forks can lead to fluid loss at a bad enough rate (not to mention the instant loss of dampening in that fork leg) to create a poor and at times dangerous riding condition. If you've never ridden a motorcycle that has damaged or leaking forks... Ill tell you it can range from difficult and annoying to downright terrifying.
So... You need to determine if these forks can even be used safely before deciding on anything else. Post up a few good pics. Hard chroming is a pretty sturdy finish, but I've seen forks that I wouldn't use as a cheater bar they were so corroded. Safety first! ;)
 
VonYinzer said:
Corroded where and how badly? The fork tubes or stanchions are hard chromed and made to a VERY specific diameter giving them a perfect smooth surface. For a reason. As the lowers travel up and down the seals inside (which seal in your fluid) need to.. You guessed it... Form a perfect seal. If you have any damage or corrosion to the the finish within the travel area, the forks will leak or if bad enough it could destroy the seals. Leaking forks can lead to fluid loss at a bad enough rate (not to mention the instant loss of dampening in that fork leg) to create a poor and at times dangerous riding condition. If you've never ridden a motorcycle that has damaged or leaking forks... Ill tell you it can range from difficult and annoying to downright terrifying.
So... You need to determine if these forks can even be used safely before deciding on anything else. Post up a few good pics. Hard chroming is a pretty sturdy finish, but I've seen forks that I wouldn't use as a cheater bar they were so corroded. Safety first! ;)
Click to expand...

Shit, that sounds like a horror story! I'll put up some pictures in a bit. They were not that corroded, just some surface rust. I haven't noticed any leaking/grease/ or anything on them, but I'll double check.
Thanks for the heads up.
 
So I tired to take pictures. But my springs are covered by Gattors & there really wasn't much to see. The parts look good, still shining. I checked the forks for oil, there appears to greese/ build up on one of them, but it could of just been from the WD 40 I used to get on the gattors. The other one was completely dry.
I cleaned it off & rocked the hell out of the bike for about 5 minutes, the fork remained dry & not a sign of oil.
 
you have to check the actual working surface, any pits dings,scratches, etc will normally mean a damaged and leaking seal.... most japanese bikes rust in the h/lt ear area between the triple clamps where the rubber seals were as water enters ....some damage can be blended out or even filled but it is a stop gap repair unless you braze/machine etc but it is kind of difficult to do....
when you said not a sign of oil.....is there still oil in them? you should feel dampening on rebound if there is oil in them, no oil they will bounce(springy)..
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_nitride...ever thought of this route.....this is whats on my GSXR 1000 forks....
 

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Titanium Nitride? I'm pretty sure that's one of the weapons of mass destruction Sadam was hiding in the desert. That's a good idea though, definitely could give it a cool tint. If the stuff I have doesn't work, it'll either be that or it'll be powder.

In the end, it's all about the dollar bills.

I'll be putting the spray on sometime this week or next, whenever it warms up enough...

I'll keep er' buddy posted.

Thanks as always for the suggestions
 
Just an update on the Eastwood stuff, I got. But it says to use between 70-90 degrees...That's a pretty small window & I don't think I can accomplish the spraying unless I do it somewhere in my place...don't think the roomies too keen on that.

So I'll just have to hold on to my britches and wait for some of St. Louis's crazy weather.
 
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