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Ok, so my front fork lowers have something (road grime, bugs, etc.) all over the front of them and I cannot seem to get them clean using standard cleaners.
Any ideas on what products or techniques to use to clean these up and get them shining again? Your input and suggestions would be much appreciated.
If I can't get them clean, I may just powder coat them black when I do the wheels after Christmas.
I believe that is oxidation which happens to all Harley fork lowers. You could use a metal polish and a whole lot of elbow grease, have them chromed or powder coated.
I ride behind dump trucks hauling sand on the interstate
OK that was just for fun. As cheap as 39 mm fork legs are on Craigslist and Ebay I wouldn't so much as put a Brillo pad on those. Buy the lowers cheap and replace them when it's time for a fork service. Powder coating and the requisite prep work would cost more than good clean used ones.
A lot of elbow grease .... First you'll have to remove what is left of the clear coat ( sandpaper or stripper ) then gradually sanding starting with about #320 paper ( wet or dry ) and going up through 800 ( or better ) then break out the polishing compound. Once they're bright/glossy enough you'll have to decide on whether or not to clear coat again. I was going to say it would be a great winter project but I see you're in Texas. :>(
A lot of elbow grease .... First you'll have to remove what is left of the clear coat ( sandpaper or stripper ) then gradually sanding starting with about #320 paper ( wet or dry ) and going up through 800 ( or better ) then break out the polishing compound. Once they're bright/glossy enough you'll have to decide on whether or not to clear coat again. I was going to say it would be a great winter project but I see you're in Texas. :>(
Ha...yeah during our Texas "Winters", its 75 degrees and I'll be pouring buckets of sweat. I guess that beats the 105 with 75% humidity that we get this time of year.
Thanks for the replies. I'll see what I can do with some elbow grease and sand paper. If that doesn't work, I may check on some clean used lowers.
A quick and cheap resolution that holds up quite while, plasti dip! I did mine, figured it was worth a shot and it came out pretty darn good. Have had it on there about a year now and is still holding up well.
No cleaner is going to make those lowers look nice again. I am going to clean and shine up my lowers this winter and they look about like yours. My intention is to remove the forks and start wet sanding with 400 then 800 then 1000 then maybe 2000 grit wet/dry. When I have them nice and clean I'll use my buffer pad, mounted on my bench grinder, with aluminum compound to make them nice and shiny. I've done this to two other bikes and just final finish with Mothers aluminum polish. I have not found the need to clear coat even after 4 or 5 years. I just use Mothers on them when I do my normal wash detail type cleaning.
If you spend some time on the cleaning and polishing you can get an almost chrome shine. Usually it takes me about 30 minutes or so for each lower. It's a lot easier, and cheaper, than it sounds.
Mine looked the same on my new to me '06 Dyna Super Glide. You'll never get them to look like new again as HD doesn't clear coat them, or if they do it a sucky finish. I bought a set of chrome lowers on ebay for $200, swapped them out myself which is super easy and cost you 30-50 bucks for fork oil and seals depending on deals you get, then sold the stock ones on ebay for $125. Chromers will buy your stock ones and resell. In short, it'll cost you around $100 net give or take, and looks waaaay better then stock ever will. While you're doing, using 15 weight synthetic fork oil. Stock HD suspension sucks and heavier oil makes it a bit better if you're not replacing springs and valving.
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How to really clean fork lowers???
