black chrome fork tubes?
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 312
Likes: 1
From: Casper,WY
black chrome fork tubes?
has anyone had their fork tubes plated to black chrome? cause ive thought about powdered coating them black. but since that area does see alot of movement the powder would just wear off. so the next best thing would be black chrome.
On an all black front end, I can see where it would be tempting to black chrome the tubes. I think you'll be sorry if you do though. Back in the early 80s, Yamaha came out with a line of blacked-out bikes that had lots of black chrome. The bikes were beautiful, but the company lost their shirts on warrantee claims. It seems that black chrome tends to water spot... permanently. Google "Yamaha Midnight Special" and I'm sure you can read all about it. Many of my Corvette aftermarket catalogs have black chrome pieces for sale, and they all have the same disclaimer - "for show cars only."
There are some pretty slick fork gaitors available now on the aftermarket... not just the standard corrugated black rubber. Maybe that's an option?
There are some pretty slick fork gaitors available now on the aftermarket... not just the standard corrugated black rubber. Maybe that's an option?
you can not powder them... there is only one thing yu can do and Rocket bobbs does it, he jsut did his bob in black... i forget the exact process but i know you have to cut your sanctions and then reweld them on... I have talked to Pete about it a bunch, is is $$$ cause it is alot of work, but man is it trick!
baddest bob i have ever seen here is his ride
for real, PETE awesome job on this sucker!
baddest bob i have ever seen here is his ride
for real, PETE awesome job on this sucker!
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 629
Likes: 1
From: Brussels, Belgium
Harley chrome, is a really top quality chrome, it's 100microns thick, Black Chrome is most of the time 5 microns thick, you can find it at 25 microns in really specialized factories, but even so it's not enough...
You've got to DLC it Diamond Like Coating it's not that expensive, Rocket Bob is asking way too much for it, 800$ !! I've contacted a local company who does it for 200$ !!
To explain how hard DLC is: if you take 2 stainless steel bars and rub them mechanically against each other youll have traces of wear out after 6 hours with DLC coating youll have to wait . 80 years !!
I still didn't do it on my bike 'cause this company wanted that I dismount my fork tubes, they are afraid dirt will come out of the fork inserts went it goes in the oven and that my parts will contaminate the rest of the parts in the oven (those are huge ovens impossible to afford to have one just for your tubes) the problem is that you cannot do this!
Still trying to find a company who's not afraid to do this without dismounting the whole thing...
You've got to DLC it Diamond Like Coating it's not that expensive, Rocket Bob is asking way too much for it, 800$ !! I've contacted a local company who does it for 200$ !!
To explain how hard DLC is: if you take 2 stainless steel bars and rub them mechanically against each other youll have traces of wear out after 6 hours with DLC coating youll have to wait . 80 years !!
I still didn't do it on my bike 'cause this company wanted that I dismount my fork tubes, they are afraid dirt will come out of the fork inserts went it goes in the oven and that my parts will contaminate the rest of the parts in the oven (those are huge ovens impossible to afford to have one just for your tubes) the problem is that you cannot do this!
Still trying to find a company who's not afraid to do this without dismounting the whole thing...
either way your forks will have to be outgassed... what is the coating called? i have 2 huge ovens... maybe i can look into it
Trending Topics
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 629
Likes: 1
From: Brussels, Belgium
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 312
Likes: 1
From: Casper,WY
you can not powder them... there is only one thing yu can do and Rocket bobbs does it, he jsut did his bob in black... i forget the exact process but i know you have to cut your sanctions and then reweld them on... I have talked to Pete about it a bunch, is is $$$ cause it is alot of work, but man is it trick!
baddest bob i have ever seen here is his ride
for real, PETE awesome job on this sucker!
baddest bob i have ever seen here is his ride
for real, PETE awesome job on this sucker!
Thread Starter
|
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 312
Likes: 1
From: Casper,WY
Harley chrome, is a really top quality chrome, it's 100microns thick, Black Chrome is most of the time 5 microns thick, you can find it at 25 microns in really specialized factories, but even so it's not enough...
You've got to DLC it Diamond Like Coating it's not that expensive, Rocket Bob is asking way too much for it, 800$ !! I've contacted a local company who does it for 200$ !!
To explain how hard DLC is: if you take 2 stainless steel bars and rub them mechanically against each other youll have traces of wear out after 6 hours with DLC coating youll have to wait . 80 years !!
I still didn't do it on my bike 'cause this company wanted that I dismount my fork tubes, they are afraid dirt will come out of the fork inserts went it goes in the oven and that my parts will contaminate the rest of the parts in the oven (those are huge ovens impossible to afford to have one just for your tubes) the problem is that you cannot do this!
Still trying to find a company who's not afraid to do this without dismounting the whole thing...
You've got to DLC it Diamond Like Coating it's not that expensive, Rocket Bob is asking way too much for it, 800$ !! I've contacted a local company who does it for 200$ !!
To explain how hard DLC is: if you take 2 stainless steel bars and rub them mechanically against each other youll have traces of wear out after 6 hours with DLC coating youll have to wait . 80 years !!
I still didn't do it on my bike 'cause this company wanted that I dismount my fork tubes, they are afraid dirt will come out of the fork inserts went it goes in the oven and that my parts will contaminate the rest of the parts in the oven (those are huge ovens impossible to afford to have one just for your tubes) the problem is that you cannot do this!
Still trying to find a company who's not afraid to do this without dismounting the whole thing...