Fork coatings
 

Just wondered if anyone knew of any places that will re coat forks i.e stanchions and sliders in gold. Thought about getting some ohlins forks but to be honest the ones on my bike are excellent anyway - I think the previous owner had the internals fettled in the past. Want to know what the work may cost and if its a viable proposition for what will be after all just added cosmetics.

Hi, no feedback on any of these companies I found on a previous thread:

http://www.ducatisportingclub.com/xm...6209#pid253835

CHeers - Frank

When I had my Shower forks re valved at Maxtons, I asked about having my fork sliders Ti coated. ( I assume thats what you mean about having the sliders coated gold?)

I was told that it really isnt worth the money and that I wouldnt be able to tell the diference. I think it would have cost about £300 to £400 pounds if my memory serves me correctly.
At the time, I stated that I thought that this would be the case. So in the end I just ended up having the forks re valved etc.

DC.:burn:

Take the fork seals off - that will give you the same effect!

Tech moto used to do them...colour of your choice.

Andy @ Pitstop Paint does them too (Willenhall, nr Wolverhampton)

C:)

I'd say that you can tell the difference. Went from OEM non nitrided showas to OEM nitrided and with the latter on the road I noticed a smoother ride, less "jiggle" on poor road sufaces is the only way I can put it.

The nitriding is meant to reduce "sticktion", maybe that leads to the forks absorbing the oscillations caused by poor surfaces whereas un nitrided forks "stick" and feed the oscillations up into the bars and frame?

I rode two bikes back to back down the same road, the ride on the nitrided showas was like a magic carpet.

I also rode an Ohlins equiped bike and couldn't tell the difference between nitrided showas and Ohlins so maybe I'm not Mr sensitive when it comes to feedback afterall??

Ray

Ray.

Or maybe just the dust covers

I'm sure Maxton know what they are on about as they are still one of the first choices when it comes to race setups especially when it comes to real road racing as you have in Ireland and the IOM.
My revalved Showa forks in my 996 run without the dust covers and are far superior to the 748R coated Ohlins I have in my 998 Hybrid.
But if we are talking Showa forks with dust covers in place I suspect the Coated ones will be marginally better than the uncoated ones.
I have seen coated forks for under £250 so bear this in mind when considering getting your uncoated ones done

I'm sending my forks off to K-Tech for re-valving and they've quoted me £60 per leg for TiN coating. Rebuilding cost is extra.
I decided to go for the coating so I can run the outer seals as 3 days in the dust of Almeria seems to have finished off the inner seals after being rebuilt back in May and only doing about 6 or 7 UK track days

[Edited on 17-11-2005 by Webcore]

Maybe they were just setup differently?

Antonye,

Good point.

I assumed they were both on the as they come settings, I know one the non nitrided bike was for sure. (ohlins bike was for sure as well) nitrided showa bike I didn't check.

I didn't check the tyre pressures and If I recall the tyres were different manufacturers as well!!! Both could affect the ride quality and feel never mind oil weight, No wonder suspension is a black art!! 1,000,0001 variables


Ray

Exactly!

Anyone buying a bike should always get the suspension "refreshed" if they don't know the history, as it can really make the difference between a dog and a dream to ride.

Having the bike setup for you makes even more difference, and again I can't recommend having this done as well.

I swear that the DD bike handles better than the 748 because it has been setup correctly. Once I get round to it I'm sending the 748 off for the same treatment!

Thanks all. I'm quite happy with the way the forks perform as they are, I just fancied the look of the gold ones. I may well get in touch with K - Tech and sound them out about a price. Failing that I'll keep a look out for some used ones possibly with radial calipers to justify the expense.

£60 a fork leg eh? That sounds better. Perhaps the price has come down, or something like my memory is going ballistic.

When I asked about having this done, it was about 2 or 3 years ago. I remember getting the quote for the Ti coating and thinking sod that!!

DC:burn:

Must admit I have considered looking in to getting the outer fork legs and fork bottoms done in black .... any sugestions ? (constructive that is)

You can pick up replacement fork bottoms, solid billet ones, and I've seen them in black too. Check the usual places - JHP, Casoli, TecMoto, etc.

I hope they've quoted me the right price - otherwise I'm in for a shock:o

You could try the people that actually do the coating, they're really helpful.
Spoke with them some time ago when they came round my firm flogging their services, asked the rep. about fork coatings, no prob. so long as you strip the forks down to the stanchions yourself - (they've done lots.)
The firm is Tecvac - www.tecvac.co.uk tel:01954 233700 based in Cambs.
Hope this is of some use.
Pete