45mm Shivers - Pitting

[Caravan Monster]

45mm Shivers - pitting (2)

45mm Shivers - pitting (1)

2006 EC 300

The photos aren't great. The corroded surface is rough to the touch.

The coating on these forks had started to wear off, this seems to be common, and not thought to represent a problem. However, the corrosion has found it's way in (on one leg). I only noticed when the rough surface had chewed through the lips of the wiper and oil seals and the fork oil began to leak.

Obviously, there is no point reassembling with new seals without repairing the surface of the fork leg.

Has anyone encountered this before ? What options might be available with regard to re- coating the surface ?

 

[iancp5]

Wow that's not good. Never seen that before on a GasGas. Bought an old tourer that had been kept outside and had that but it was a 1992 that lived in the open in a wet climate.

Your options are probably;
Get them re-plated
Get new fork legs
Get replacement forks from someone breaking a GG

I think you may have been very unlucky.

 

[GMP]

I've seen that on bikes stored wet or in wet areas, and also in the same sheds that contain pool chemicals. Shouldn't happen if you wash/dry and wipe down with oil or silicone.

 

[Caravan Monster]

There is normally a few bags of hydrated lime in the same shed - I'd be surprised if that would get into the atmosphere, who knows ? The other leg has no pitting at all. I'm hoping to be able to repair the surface.

Anyone in the UK know where to get the plating done ? Or anything about specification for plating ?

 

[Neil E.]

That looks deep enough to make for a very difficult plating job. I doubt any plating shop would give it a try. I think you are better off finding replacement parts.

 

[GMP]

I can tell you for sure that part is not cheap, list is near $1K USD. Look for a set of forks.

If you want to try something as a temp fix as you have nothing to loose, try this:

Buff the worst of the rust off and clean with contact cleaner. Coat with one of the rust conversion products, and wipe off excess. Buff and clean again after drying. Mix up some steel filled epoxy like JB Weld, and coat the surface working it into the pitting. Wipe off all excess carefully before curing so only a trace remains in the pitting. After curing, sand and buff smooth, finishing with crocus cloth.

Although I have not done this to a pitted fork, I have fixed a friends rock nicked and rusted lower on a WP43 and its been good for two years now.

 

[Caravan Monster]

4 months later....

It was a lot of work getting these forks repaired. I went with re- chroming the stanchions. The firm that did the work did a great job: straighten, chrome and grind to spec. I didn't bother about replacing the TiN coating - didn't seem worth the hassle for the level I ride at.

At re- assembly, it turned out that the fit was too tight at the lower bushings. We double checked the outer diameter of the stanchion, which was 45.00mm. Instead of sending the stanchions away to be re- ground, the outer of the lower bushings were machined down, and then the forks went back together fine. So the finding here is that 45mm Shivers are actually slightly less than 45mm.

In the UK, a new pair of 45mm Shivers currently retail at around GB?350.

Having spoken to a few suspension specialists about the 45mm Shivers, opinion is that although most riders get along with these forks, they are not as well made as kayaba or showas. Has anyone tried fitting japanese forks to an EC ?