rust spots on fork

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didier9

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Hi,
I am a new member, just acquired this awesome 2003 blue FZ1.pic1.jpg
The bike has been reasonably well taken care of, except for some rust spots on the forks, above the part that actually slides (not sure if that's clear).
IMG_20150724_171950938.jpg
I have no idea what to do about it. The rust has breached the chrome plating. I am concerned about the cosmetic aspect as well as the integrity of the forks long term.
I am open to suggestions...
Thanks in advance
Didier
 
There is a gentleman on the fz1oa selling a set of stock ones that have some internal work done to them. Might be easier then sending these tubes out to be rechromed. Or this is the perfect opportunity to do the r1 fork conversion [emoji106]


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If you don't have the money for an expensive repair or replacement, and since it is high enough not to damage the seals you could just use polish. Use chrome polish and a soft cloth. The wax in the polish will keep it from 're- rusting for awhile. You will need to do it after every wash and riding in the rain but just keep on top of it. The rust is from the stone chips above the guards.
 
ferraiolo1 said:
There is a gentleman on the fz1oa selling a set of stock ones that have some internal work done to them. Might be easier then sending these tubes out to be rechromed. Or this is the perfect opportunity to do the r1 fork conversion [emoji106]


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Click to expand...

I have read about the R1 fork conversion. I may consider doing that in the future, but for now, it's going to be a while before I feel the need to improve the bike's performance, if ever :)

I will check it anyway, I have been having some issues with the fz1oa forum (been banned permanently for posting a picture of my bike, like the one on my original post on this thread, apparently a stupidly programmed anti-spam system)
 
Oldschool said:
If you don't have the money for an expensive repair or replacement, and since it is high enough not to damage the seals you could just use polish. Use chrome polish and a soft cloth. The wax in the polish will keep it from 're- rusting for awhile. You will need to do it after every wash and riding in the rain but just keep on top of it. The rust is from the stone chips above the guards.
Click to expand...

Good suggestion! As a minimum, it will give me some time to decide about a more permanent fix. It does not look like it was due to stones since it is almost evenly distributed all around the forks, even behind the fairing.

A while back Rustoleum made a clear varnish that penetrates dry rust very well and stops it from expanding. It also turned the rust hard and black (you could sand it and paint over it). Not very pretty over chrome, but it was just about permanent as far as if applied correctly, the rust was stopped dead in its track. I need to look for that, maybe I could just dab some of it with a q-tip just on the rust spots. Too humid down here in Florida at the moment to do that, have to wait for dry season...

Didier
 
didier9 said:
I will check it anyway, I have been having some issues with the fz1oa forum (been banned permanently for posting a picture of my bike, like the one on my original post on this thread, apparently a stupidly programmed anti-spam system)
Click to expand...

You will get let back on. Did the same to me.
 
I bought a set of r1 forks on eBay that came from Florida. They looked the same way as yours. That humid air must be hell on bikes


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rust on forks

Oldschool said:
If you don't have the money for an expensive repair or replacement, and since it is high enough not to damage the seals you could just use polish. Use chrome polish and a soft cloth. The wax in the polish will keep it from 're- rusting for awhile. You will need to do it after every wash and riding in the rain but just keep on top of it. The rust is from the stone chips above the guards.
Click to expand...

I followed a related thread on the FZ1OA board. Turns out the forks are not chrome plated, they are just polished steel. I carefully sanded down one of the worse affected area with 600 grit emery cloth and the rust spots almost disappeared. Now they are just very small black pits. I spread some WD40 over the area and it looks a heck of a lot better. It seems like all I need to do is keep the water away. It is my understanding that the original owner kept the bike outside under a cover, so while it did not rain on it, with the Florida weather, there was a lot of humidity around.

Next step, remove the front fairing to have good access to the entire fork and finish the job. The handlebar is similarly pitted, albeit the paint prevented the rust to spread, so it is not nearly as bad. The rest of the bike is in excellent shape.

Thanks guys for the suggestions.
 
I use steel wool [wet with water] to clean up rust, then apply a light oil like 2 stroke to keep rust at bay, reapply after washing etc, even on new fork`s I use a little oil on the chrome parts, never had a leaking seal yet.
 
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