I'm not a fan of chrome, can forks be treated?

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mr5ev3n

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My title was a pretty dead give-away. I want to do something to my fork tubes to have them not be chrome anymore.
I know the obvious paint wont work.
Powdercoating I don't think will work either.
I've also read both positive and negative reactions to anodizing. :shrug:

So, any 6fifter out there know anything pertaining to the subject?
Will anodizing work?
Is there a company that makes black fork tubes?

Thanks in advance.
 
They are chrome because they need to be smooth and wear resistant. Paint or powder won't give you both of those. They are hard chromed which is different from regular chrome in that it is measurably thick and can withstand hardness testing.

There is black chrome which makes it look darker like it is smoked, but most places that do hard chroming only do hard chroming and won't do parts that are meant to look pretty, so I don't think they'll do black hard chrome. You could call around though and see if you can't find a place that does hard chrome in black.
 
you can either TiN or DLC coat them. these coatings have been used on racing motorcycles for years for better wear resistance and less stiction.

TiN coatings range from gold to blue/green and rainbow hues

DLC coatings are black

both types will run you $400-$700 to coat a pair of inner fork tubes

you can only anodize aluminum and titanium. your inner fork tubes are chrome plated steel, anodizing is not an option.
 
Powder coating will work and it's obviously alot stronger than paint. I know several guys that have done it with their harleys. I have mine painted on one of my harleys to match the rest of the tins. The clear coat had to be scuffed and then an epoxy primer was used. I've gotten a couple of small chips in them but for the most part they've held up reallly good for about 8 years now.
 
bpd106 said:
Powder coating will work and it's obviously alot stronger than paint. I know several guys that have done it with their harleys. I have mine painted on one of my harleys to match the rest of the tins. The clear coat had to be scuffed and then an epoxy primer was used. I've gotten a couple of small chips in them but for the most part they've held up reallly good for about 8 years now.
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you're talking about something completely different. mr5ev3n is talking about the upper/inner fork tubes. you can't powdercoat these and expect them to function, period. youre talking about the lower/outer fork tubes. everybody knows you can paint/powder these
 
Geezus, sorry Bobber Bill, it's pretty evident I misread the original post. Didn't mean to offend anyone.
When I think forks, I think the entire assembly, both fork tubes and lowers. I was assuming since alot of lowers are chromed, then that's what was meant by the original post. I promise I'll read more carefully next time.
 
bpd106 said:
Geezus, sorry Bobber Bill, it's pretty evident I misread the original post. Didn't mean to offend anyone.
When I think forks, I think the entire assembly, both fork tubes and lowers. I was assuming since alot of lowers are chromed, then that's what was meant by the original post. I promise I'll read more carefully next time.
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Sorry, I just didn't want someone to read that and go out and powdercoat their upper tubes
 
Tony, Angus; I'm ditching the dogears and going with an undermount bullet style light. But thanks, I was thinking the same thing originally.
BobberBill, Travis; thanks for the info. BobberBill, are there any bikes that you can think of that had black inner fork tubes stock? (I doubt they would be 35mm, but it's at least worth asking.)
BPD, good looking out on the lowers. Hope you recover well.
 
mr5ev3n said:
BobberBill, are there any bikes that you can think of that had black inner fork tubes stock? (I doubt they would be 35mm, but it's at least worth asking.)
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Nope, unfortunately the DLC coating is a fairly new technology (for the general public) so the only bikes that have them from the factory are maybe a handful of supersport bikes from the last few years. Definitely no 35mm fork bikes came with the DLC coating.

You might look into dirtbike fork guards, if this is purely an aesthetic concern
 
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