SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

Good Morning guys and girls,

I bought a SRAD 750 front end in February. It all looked good when I picked it up but alas, it is not. One fork seal was leaking so I set about yesterday doing full oil and seal change to sort it out.

However on the leaking leg, on the inner, non visible side of the stanchion I found this horror!

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...pse6b917a3.jpg
http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...psf9d4dd1c.jpg
http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...psfaf00abe.jpg
http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2b5cbd58.jpg
http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...ps88fd44b3.jpg

What is it? It runs along the whole travel of the fork, 15cm or so, 1cm thick. It looks like super tidy weld, but I'm guessing it some form of corrosion with the chrome bubbling up?

Can I repair this at home? I'm thinking I will have to take so much off I will remove all the chrome and then need them re-chromed anyway.

Or can somewhere like Motoliners in Maidstone fix this for me?

Cheers :)

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect
 

It looks to me like the chrome is lifting, though someone with more experience would confirm.

Depending on where it is in the range of travel of the fork it may not be a problem. However I would be looking to fix that if it were mine.

As for fixing it I don't think its really something you can do at home, though I have heard of some tricks that can temporarily work. But those were for minor pitting, I fear this may be too big.

If it does need to be rechomed, which I think it does, then I would suggest PittedForks.co.uk as they did my TZR recently. However based on my experience you are looking at a 6 week turn around.

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

Can you give me a rough idea what they will charge to rechrome the stanchion? Did you send them the whole fork or just the stanchion? Could they check run-out on the stanchion for straightness too?

I know Motorliners in kent have a good reputation for straightnening jobs and turn around times, does anyone know if they have the equipment to perform rechroming?

I'm going to have to send the brake disks over to them anyway as there is something dodgy going on there too and they need checking at least.

Never ending hurdles with this rebuild :(

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

When I sent them mine I just sent the stanchions. They do charge more if the fork is sent whole as they need to strip it down. For a single stripped USD its £140.50 that includes collection and delivery by courier. Not sure if they can check the run out, its not something they list or mentioned when I was on the phone to them.

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

To check stanchions all you need is couple of V blocks and a DTI.

Rebuilding them has couple of tricks to it too, compressing spring can be fun. Brilliant forks if you revalve them right though :)

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

YC talk to me a bit more about re-valving as I haven't explored that. If it helps, bike is curvy, 75kg (body weight) rider.

Upon closer inspection it is corrosion. I went over to my mates house (where the bike is at the moment) ad had another look. It looks like it first pitted, only two or three pits. Then something must have got in there and lifted the chrome. For some reason it has spread linearly up and down the stanchion. I would have expected the corrosion to occur in an ever growing circle/patch.

I started picking at it with my nails and ended up picking off chunks of chrome exposing the metal underneath.

As the brake disks are quite possibly FUBAR (I'm posting them to motoliners tomorrow), and 6 weeks is not really an option, I'm finding an alternative route.

I can't decide, do I buy a non suzuki new replacement stanchion for around £100 or a fork/forks from ebay.

And also, I think i will need to replace the bushes in my fork now right? That corrosion will have damaged it slightly. Can anyone confirm that? And if I do one forks bushes, I should do the other?

Cheers

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

As for compressing the springs we made the tool and are using ratchet straps instead of a spacer jam. Works a treat!

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...psd68cd61a.jpg

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

If your needing it quick, get one from wemoto. Got one in 5 days for the SV
The stanchions are good quality, ktech recommended the manufacturer for a conversion I had done over winter

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

andrewsmith that was really bad advice! I ordered from wemoto a couple of weeks ago, the after about 6 days I called to find out progress with the order. It says at check out 5-6 days ETA for out of stock but elsewhere on the stanchion page if you click a little 'i' button it says if out of stock allow up to 28 days. It was going to take 3 weeks so I canceled the order and ordered from All Bike Engineering. The stanchion came the next day, but it wasn't exactly the same as the old one above. When i spoke to him on the phone I admitted I couldn't be 100% sure exactly what forks these are so he said send off my old stanchion, still attached to the lower bracket and the wrong new stanchion and he will measure up, and fit the correct one for me for a few quid.

I was hoping that would be done by today and back to me but its not. Oh well I've been riding a 125 instead of this for 6 and 1/2 months, whats another week?

When i stripped this fork i found tissue behind the seal. Its a clear indication the seller was shafting me. What i did not expect to find when I stripped the other fork was the same. Tissue hiding a less severe oil leakage. So what i found is some numpty has taken a chunk out of the chrome with a screwdriver when they were removing the seals at some point. Its a little larger than a rust pit but is still tiny and no corrosion has set in, so I hoping to do a home fix on this. Also upon stripping the fork it seemed dirty inside, and at some point some dirt has got stuck in the seals and scored the stanchion up and down.

As i understand there a few ways to tackle this. Is it right that an epoxy can be used? Or a very good nail lacquer. To fill the chrome and then wet and dry and patience to get a workable surface back on the stanchion. I really need advice on this from anyone who has done it. I need to know what you used to fill and what you used to sand (what level of paper or what different levels)

I know that the fork will probably weep slightly for ever now but at least that will be useable, I will just have to make do this summer. I just cannot afford to buy any more parts for my bike. I have spent the equivalent of probably 2 months wages on my bike this year so far.

This bike needs to be done for the AR or I'm not coming :(

Re: SRAD Fork Stanchion Surface Defect.
 

We use the wemoto ones and they have always been spot on..have always phoned them first for stock ETA then that way I know when its comming.