Pitted stanchions

Originally Posted by Tomcat

Stripped the forks and sadly the pitting is rather more extensive than I thought. Looks like a trip to these guys: Pitted Forks - Motorbike Fork Rechroming - Motorcycle Fork Refurbishment - Bike Fork Repair - UK

More money I had hoped not to spend, but if I just put in new seals they'll last about a week. Some cheap bike

Then why not use the company that I previously suggested? HCP Hard Chrome Plating

Originally Posted by protoborg

Can you fit gaiters or some kind of cover to prevent it happening again ?

Yes but I was hoping not to keep this bike for very long. I might get away with new seals and a prayer if I was flogging it straight away but (a) I've entered it at Salzburgring in July and (b) I don't like bodging. Gaiters might help it long term but one way or another I'm not keeping this long term.

Originally Posted by EddieJ

Then why not use the company that I previously suggested? HCP Hard Chrome Plating

Because Philpots are local to me, and specialise in stanchions, and because I can't see anybody being a whole lot cheaper than £145. It's just £145 I'd hoped not to have to spend. I'm already about £500 over budget on this restoration, and I'm not doing half the work Spliffy is

Originally Posted by Tomcat

Because Philpots are local to me, and specialise in stanchions, and because I can't see anybody being a whole lot cheaper than £145. It's just £145 I'd hoped not to have to spend. I'm already about £500 over budget on this restoration, and I'm not doing half the work Spliffy is

HCP have been re plating stanchions for years, and I could quite easily list many well known 1970's and 1980's GP500 and 750 bikes that have been rebuilt using their services, so they are hardly chancers.
Fair play to you for sticking with Philpots, but the last set that I had refinished just a few months ago with HCP, were considerably cheaper than than your £145.00 even after accounting for postage costs.

Originally Posted by Tomcat

Trouble with these seems to be rather than just leaving neat pits what's happened is each pit has a raised lip of chrome round it, and that's what's taken the seals out. Otherwise the old epoxy trick could be a goer

i've had success with the epoky trick. gently rub them down with fine wet and dry, degrease them. dab some araldite or chem metal on the pits and then when cured rub them down with wet and dry again.

Went through exactly the same on my old GSX400EZ, then finally sent to Philpotts & job done.

yes it's £145, but depends on how much you value your time getting the prep, glue, clean, sand trick right.

Good luck with it.

Pete

Originally Posted by EddieJ

HCP have been re plating stanchions for years, and I could quite easily list many well known 1970's and 1980's GP500 and 750 bikes that have been rebuilt using their services, so they are hardly chancers.
Fair play to you for sticking with Philpots, but the last set that I had refinished just a few months ago with HCP, were considerably cheaper than than your £145.00 even after accounting for postage costs.

I never thought they were chancers, the choice was more down to convenience. Anyhoo I called HCP and they charge £135. Philpots are £120 if you deliver and pick up yourself (the £145 includes deliver/return).

I'll report what I think when they get back but both companies report they are very busy at the moment with 2-3 week lead times.

No sympathy.... it's just piss poor maintenance & care.

Originally Posted by tenbears

No sympathy.... it's just piss poor maintenance & care.

Yes and no, it's a 19 year old bike that I was given as a non-runner that had been thrown in the corner of a garage for 3 years.

The stanchions came back 2 weeks later as promised (actually a few days early), very well packaged for posting and the chrome on them looks very good. However I do have some gripes:

• The axial holes at the bottom of the legs have been chromed which has reduced their diameter. As these play some part in the damping process I have opened them back up with a drill and some of the chrome has chipped off round the holes. As the seals and bushes don't run over these it shouldn't be a problem though.
• There is a bit of plating over-run on the land for one of the lower fork bushes, which I will have to file back.
• The inside of the legs are filthy, with lots of grinding coolant residue and metal dust still present. It'll wash out but if somebody hadn't checked it and had just refitted the legs they would fill their forks with abrasive metal filings and grindstone dust. Rather naughty.

I promised an honest appraisal of Philpots and there it is. The stanchions will be good to go after a bit of cleaning up but the "rough edges" on the finished product are disappointing. It wouldn't put me off using them again but if I have to rechrome another set I will probably try Eddie's recommendations to see if they're any better.

Originally Posted by Tomcat

The stanchions came back 2 weeks later as promised (actually a few days early), very well packaged for posting and the chrome on them looks very good. However I do have some gripes:

• The axial holes at the bottom of the legs have been chromed which has reduced their diameter. As these play some part in the damping process I have opened them back up with a drill and some of the chrome has chipped off round the holes. As the seals and bushes don't run over these it shouldn't be a problem though.
• There is a bit of plating over-run on the land for one of the lower fork bushes, which I will have to file back.
• The inside of the legs are filthy, with lots of grinding coolant residue and metal dust still present. It'll wash out but if somebody hadn't checked it and had just refitted the legs they would fill their forks with abrasive metal filings and grindstone dust. Rather naughty.

I promised an honest appraisal of Philpots and there it is. The stanchions will be good to go after a bit of cleaning up but the "rough edges" on the finished product are disappointing. It wouldn't put me off using them again but if I have to rechrome another set I will probably try Eddie's recommendations to see if they're any better.

Thanks for the appraisal of Philpots... But before you jump ship to my recommendation, you have just reminded me that the last set that I had done, were also absolutely filthy inside. I'd forgotten all about that, and doesn't it take some cleaning out!
I've always been happy with everything else, and have been particularly impressed with the work that HPC have done on tapered stanchions. I'm lead to beleive that this can be an issue with some platers.

Sadly, I guess that anyone can have an off day, and perhaps you were just unlucky. Obviously being a paying customer, this is no excuse.

Just a thought, did either of you tell the fork shop?
Philpotts have been around for donkey's years and, though I've never used them, you don't corner the market by being crap so maybe it is worth a word?

Originally Posted by DefTrap

Just a thought, did either of you tell the fork shop?
Philpotts have been around for donkey's years and, though I've never used them, you don't corner the market by being crap so maybe it is worth a word?

It was a bit late on my part, as I had the stanchions sitting around for about three months before finding out.

I rebuilt the forks this morning so I'm not about to go sending them back, but yeah it's worth dropping them a line.