clearcoat

[catbed]

on to forks. i noticed the forks are yellow-y. is that fading or is that the original color. and what finish do the forks have stock? brushed horizontally?

[renobruce]

The forks are loaded with clearcoat. That's the yellow you are seeing. Mine on my 1000 are not brushed. They are smooth. I "brushed" mine with a wire wheel. But My spare set will be polished.

[Nessism]

The clear paint turns yellow after a number of years. I stripped off the clear on my 850 forks using paint stripper and reshot some new clear to reset the clock so to speak.

The factory engine cases, forks, rear diff, etc., are brush-polished by Suzuki before clearcoating. If you look close at the metal you can see the grain direction of the brushing. 600 grit is pretty close to the stock look if you are trying to duplicate it.

[catbed]

if i take the forks apart to spray them with clear coat, do i have to replace the seals? they dont leak now.

[renobruce]

if i take the forks apart to spray them with clear coat, do i have to replace the seals? they dont leak now.

No. Slide out the whole assembly. Take off the dust boots and mask off the upper fork tubes to protect them from overspray.

[Junkie]

You can also just sand the forks with 200-300 grit sandpaper and they'll be fine that way.

Crazy as this sounds, if you doubt me call up ANY major suspension company (traxxion dynamics, racetech, etc) and ask them.

[renobruce]

You can also just sand the forks with 200-300 grit sandpaper and they'll be fine that way.

Crazy as this sounds, if you doubt me call up ANY major suspension company (traxxion dynamics, racetech, etc) and ask them.

Not crazy, but a lot of work. The aircraft stripper makes it sooo easy. :-D
Suzuki seemed to put ALOT of clear on the forks, probably to help protect them better.

[catbed]

renobruce, do you mean i can take the forks apart, or i should just mask them?

[Nessism]

I pulled the forks out of the triple clamps but did not seperate the lower before painting. Masking is fine after removing the dust boot.