Stripping clearcoat off the forks.

[MACHV]

The clear is half worn off the forks and yellowed on my 89 so I am looking to disassemble the front, strip it all the way of,f and either redo or just polish them periodically. Anyone know what kind of paint yamaha used? Will Laquer thinner, MEK, Tolulene work? Suggestions?

Thanks.

[SlowOldGuy]

Aircraft Paint Stripper from your local auto parts store works nicely.

Then go have them powdercoated a nice shiney grey.

DavidR.

[1tinindian]

If you are thinking about polishing them, just go ahead and sand them down.
Start with as coarse of a grit as needed to smooth out the imperfections, and work you're way up to at least 1000 grit before starting to polish.
Aircraft stripper works great, but it is messy, and you'll end up needing to sand the aluminium smooth for polishing anyways. Skip the mess and start sanding.

Leon

[ribbert]

The clear is half worn off the forks and yellowed on my 89 so I am looking to disassemble the front, strip it all the way of,f and either redo or just polish them periodically. Anyone know what kind of paint yamaha used? Will Laquer thinner, MEK, Tolulene work? Suggestions?

Thanks.

Just remember, everything you polish has to stay polished and only looks good when it is polished. It also needs to be accessable when refitted.

Noel

[craigo]

I used a bench grinder with brown pads and a polishing/buffer wheel. Add a little rouge.

This link might help too:

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffman.htm

CraigO

[MACHV]

Thanks guys. Am going to see what I can do without removing the forks and just tear off everything that mounts to them. Would like to maintain the factory machined look but have a pneumatic polishing handheld rotary tool if it comes to that. Fortunately there's almost no pitting on the areas where the clear has already been worn off. Aircraft stripper may be the way to go.

[craigo]

It's so simple to get the forks off if you've already taken all the bits off, just remove the airducts and it's 3 bolts each side. The forks just slide out as easy as pie.

CraigO

[SlowOldGuy]

Here's a picture of mine after aircraft stripper and powdercoating.



No continual polishing required, just an occasional soap and water bath.

DavidR.

[Marsh White]

David, those look good!  Did you powdercoat them a silver color?  Or clear?  If a color - I'd like to see a pic of them in the sunlight.

[1tinindian]

That looks nice David, but I don't buy into the theory that polished aluminium needs to be constantly polished to keep them looking nice.
My forks have been polished for over 2 years now, and they are as nice now as the were when I first polished them.

I wash the bug juice off with soapy water and use a spray wax on them, just like the painted surfaces of the bike.
The aluminium beads up just like something painted.

I don't expect anyone to fall in love with polished aluminum as much as myself, but it should be known that it isn't as hard to take care of as some people are lead to believe.

Cheers,
Leon

[SlowOldGuy]

Marsh,
The powdercoat was either a silver or grey color.  I was originally going to re-clear coat the sliders but couldn't find anyone in the area that could do it.  The '91+ FJs all have painted sliders so I decided to go the p/c route.

Here's a pic in the sun, a few more in the MISC gallery:


DavidR.

[pdxfj]

I like that idea David and they look great powder coated.

My fork lowers are in some need of attention and the idea of polishing them is not all that appealing to me.

[airheadPete]

Ooooh, that looks sharp powdercoated! I believe I remember reading in a british bike mag that another way to strip clearcoat was oven cleaner?! Has anyone else heard this or am I hearing those voices again? (It'd be easy to try, if nothing else.) I've got an old Suzuki that's gonna need this as well.

[Steve_in_Florida]

...another way to strip clearcoat was oven cleaner?

I would hesitate to use oven cleaner, or any lye-based product on anything made of aluminum. Lye dissolves aluminum pretty quickly, and even a short duration would deeply discolor the metal into a dingy dark grey. (Try it on some aluminum foil to see what I mean)

It might polish out, but I think you'd be creating more problems than you'd solve.

Aircraft stripper is harsh and nasty, and stings like a *BI*CH* if you get it on your bare skin. DEFINITELY wear heavy gloves if you go that route. Use it in adequate ventilation, too.

Personally, I think the sanding option may be your best bet (and safest).

Steve

[FJmonkey]

I used simple old paint stripper on my 89' forks, the stuff just bubbles up and wipes off. Polishing is up to you....