KDXRIDER.NET

Hey guys, I bought a set of nice forks, 99 kx125, however I took it to my local shop to have the seals done and te oil changed and the guy told me that the chrome is slightly scratched it and it probably not worth working on it, what dou you guys think??

Well, polish down the scratch with very fine sandpaper so that none of the scratch stands proud. That way it will not cut the seal. Then just run it, you may lose a slight amount of oil each stroke, just service them once in awhile.

How deep is the scratch?

very smalish, not even noticeable to the touch
that's what I tought about doing it I'll give it a try, se what happens, thanks

Clean the area really well with acetone and then fill scraches with epoxy then polish.

any special kind of epoxy will work???? thanks once again

I think many epoxies will likely work. I've used a Durabond 5 minute clear product with good success before. Quick and non-visible unless you know exactly were to look and use a magifier. I used crochus (sp) cloth to polish the area afterwards. About 400 grit or finer - hard to fine in hardware stores anymore but a performance machine shop that polishes engine crankshafts should have some available. You do not need to go crazy on polishing the fork tubes - just get the tube smooth - remember the tube passes through a seal then a bushing and you want the bushing/tube interface to be consistent.

(I tired the cold weld slow set-up type before but the migrates over time unless you pull the forks off and set the scratches horizontal until the epoxy has harden. It is nice in that you can actually "see" the area you filled if you look close and you can verify the epoxy is still filling the scratch a year or two later.)

A double on the 'sandpaper' /crocus idea. When Strider said sandpaper, he wasn't talking about your basic tan, paper backed 80grit stuff.

400 or 600 grit should be available in any store...it's the black wet-n-dry stuff you're looking for. I've not had any trouble finding it anyway. An auto refinish outfit (selling paint, reducers and such) would certainly have it.

Didn't see this mentioned..but you're not using a sanding block on a tube, right? Cut a strip a bit wider than the damage and as long as the paper. Use it like a shoe-shine rag, moving the 'focus' (apex) of the curve back-n-forth. DO keep the surface wet. Don't use the paper dry! Use only enough tension to make the curve. Don't reef on it. In other words, what IC already said.

It's kind of dismaying that a fork guy would want to trash the forks due to a scratch. Good grief. FIX the things!!

Oh...as long as the things are apart and before you bother fixing the scratches..DO check the tubes for true. It IS true that there is no point in 'fixing' a tube that's bent.

Check the runout with a dial indicator with the tube in some v-blocks..or roll them on a piece of glass.

CC is right, I should have been more specific, 400-600 grit, keep it wet, finish with 2000 if you really want to get carried away.

hey guys thanks for the reply!!!!! I do have some 400 & 600 grit at home, I dropped the forks at my shop and they will change the seals and oil for me this week, I'm still waiting for my wheel and axle to finics my project, can't wait to try it out!!!!! ,

It also matters where on the stroke the scratch will pass over the seal. If it's near the bottom, then it's only going to matter when getting down to bottoming the forks. If it's near the top, then when the forks top out, like on a jump. In the middle and it will pass over the seal more strokes per mile than either end.

Everyone's said it, so I will too; the scratch will only hurt a seal if it's got a sharp edge that sticks up past the diameter of the tube. Sanding it down, then polishing should do the trick, but if you've got it apart to change seals, grab the tube while apart and fill the scratch as Charley explained. I would also run some of that slippery stuff on the tubes that Inda sells. It couldn't hurt and I believe it fills micro scratches as well.

Some homeless guy wrote:If it's near the bottom, then it's only going to matter when getting down to bottoming the forks. If it's near the top, then when the forks top out, like on a jump. In the middle and it will pass over the seal more strokes per mile than either end.

Don't mind him. Hes' just a tad backwards is all.

I mean...if the scratch is near the BOTTOM it will of course effect the forks during a top-out, and if it's near the TOP it's only going to matter if you bottom the travel..........

Don't worry 'bout it....we here take good care of him (best we can anyway)!!

Well, my bottom is near my top, (that didn't come out right!)

Pass the Listerine®

skipro3 wrote: Pass the Listerine®

Amen, brother!!