fork yokes

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stu

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The fork yokes (triple trees?) on my 750 are a silver paint finish, probably from the factory and looking pretty ratty. I'm thinking to try clean them up, maybe strip the paint off and polish up but without dismantling the front end. Has anyone done this and how did it go ? what did you use to strip back the paint and what condition was the cast metal for polishing up ? A proper strip down would be nice but the bike is a regular transit so time is limited
cheers
Stu
 
I've rattle canned my sea coast rusted '72 Trixie top yoke and it came out Ok in greyish-silver paint. Its definitely not as much effort to mask off everything surrounding the yoke, and beyond, as remove but Not as lasting nice as refinishing on the bench but an area you are about the only one to actually look at close to notice much, so yeah for was worthwhile for me to relieve that visual annoyance the lazy way.
 
I've used VHT caliper paint in silver on my trim parts. It's a very tough paint. Most auto parts stores carry it. Since any original parts have faded by now its hard to say if it is an exact match but looks close to period pictures.
I don't think you can polish them up to look like anything, believe it is cast iron?
 
I believe the yokes are a steel forging or at least cast steel. Cast iron has very low ultimate tensile strength - a lot of it is around 15 TSI. I watched a bloke crash on a race circuit. They'd taken a pattern off the steel fork yoke, and cast one out of aluminium without increasing the section. . After the crash they simply cut the cables to the front end and wheeled it away separately from the rest of the bike. Cast iron would be worse than aluminium of the wrong section for that component.
 
You're probably right that they are steel, they will attract a magnet.
 
htown16 said:
You're probably right that they are steel, they will attract a magnet.
Click to expand...

Cast iron is also a ferrous metal and so will be magnetic.

I got new AN ones as both mine were slightly out of true due to so long ago misfortune. I had them chromed as old ones where and i liked the look. The new yokes come powder coated an the chromer reckoned they were steel. Plus after years in engineering my personal opinion is looking at the thickness of webs an colour or bear polished metal that they are steel castings.
 
They will rust if you take the paint off and just polish them, as for chroming them the chroming process will weaken the metal, just sand them smooth and respray them in a silver or alloy colour, just mask every thing that you don't want painted, they will get chips in the paint from nomal riding.

Ashley
 
They are easy to rust cast steel not cast iron, so don't use good tough paint hard to remove until yokes off the bike so surface can be prepped well or may annoy you too soon again around every edge not fully painted - instead of just touch ups until biting the bullet hassle to expose, fix the bad stuff discovered and put back again.
 
For the effort you are going to put into this, it is not hard to remove yokes from bike,.
Just loosen top nuts, and the in-hex bolts on the bottom yoke. Belt the top nuts using a bit of wood to cushion the chrome [ to loosen the tapers ] and the front end will come off. { of course, disconnect the brakes, and hoist up the bike of the front end ]. If it has the nut on the bottom, just undo it and remove the 2 yokes. If you have a disc, remove the m/cyl from the bars and keep the system intact.
 
Yeah a piece of cake the way you describe the process w/o a mention of the undoing the electrical tangles and restoring em again. Getting the headlight ears back on with the likely decayed 0-rings so it don't rattle also puts me off disturbing hidden dogs under the steps. Doing much fine and proper refinishing piece meal usually don't work out well as stands out against the rest of the aged surfaces and by time ya get around to other items the first one may need redoing to match. I'd rather pull gearbox, head or engine than fiddle yokes on and off.
 
ashman said:
They will rust if you take the paint off and just polish them, as for chroming them the chroming process will weaken the metal.

Ashley
Click to expand...

Why would chrome weaken the metal? The temperatures involved are hot high enough and acids will only affect the outer 0.001".

The process of polishing up before plating will of corse remove some meat but this has not been done heavily and smooth surface is less likely to crack (like polished con rod). Also judging by the bending of old set which happened after plating (tell tail marks on yokes and bike of accident) they are quite strong so no need to worry. Also the fact they bend also points to them being steel as cast iron would easily snap.
 
Amen to the overkill over weight robust Roadholder yokes that would laugh at any hydrogen embitterment if chromed, nickle or copper or silver plated, but then would obscess with polishing constantly.
 
Chroming the yokes won't have that much effect on them as they are pretty strongly built, but chroming does have a lot of effect on metal, also the cost to get things chromed these days and the contant keeping them clean, I rather be riding my bike, I just do the touch up for now and if you decide to do a better job later on the yokes will be best off the bike, but I have seen a lot of yokes that have been chromed over the years that have lifted and start peeling as well, another way to go as well is to replace the yokes with Alloy yokes, but the paiting way is the cheapest of all.

Ashley
 
We always like to see photos of the dirty laundry then after the worship rituals.
 
fork yokes


Dirty laundry it is then!
 
Now that's some the best prep I've ever seen for properly painting over.
 
Ugh. Cheers for that Stevo. I've just bought a tin of Tartan paint, should turn out lovely!

J
 
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