Topic: 'Period' Front end swap on CB750 classic racer ?

[simon#42]

thats not the way i would do it either , im sure if you were careful it would work ok .
what happens when you need to do a quick wheel swap at a meeting , wheels do tend to differ slightly and you dont have to be
much out to cause a problem.

never tried that brent , i take it your forks dont have bushes and this is to reduce stiction

[754]

Hard anodizing ?

[bwaller]

Yes hard anodizing on non bushed forklegs. I have two really good sets of legs and figured this should reduce wear, not sure it would make much difference with stiction but conceivably. The description on the process is that the legs are finished honed to size. I should have them back in a few days and will report back.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I haven't hard anodized the legs, but I've done the opposite -- had tubes on a modern USD hard coated (Ti-nitride).

[turboguzzi]

brent, is it a tested method for fork legs? for all i know, anodizing removes material rather than add..... also it roughs up the surface. check well..

[bwaller]

The process sounded interesting to me in a conversation with them but honestly I have not seen any finished work. The legs are due back this week so I'll see soon.

[slikwilli420]

Hard anodizing actually adds dimension and creates an extremely hard surface perfect for two sliding surfaces.

[754]

Anodizing..............usually thin deposit that goes 1/2 into , and 1/2 on top...so it would tighten up the hole.
 If the surface finish is then OK..no need to hone..

[simon#42]

its probably worth a second a lap brent .  if i were you i would get three sets done !

[turboguzzi]

Hard anodizing actually adds dimension and creates an extremely hard surface perfect for two sliding surfaces.

was going by memory from my metallurgy class eons ago... my internal data base is not as solid as it used to be

[bwaller]

A second/lap should be easy Simon.  Described to offer "excellent resistance to wear" which appealed to me. A few races & the oil is filthy grey which is obviously aluminum. Also "hardness provides reduced friction", this has to help with faster lap times Simon!

I expect Frank is spot on about hard anodizing. They told me that after immersion the ID is measured and if necessary they are finish honed to original specs. I'm hoping TG's mental database on the process has "liquified" a tad!

[simon#42]

it sounds good , the problem is you still have a very large friction area . i dont know what your forks are like but if they have enough metal in the sliders i normally
bore them out and fit a teflon coated bush in the top . you can then either machine the stanchion to take another bush or find one from a more modern bike that
you can make fit . regardless of what you do the oil always seems to go grey though .
i doubt  they will have to hone your sliders brent , they are not made to as a tight tolerance as you would like and a few microns will not matter !

[bwaller]

Sounds like interesting work, more than I'm willing?? to do though. These are 35mm forks from a CB750F2, nothing fancy, but they were in nearly new condition when I started this all. I did spend a long time setting up suspension and the bike behaves very well at speed. If this anodizing slows wear, I'll be satisfied.

[voxonda]

ok, got you... the only thing is that i always like to leave one clamp free, pump the fork a few times to let it self align and then close it. with two spacers you are essentially not leaving this freedom. not a biggie, but i prefer a setup where you can snug it against one of the legs. maybe am a bit fixed over this kind of detail

All understood, but in practice it all comes down to good measurement. My wheel to fork is a tension free fit and never have had any problems with it. In my somewhat more modern VFR750 racer I have captive spacers doing the job.

[CR750]

Hi guys, was away on an international business trip.
Good info has trickled in in the meantime, thanks to all.

@ rob, since we are in the same country do you mind us exchanging phone nrs on pm, so I can give you a call -when it suits you- and pick your brain a little on this ?