VFR800 5th Gen Forks Powder Coat

Hi Everyone,

Firstly, this is my first post here, I've had my 5th Gen VFR800 for about 12 years now and in the last year have been spending some well earned time onto her to get her looking like new again since she has had a couple of years off the road unattended. This brings me to my question, now I know there are many threads there about front forks, paint, powder coat etc.. but I cannot find any information on this particular part, so, I have a guy who is going to powder coat my lower forks in Gloss Black however before handing over the forks should I blocked up all bolt openings?

Sounds like a stupid question but it's something I've been thinking about.

Yes I could as the guy who is doing it for me but he is on holiday right now for 3 weeks and I thought it would be a good excuse to ask here

Be kind,
Many thanks,
Stevie

 

I always seal the bolt holes and tape over anything threaded myself, that way I know it’s done correctly

PTFE tape is your friend in this as long as the components are not going to be blasted clean

 

Brilliant, thank you Thumbs appreciate the reply! Will do just that. Don't want to have to be rethreading that's for sure !

 

you can also get high heat silicone plugs to use along with tape -
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280Pc-Hi...723786?hash=item4b409f38ca:g:A7wAAOSwY3tbNhRt

 

Sweet, thanks guys !

 

Are you or your friend going glass bead them first?
I had mine done on my ‘83 and they didn’t block off the open ends, I thought they would do that. The glass beads got down inside and were a bitch to clean thoroughly. I tried alot of different things, ended up rinsing them out with gasoline to dissolve the remaining fork oil with the glass beads.

 

To be honest I am not too sure, however, since you have mentioned it I am going to call him when he has back from holiday to ask. I think though I'll do the blocking up of everything so I don't cause more work in the end, handy to know so thank you

 

Any good powder coating shop will take care of all the details for you. You should be able to bring the legs to them disassembled and degreased, and they will do the rest. I have powder coated several dozen sets of fork legs for customers. Included in the price is a final degreasing, then media blasting (aluminum oxide) of the exterior to remove all paint and corrosion. All openings are blocked off, so no media gets inside. After that's done, I thoroughly wash the parts, dry with compressed air, and outgas in the oven. Once cool, I mask off the necessary areas and plug various holes. Once I finish shooting the powder, the plugs are pulled and the parts go in the oven. You shouldn't have to worry about doing any of this work yourself. Too bad you're on the wrong side of the ocean - I'd be happy to help you out.

Tom

 

Thank you Tom for that detailed reply. Gives me piece of mind. Due to get them in over the next 4 weeks! Cant wait.

 

Hope you find a reputable powder coater, better than one had.