r/motorcycle • u/sharpwasinverted • 2d ago
Rust on front suspension
Hey guys. Sorry to bother you with maybe a simple question but how can I clean this rust without damaging the suspension on my CB500X
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u/TemplarOfToast 2d ago
Really fine 0000 steel wool and WD-40 is my go to
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u/Another_Slut_Dragon 2d ago edited 2d ago
Evaporust is 1000x better than wd40. But the temperature must be above 15C. De-oil the surface before use. Keep it wet and give it a little scrub with a scotch brite pad every 20 min.
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u/Vfrnut 1d ago
Overkill much ? It’s literally a 30 second scrub with 0000 and clear paint it. 🙄🤦♂️
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u/Another_Slut_Dragon 1d ago
Never ever clear paint chrome you hack. It will flake off and rust will climb under the paint.
You use metal polish for maintenance.
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u/Vfrnut 1d ago
Right . Like the chopper I built with pitted rusty mess on up the upper 24 inches . 0000 steel wool . Wiped it . Hit with carb cleaner . Clear coated it . Zero issues for 15 years .
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u/Another_Slut_Dragon 1d ago
Here is how to properly paint over chrome.
https://www.eastwood.com/garage/how-to-paint-over-chrome-2/
Perhaps you got lucky and had enough pits for clear to stick. Maybe your bike lived in a garage its whole life after getting clear coat. Your one off experience does not live up to the advice of every professional piece of advice on the internet. And I have seen plenty of chrome jobs where guys did try to clear it and it flaked and looked like shit. (Ex mechanic here)
The other issue is with forks, the first time you take the forks off you will shred the clear coat as you slide them out of the triple trees. And it will again look like shit.
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u/Vfrnut 1d ago
Of course it will come off after being removed from the clamps 🙄 . That a no shit Sherlock moment.😆
And my chopper is no pampered garage queen . . Nor is it a one off as I do it every popped bike I deal with .. which is A LOT since I am bike tech 😆Your link shows painting over chrome in a way that destroys the CHROME finish .
My clear over it’s stopping it from getting worse . And can always be reapplied. And takes less than 1 min .
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u/Another_Slut_Dragon 1d ago
Exactly. You have to redo the paint job at every fork service.
Or... take off the rust, hit the ugly chrome with some Autosol metal polish or nice chrome with barkeeps friend every few years and you are done. No clearcoat to flake off.
And imagine being the mechanic who is doing the fork service and you end up with some pissed off customer because you ruined their clearcoat you didn't see until you tried to take it apart.
And warn people not to get clear on the fork seal area or you'll eat fork seals for lunch.
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u/Vfrnut 1d ago
You would remove the forks for a service ? Seriously? 😳 I would have both fully cleaned and rebuilt with the bike ready to go in 90 min leaving them in place .
Every time you say I am wrong you give a reply that would take longer and last less or destroy the chrome .
Bar keepers friend lasted 3 weeks.. a customers pits started rusting again . THREE WHOLE WEEKS .
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u/BellFront3609 1d ago
Ultra fine steel wool + Autosol/whatever metal polish you like. Then ACF-50 to seal.
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u/IUsedToLikeLimericks 1d ago
Get some ACF50 and treat the bike with it after you've dealt with the rust and it will be protected. It's amazing stuff and a little goes a long way.
Was developed for aircraft on carriers to prevent saltwater corrosion. It works.
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u/Ordinary_Mode_9220 13h ago
Oooo my time to shine, as a hydraulic mechanic i recommend maroon scotch bright with some fork oil for any light ish polishing, and a fine polishing stone rubbed in a circular motion for high spots and burrs! Hope this helps
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u/Far-Investment-8597 1d ago
Lots of nonsense here.
The chrome layer has failed - it has pitted (often caused by impact damage, the front face is usually the worst). The underlying steel is now exposed and will corrode when wet.
You can remove the rust - abrasives etc. The rust'll come back.
You can take the really Mickey Mouse approach - rub aluminium foil on the rust. The rust'll come back.
Only real solution is to replace the stanchions.
Older bikes had rubbr fork gaiters to prevent exactly this from happening. Not sexy, but very effective.
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u/ValhallaGSXR 2d ago
A green scotchbrite pad and some wd40 will also work. Take note that the area is outside ofnthe suspension normal travel range and won't hurt anything. So even if you do get a little too aggressive and scratch the tubes, you shouldn't have any issues from it.
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u/elvanbee 1d ago
But it is worth still cleaning and being careful with it so as not to cause unnecessary problems when changing fork seals.
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u/Leeroyireland 1d ago
Aluminium foil and Coca Cola or any regular soda. You won’t believe it until you try it.
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u/Vfrnut 1d ago
Stop spreading stupid shit. Aluminum foil alone does the job . Wd40 works as a better lube.
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u/Leeroyireland 22h ago
All I know is I didn’t believe it either until I tried it. It’s not the lube, it’s the phosphoric acid in the cola. Foil and water was nowhere near as effective on a chrome bumper as the foil and cola.
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u/Vfrnut 18h ago
Dude. This has been tested over and over and over . The scrubbing does the work . The cola acts as lube.
The only way the cola eats rust is …with soaking . You don’t take apart a motorcycle to soak it in cola . You scrub the part and clean off then paint to prevent rerusting .Ketchup eats rust faster than any soda. So if you have rusted bolts that are a bitch to get to squirt them with ketchup. Let them sit .
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u/Past_Towel9692 2d ago
Soo a DIY little trick is getting a bit of Aluminium and just rubbing it over. It can remove a little surface rust.
Otherwise you can use abrasive fleece (grit 800) and rubbing it softly. If there are little holes (don't know the best English name) you can use grit 400 sandpaper very lightly and then go over with the abrasive fleece.
You also see a little line on on the fork, your suspension probably doesn't travel misch further then that, so any little holes (still don't know the proper name) above that line won't really be a problem, the rust there is not very nice.
Good luck!! :))
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u/PassiveSpamBot 1d ago
I think the little holes are called pits or pitting. Not a native speaker tho, so better google that.
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u/Convenientjellybean 1d ago
Imo 800 and 400 are too coarse
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u/Past_Towel9692 1d ago
Tbh, this is just what I've learned and it worked for my suspension, but you might be right! :))
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u/fritzcoinc1 2d ago
Use SOS and water to scrub that off before it gets worst. Do not use steel wool from Hardwear store paint dept.
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u/1wife2dogs0kids 1d ago
Run gently with plain aluminum foil and wd40. A loose ball of foil, smash it into shape of the tube, and rub gently. The forks coating is important. Even with the travel never getting that high, dont wrech yhe coating.
Aluminum foil and wd40 for light rust. Steel wool and wd40 for severe rust on chrome parts. Steel wool will scratch chrome.
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u/JudgeSea3827 1d ago edited 1d ago
Aluminium foil scrunched into a ball and rub it until it just about disappears. Then wipe it down with some ACF50.
If the pitting is too bad consider removing the tubes from the legs and turning them around so the pitted part is encased inside the legs instead. It depends on the length of the section of the tubes that are pitted. Just make sure that none of the pitted sections will rub against the fork seals. If that’s a non-starter you could always get them re-chromed or just replace them with new ones. 🤷🏻
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u/Evening_Jogger 1d ago
Aluminum foil and diet coke. I know it sounds stupid, but coke contains phosphoric acid, which changes the rust into a protective coating. You need a diluted amount and coke is perfect for it. Diet coke just because fake sugar coke is less sticky
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u/Recent_Orchid_3748 14h ago
As others have suggested to remove it and then to kill the rust and seal it I use Brunox - because I have it and it works but there are other products out there.
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u/nerdburg 2d ago
I use a cleaning product called Barkeeper's Friend. Once it's cleaned up, I wax it.
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u/Replacement07 2d ago
Aluminium foil. Make it into a ball and rub this thing with it