Corroded fork lowwrs

[1200XLC]

The Sportster's cheap Show a aluminum fork lowers invariably take bn a corroded appearance after a decade or so regardless of regular upkeep. Here's a cheap v fix:
https://youtu.be/v5sxlgE_Wu0

[Skjoll]

Aluminum can oxidize very quickly, so quickly that a layer of oxide can form even while it's in a molten state such as during a casting pour. The type of alloy can play a part in how well an aluminum component can resist/retard oxidation but it all eventually oxidizes to the point where aethetics are affected. That is why aluminum components are generally clear coated or plated... unless you can appreciate the dull silvery appearance or have the time to keep polishing them in order to maintain a chrome-like appearance.

[1200XLC]

Here's my jap junk HD oem lowers b & a I did exactly as instructed in Rocco's vid. Thanks for your input.

[Skjoll]

Here's my jap junk HD oem lowers...

Why do you refer to Showa lowers as 'jap junk'?

[1200XLC]

Because that's what they are. I've seen new Sportsters w/ Showa lowers already completely corroded. The fact Japanese bikes come w/ 1yr warranties and HDs come w/ 2yr says about all that needs to be said. One company's primary concern is profit by extensive use of substandard parts and the other is building motorcycles that last & last.

An excellent condition 1977 Sportster is worth more now when it was new. A CBR 750 (if you can find one that still runs) is not worth half ^ that.

Example:
https://buysellsearch.com/view/vehic...ster%2Fyr-1977

https://www.smartcycleguide.com/moto...b750-automatic

[Skjoll]

Because that's what they are. I've seen new Sportsters w/ Showa lowers already completely corroded. The fact Japanese bikes come w/ 1yr warranties and HDs come w/ 2yr says about all that needs to be said. One company's primary concern is profit by extensive use of substandard parts and the other is building motorcycles that last & last...

Harley started using Japanese made fork lowers for the XL and FX models in 1973, first Kayaba units and then they switched to Showa around 1975. By the 1980s (can't remember an exact year) all HDs were fitted with Showas which have proven to be excellent and very robust units that will essentially last the life of the bike. So of the two options you posted above is HD the company concerned with quality or profit margins seeing as how they've used Showas for decades?

... An excellent condition 1977 Sportster is worth more now when it was new. A CBR 750 (if you can find one that still runs) is not worth half ^ that....

The current cost of motorcycles in the classic motorcycle market isn't based on quality, the present prices of AMF era HDs is proof of that. Back in the day they were notoriously unreliable, the only reason they command such a high price these days is because they're old... their mystique and cachet have been hyped so much over the last couple of decades, not to mention HD's brand recognition, has inflated the prices.

[1200XLC]

Thousands of people get HARLEY DAVIDSON tattooed on their bodies. No one gets Honda tattooed on theirs.

Ok if it's age then why are Jao bikes the same age totally worthless?

[Bloodyknucklesfab]

Thousands of people get HARLEY DAVIDSON tattooed on their bodies. No one gets Honda tattooed on theirs.

Ok if it's age then why are Jao bikes the same age totally worthless?

What the fuck are you talking about? There are a few japanese bikes worth a bit of money which actually doesnt mean shit...but you would know that if you read Skjoll response about value of older motorcycles. I'm thinking this forum may not be for you man...there are a lot of kick ass talented builders on here rocking "jap" bikes. Maybe go find the forum with all of the "jap" haters that honestly dont even understand motorcycles.....you had this coming. You fuckin hijacked my build thread and kept on even after some members told you it wasn't the place for your shitty comments.

[farmall]

OP is tech-clueless and should avoid spouting off. Then there's compulsive threadjacking.

Noobs should confine themselves to what they actually know. Ignorance is curable but OP has a shitty attitude and is apparently proud of his/her/it's ignorance.
The clearcoat does what old paint does on sliders and eventually fails, but I've never seen (and I'm enough of a techy to look for oddball shit like that) any brand of slider corrode sooner or later than another, not even the very high quality airhead BMW (I owned two) parts. I'm a multibrand mechanic and have exposure wrenching and salvaging all the big four, BMW, HD, vintage British and of course Japanese machines. Eventually clearcoat chips then the metal substrate corrodes. There's no magic corrosion-proof aluminum.

Re: pricing:
HDs market wants to keep the same slow motorcycles forever and HD thrives on not changing (good because standardized parts make them easy to rebuild) but they stopped building performance bikes fifty years ago. OTOH technology keeps moving (not a surprise) and Japanese buyers tend to want performance, not a shrine they can keep for decades to ride slow on. They're at HP levels today no stock HD and few radically modded HDs can approach and they've been dominant in anything but walled-garden or highly specialized race classes for a very long time. Seen many Harleys racing GP lately? Different markets have different and perfectly valid targets. Many older Jap designs hold the same proportion of their value in constant dollars as HDs but many don't since the offerings are so diverse, while HD make two basic platforms and a few jokes now and then. HD prices change less because the bikes don't change much so there's not much of an upgrade path.

Re; collectability, I should have hoarded early CB single cammers and especially early Z-1s, but there are plenty of valuable Jap bikes including high end customs like Rickman and Seeley. OP likely wasn't riding when the bottom dropped out of the HD market and shit like Ironheads was basically given away because they were so unreliable they helped nearly kill the company. They aren't high build quality (which is objectively measurable) they're just fun cult bikes and if they hadn't been made by Harley would be about as cherished as a Sears Allstate. However they were designed for production on simple machine tools so making repop parts is far easier than the complex permanent mold castings of say a CB 750. I like my Ironhead and own a variety of interesting old junk but not being on crack I don't pretend they're what they aren't.

I'm usually polite, but OP comes off as an arrogant retarded dumbass who belongs on Facebook instead of a forum for adults. You're not here to learn anything, your attitude is absurd, and you're proud of being clueless. People like you never improve and are unreachable.

Go be a dumbfuck somewhere else. You make Harley owners look like the stereotype bubba posers many (but very few real mechanics) unfortunately are.

[Bloodyknucklesfab]

^^^ this!

[Skjoll]

Here's my jap junk HD oem lowers b & a I did exactly as instructed in Rocco's vid. Thanks for your input.

At first I thought you were bragging about the job you did on your fork lowers, which honestly is 'meh' if you intended to polish them but I gave you a pass since you sounded kinda new to this sort of thing, but apparently I was mistaken and you showcased your inabilities as some sort of proof of Showa's supposed shit quality. This is what polished lowers look like when done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Thousands of people get HARLEY DAVIDSON tattooed on their bodies. No one gets Honda tattooed on theirs...

Thousands of people do crack or meth but that doesn't mean they're awesome drugs.