Anyone seen this before?

[GoSlo]

A friend has his TriGlide in my garage for a few weeks and I noticed his front forks are in terrible condition. He said he's noticed it before, so we took a closer look. I tried some cleaners to see if that would do anything to get the marks out, and it did nothing. It's not brake dust because the cloth didn't turn black when wiping and it's not scratches. These are the stock front forks and not chrome. I've never seen this before, so wondered if anyone else has seen it or dealt with the problem and if so, what did you do?? He's from Texas, so not sure if they have caustic bug guts down there or not! He's going to take it back to the dealership he bought it from and see if it could be covered under warranty.







Not sure why the photos are sideways, but you can still see the marks. Thanks!

[Jack Klarich]

Yeah I don't think there is enough clear coat on the forks from the factory any more

My front fork lower legs look similar to that, tho I am sure it is from the salt/ sand in the air here in Florida

Some dealers will warranty this and swap you up to chrome lower legs

[Wmitz]

Most likely they will tell him it’s from lack of maintenance. I’ve had that on earlier bikes, either get them chromed of sand off the clear and run them bare. On the last couple of bikes I’ve used bug slide on the forks/legs etc. I’m not a clean freak, so I usually spray the legs and other parts of the bike before going riding. Sometimes it may be a week before I clean it, have no issues with the lower legs.

[1dn5up]

Seen that many times. Scotchbrite red pad them , then Rustolem primer paint what ever color you want. Mine is black. ☎️

[trikermutha]

Never seen it that bad but it does happen. Reminds me of the clear coat on wheels when the tire installer puts the hammer on wheel weights and damages the clear coat. Then exposes the wheel to salt,water etc. Then the pitting starts showing.

Doubt if it will be covered by warranty??

[ShapeShifter]

I've seen wheels that we're driven through Michigan winter salted roads look that way , but it's a first for me on front forks. I hope they're just tarnished or discolored and no pitting has occurred.

[rhino 2]

Thats like my stock wheels [Un-coated Aluminum] looked like on my Tri-Glide the first winter i rode in the salt here in Jersey.......

[lightnin]

common, I've seen it on way too many bikes. Bite the bullet and chrome them. There are some shops who keep chromed ones in stock and do a swap out deal

[hogcowboy]

Believe it or not, I cleaned mine up a lot by using a red shop rag Marvel Mystery oil. wasn't perfect but much better.

[Fearless]

I wonder if he rides where there is oilwell traffic and brine water has been used or for dust control. Serious polish and a buffer may get most of the stain off. Good luck.

[GARYD]

Thats like my stock wheels [Un-coated Aluminum] looked like on my Tri-Glide the first winter i rode in the salt here in Jersey.......

Exactly my issue too. So I bought the H-D chrome Anarchy wheels for summer and change to stock wheels to ride in the winter. I don't give a s**t what they look like over the winter - not many stop to look at the wheels then.

You might want to try S100 Corrosion Protectant. I use it all over my TG during the winter. This stuff is a miracle product.

[Potlicker]

I have 2016 tri glide, and this spring was the 1st time my lower legs started to look like the ones posted here. This last winter was 1st time I stored my own bike in garage instead of storing at Harley Shop. Bike was covered all winter except for a few times starting it. I live in Wisconsin, and winters are long here, I also checked with dealer about warranty issues, and was denied, they were telling me that salt gets into the air around here from either the cars in garage, or blown in from the road dust in the winter, but still all the bikes had in past this was never an issue. For the amount of money you pay for these trikes, you would think that Harley would use a better product to clear coat these legs or even chrome plate them for a 40 grand bike.

Once you polish them with 2000 grit paper, you will have to do on a regular basis, and spray again with clear coat. This is a task the shouldn’t have to be done regularly or at all

Sorry this was just my way for blowing off steam,

so just like everyone else polish, exchange for chrome, or just get used to it

[cowboy472]

Its called Aluminum oxidation. It always happens when moisture or air get under the top coating. I have to agree have them chromed .

Or if you have the time and ambition. Sand them clean very fine paper,Red scotch brite smooth, polish like chrome. Finish with a good clear coat. Acrylic clear coat it won't turn yellow.

[Potlicker]

Thank you, will try the clear coat, How about ceramic coat?

[GARYD]

S100 = a lot cheaper and works great, but you got to get rid of corrosion first.

Spray it on and leave it or buff it - it's up to you.

I've gone through many Chicago winters and still not a hint of corrosion.

[rodekyll]

Its called Aluminum oxidation. It always happens when moisture or air get under the top coating. I have to agree have them chromed .

Or if you have the time and ambition. Sand them clean very fine paper,Red scotch brite smooth, polish like chrome. Finish with a good clear coat. Acrylic clear coat it won't turn yellow.

This ^^. The clear coat was porous, improperly prepped, or compromised by rock chips or chemicals.

I helped a guy dispose of a lifetime collection of bikes (26) in East Texas (near Tyler). Most of them had been in sheds, but poorly stored, some since the 70s. Most of those showed that same corrosion. The bikes were mainly pre-clearcoat vintage, and bare metal was ruined from weathering. Anything in contact with the dirt, metal or rubber, was rotted. I could pick up a side cover from a shelf and tap a hole in it or snap it with my hands. It was heartbreaking to scrap literally tons of vintage parts -- complete engines, transmissions, and wheels -- because they were too corroded to even give away.

The guy was a scrapper and made his living clearing out people's back lots and sheds. The amount of metal he'd haul that was just as rotted was amazing. There's something in the east Texas dirt that attacks metal.

I had my fork lowers oxidize under their clearcoat about 10 years ago, after 20 years on the Alaska coast. I sandblasted them clean and powdercoated them black. They're holding up good.

[keikat2]

Hi, Before buying my first Harley, I had a Yamaha Venture Royale with the same pigmentation on the front forks. Its due to getting "pinholes" or "scrapes" in the clearcoat with moisture collecting under the remaining clearcoat causing the observed pitting and oxidized discoloration. To clean my Yamaha Venture Royale forks and remove the oxidation, I used a Dremel tool with a superfine sanding bit. Then, I used aluminum metal polish to remove the sanding abrasion to a near chrome finish. The aluminum on the forks is fairly soft and the sanding abrasion can be removed fairly easy with a little "elbow grease", aluminum polish, and plenty of old rags that will turn black during the polishing. Good Luck, Allen S.