Ducati Monster Forum

Does anyone have any experience in blacking out forks? Trying to get my dark as dark as possible :e:v

I'm thinking maybe header tape, but dont know how it's gonna look..?

Thanks'

vinyl is your cheap/easy solution.  mine are anodized.  powdercoating works too.  header tape would look ... ghetto?  maybe Mad Max'ish?  not that there's anything wrong with that!

I saw one where they used vinyl tape (from a sign shop i think) and it looked friggin awesome  wt:  

Be carefull with powerder coating, it adds a thickness to a material and if you have to clamp down on that area you will eventually crush the powder coating and the connecting will get loose. Loose forks would probably be dangerous.

I ordered the film from this place. The Oracal 851 is there highest grade designed specifically for vehicle wraps. It is only 2 mil and forms/stretches very easily. I got mine to make number plates and graphics for my track bike. Great stuff.

http://www.signsplusbanners.com/Oracal_851.html

Good luck with the film. It is cheap to get them anodized.

My thoughts exactly'

But both the film and anodizing sounds like great ideas' Really like the look of anodizing.. Anyone have any pics?

Tha only problem is that I currently live in Poland and have no idea where to find anyone that does this kind of work.. just have to ask around i guess.. Is there a lot of prep work before anodizing? Hard to detach the forks? price estimate (in the US off course)?

Thanks again'

When I was researching this topic I heard of the Anodizing turning purple after a while and that really put me off doing that. I'm not sure if it's possible to have better "grade" anodization or what, but I would want to be assured they wouldn't become purple in a fairly short amount of time.

Heard about the blueing of anodizing as well, but looks really good wile/if it lasts..

Remembered that I had seen wrapped forks somewhere on the old forum; http://www.ducatimonster.org/forums/showthread.php?t=150571&highlight=anodized+forks

I actually think they look really good' I have to do some thinking and some coin tossing; just have to find a three sided coin  ;D

how do ohlins get thier forks gold?

 They are anodized. I had mine done while they were out getting the Matris cartiridges installed. IMO it make the look of the bike.  If you have them anodized make sure you stay away from the Mil-spec stuff. Thats the stufft hat will turn purple after continued exposure to sunlight.

 Here a before and after pic.

(http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff176/MonstermashS2R/NewMonster018.jpg)

(http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff176/MonstermashS2R/NewMonster013.jpg)

After reading this thread.  I just spent the last half hour wrapping one side of my forks with black electrical tape.  It looks pretty good from about 20 yards away.  Closeup you can see the lines of how it was wrapped.  I'm now very interested in the black vinyl.  I'll probably wrap the other side and the ride around with the electrical tape for a few days to see how I like it.

I'm thinking; get some wide header wrap to see how that looks, I really like the non shiny look.

monstermash: But I must say that your anodized forks looks extreemely good, but I can check with the tape first and then get the anodizing if i'm not satisfied.. Anodizing is sort of a point of no return..

The Black vinyl should work with heat from a hair dryer to mold and stretch it .......the old  board had a good write up on it ..but that as thee gist of it

I plan on doing the vinyl this year. 

As far as anodizing goes, like the others say, if you get the stuff that fades, you'll be redoing it every other year.  I had some anodized parts on my bike that kept fading, so they're in powdercoat now.

If anyone can find that thread on vinyling the forks, let me know!  Doesn't look too hard <crosses fingers>.

I think ducrider45 and I both had our forks anodized by Ducati Omaha.  I posted contact info in the "Bikes of the DMF" thread in the General Forum.

Let us know how it turns out,i'm interested in doing the same thing.Thanks :)

Here is what it looks like now.  Like I said, it looks good from 20 yards away, but if you are up close and can see the electrical tape then it looks pretty silly.

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%20Monster%20620/20080508_Ducati620_Right_BlkForks2.jpg?t=1211727316)

Now that I know I can post on the new board, here are a few more pictures.

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%20Monster%20620/20080508_Ducati620_RearRight_BlkFor.jpg?t=1211727262)

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%20Monster%20620/20080508_Ducati620_RearRight_Blk-1.jpg?t=1211727351)

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%20Monster%20620/20080508_Ducati620_Right_BlkForks4.jpg?t=1211727379)

So about how much does it cost to get forks anodized?

I paid a local bike repair shop $100 to pull apart my front forks and reassemble later.  It cost me another $150 to have an anodizer in Milwaukee strip and anodize my forks tubes, the caps for the forks, my used rizoma mirrors, used CycleCat triple and clipons, spring caps and some other aluminum odds and ends from the bike AND mail them back to me.  There were 4 or 5 others available locally as well.  I saved hundreds buying used parts and they looked new when i got them back.  In five years when the finish has faded it will be time to rebuild the forks anyways.

Luke

(http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm98/lukevn/IMG_3411.jpg)
(http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm98/lukevn/IMG_3430.jpg)
REALLY dirty bike.  It was to cold to turn outside water on when I took this picture.

Anodized looks so much better,wonder if we have someone with the films?

Two types of anodizing.  There is the one that everyone uses that is "colorful" and cheap.  Sun fades and color shifts over time.  I like to do "hard anodizing" which is a deeper penetration method -- and gives a very hard surface to.  Much more fade resistant than regular anodizing.  Ask your anodizer about the differences and cost to do.

+1 as mine are done

Hey luke!  What'd you do on your oil cooler, radiator, and pipes.   That's a great look.   wt:

I was afraid there would be disassembly involved in the process.  Am I that patient?  And willing to part with the cash?

heres the link to the vinyl  way ...............looks amazing if you ask me


http://www.ducatimonster.org/smf/index.php?topic=93184.0 (http://www.ducatimonster.org/smf/index.php?topic=93184.0)

Thanks.   :)
Pipes are ceramic coated.  I just did the radiator and oil cooler with rattle can high-temp engine enamel.  Absolutely no difference in running temps.  I made the radiator core guards with perforated sheet-metal,  had them powder coated, and covered the rough edge with c-channel shaped weather stripping.  I also made little brackets to jimmy-rig the 999 fender to bolting up to the Showa forks.

Dupli-color make a Wheel paint that "bonds" with metal etc etc.  I have a friend that runs it on his cars wheels, and it hasn't cracked or chipped and looks very smooth for a rattle-can.  That is what I was thinking of doing on my forks. 

nothing bonds to metal except when theres ion exchange. aka anodizing.


Got a link to this paint?

here's the link. 

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/wheel.html

-Would you need the adhesion promoter with this?
-My friend used this on his wheels and they look good.

He Man,
What type paint did you use?  Reccomend?  What would you do different?

I did my forks with rustoleum chalk board spray paint.  It give you a really clean matte finish.  I have also done it on some aluminum car wheels and it didnt chip at all.  The only problem I have run into is with brake fluid!  That stuff will melt the paint away in no time. 

One thing to remember is to be careful when you reinstall the forks, it will be a huge pain in the ass to get them in without scratching them if you paint them.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2483634603_c12bd0b304.jpg?v=0)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/2484450202_ee699c8956.jpg?v=0)

sweet, chalkboard paint.  never thought of that. 

Is there any way to seal it so that fluids don't mess it up?

Yes, and yes my good sir.  ;)

How do you do the Vinyl method?

my forks are vinyl wrapped.  My brother owns a signshop and has wrapped many a car so it was no big deal for him.  It helps alot to remove the front heel and be sure to clean the forks very well.  It looks great, and the flat black flim is a spot on match to ducati dark.  i will post up some pictures later.  here is one for now..  enjoy(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e369/awc292/IMGA0968.jpg)

Looks good!  Must do mine.  ;)

I've got a simpler option:

I got a motorcycle seat upholsterer to make a set of fork covers which wrap my forks. The material is the same as the vinyl-type material found on a motorcycle seat which is 100% waterproof. It is backed with a little cushioning material which adds to the thickness of the cover which in turn makes the forks look thicker, adding a little to the streetfighter look. They are basically flat pieces of material which are wrapped tightly around the forks and held in place by velcro on the ends. I use thick cable ties on the top and bottom to make it extra secure but they are not necessary at all, the fit is really good. I originally got them made to protect my forks from stone chips but they ended up looking really good too which is neat. No need to remove the forks, and a 5 minute job to put them on.

Up close:

(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/blackreplica/ForkSocks1.jpg)

View from further away:

(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg82/blackreplica/ForkSocks2.jpg)

Yes I did. They did a great job and the price was very low. Great guys to work with.

I know this was a couple months ago, but can you tell me what brand vinyl film your brother used and where I can order some. Thanks. Bike looks great!  [thumbsup]

I think it is LG vinyl.. I will ask him. Any sign shop should be able to help

Found some. Thanks  [thumbsup]