Search our quarter-million Q&As

Home of the finishing HOTLINE since 1989

Best motorcycle fork tube plating -- Chrome, Gold, Titanium Nitride, or Black?

Gold Colored Plating on Forks & Exhausts

Q. I see a gold colored plating on some motorcycle exhaust pipes as well as on some front fork tubes. What is this plating? How is it applied? What properties does it possess (hardness, resistance to corrosion, discoloration)?

Titanium coating of motorcycle wheels and forks

Q. My company manufactures forged aluminum wheels for motorcycles. We currently offer them in chrome, and anodized finishes. I recently came across a company that says that can take the wheels after they have been chromed, and plate them with titanium. It changes the look of the wheel, it gives the appearance kind of like chrome exhaust piping after its been heated, or like that paint that changes color. He said they can even control the coloring of it, like it can be more of red, or blue color. He was supposed to get back with me, but he didn't, and I never got his contact info. The only thing I know is they are located in the Washington D.C. area. My question would be if anybody has ever heard of this process? If so, how is it done? At least if I can find out how this is being done, maybe my chrome plater can do this process. Or maybe point me to someone who can do this for me.

RECOMMENDED PVD BOOKS
For Engineers & Specifiers

Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings by Pan & Drnovsek (2023)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks, or Amazon

The Foundations of Vacuum Coating Technology by Donald M. Mattox (2018)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks, or Amazon

Properties and Processing of Vapor-Deposited Coatings by Lee, Johnson, Sheldon & Pickering (2014)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks, or Amazon

Handbook of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) Processing by Donald M. Mattox (2010)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks, or Amazon

The Influence of Macroparticles on PVD Coatings by Guido Vergnano (2009)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks, or Amazon
(as an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases)

A. Although I don't know what company you're talking about, this is very possible. Multilayer PVD coating of rims and other auto parts seems to be a hot topic. There are a few small shops around that would probably help you out in coating some samples, etc. I know that Orange County Choppers has been looking into adding it to their stuff. Looks like there's deep pockets at the Discovery Channel.

Andrew Fisk
- Columbia, Maryland, USA

A. Look for Titanium Nitride coatings (not Titanium plating). It's a process that belongs to the category of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD vacuum coatings). You may also want to search this forum to learn more about it.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico

A. I agree with the others -- it's most likely a PVD coating. TiN is gold colored if deposited at normal thicknesses, but if the coating is thin enough can take on a variety of shades. The coating could also be titanium oxide, though this is a harder coating to deposit.

Most PVD coating companies are reluctant to take this on because a) the cost is high; b) if the chrome plating is not properly applied or cleaned, the PVD coating will not stick; and c) it is very hard to get color consistency when depositing very thin coatings. A company I worked for was coating motorcycle fork tubes for a while, and solved the chrome plating problem, but the cost was too great and the volume too small for us to make a profit. We sold off our customer list to another company, but they weren't able to apply our fix to problem b) so had to give it up as well.

Jim Treglio - scwineryreview.com
PVD Consultant & Wine Lover
San Diego, California

Q. In Titanium nitride coating I am not getting required SST and CASS hours without chrome plating up to 100 Hrs .
Is there any solution for it?

A. PVD TiN is not a corrosion-protectant. While the TiN does not itself corrode, the coating is thin and porous. Also, it may work as a nice electrode for galvanic corrosion. There are ways to seal the pores which provide reasonably good corrosion protection, but not enough to survive a 100-hour CASS test.

Jim Treglio - scwineryreview.com
PVD Consultant & Wine Lover
San Diego, California

A. PVD coating significantly improves the functionality and decorative needs for metals. Just about all ferrous and non-ferrous metals can be coated with the possible exception of magnesium.

Kevin Ferraro
- Levittown, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
2006

Black Oxide for Motorcycle Forks?

I want to blacken my upper fork tubes on my motorcycle. Can this be done and not interfere with my fork seals.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Q. I'm wondering whether or not black oxidizing changes the coefficient of friction of a part? I'm looking into a coating that I could use on my inner Fork Tubes (motorcycle suspension) that would have a black/grey color and would either keep the coefficient of friction I have now or improve it. I looked at TiN and saw the coefficient of friction improves significantly, but was wondering if there was another material with a black color that does the same? Thanks.

A. Hi, Hunter; Hi, Nic.

The blackened surface is very thin and probably not nearly wear resistant enough for such an application. Black chromium plating or salt bath nitriding could probably satisfy your needs. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.

No! No! No!
Not for Food Service!
Teflon/ Moly Oven Cure Firearm Finish

on eBay
(affil link)

A. Nic, Dupont makes a product that is similar to Cookware coating. You paint this stuff on and bake it in an oven at about 400 Deg. If you go to their website you can find all the info you want.

Tim Wyatt
- Port Richey, Florida

Ed. note: Tim is probably correct, but readers must not make the mistake of thinking that "similar to Cookware coating" means it is safe to eat off of. No it isn't!!

Motorcycle fork tube restoration. Hard chroming

Q. I would like to find out the minimum requirement for re-hard chroming motorcycle fork tubes at home in the garage with the minimum of gear.

Let us say that I am already able to cylinder grind the old chrome off the corroded and scabby old tubes on my lathe with a tool post grinder leaving a clean steel surface to plate on to. And I am able to grind the new chrome to stock diameter and polish after plating.

Tanks are not a problem, I can find containers of the size and shape of the fork tubes that are plastic and chemical/acid/alkali resistant. A 40 gallon plastic drum slit in half may be in the same way as we make a garden BBQ from a steel drum.

What chemicals, electrode material, shape and orientation around the component in the tank should I need and how about the power supply. Will a boost start/charger from an auto shop work? and theories on Voltage, current, time and deposited thickness? and how about starting surface roughness of the steel for good adhesive properties of the chrome?

What would be an average stock thickness layer of fork tube chrome and what would the maximum I can get away with to retain a good resistance to the flexing a fork tube will take? Bearing in mind the thicker the new chrome the thinner left is the original steel of the fork tube.

All I really want to do is restore mine and my friends fork tubes on our old bikes with out paying about 100 UK each leg and waiting ages for them as they are put through with some industrial job lot.

Any advice would be really interesting

Ross From UK

RECOMMENDED CHROME PLATING BOOKS
for Shops, Specifiers, & Engineers

"Chromium Plating"
by Weiner & Walmsley (1980)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks, or Amazon

"Hard Chromium Plating"
by Robert K. Guffie (1986)
avail from AbeBooks, or Amazon

"Electrodeposition of Chromium from Chromic Acid Solutions" by George Dubpernell (1977)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks, or Amazon

"Hard chromium plating: A Handbook of Modern Practice"
by John David Greenwood (1971)
avail from eBay

"Chrome Plating Simplified" by Clarence H. Peger (1977, looseleaf)
very rarely avail from Amazon
but copies are available in a few libraries)

"A Chromium Plating Bath With The Fluoride Ion"
by Alfred Perlenfein (2013)
avail from eBay, AbeBooks

(as an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases)

A. Nobody can possibly tell you everything you need to know on an internet forum. Hard chrome plating is, and has been, the subject of long books. In the end you'll spend lots of money, and make lots of mistakes, and probably destroy some parts and violate environmental regulations long before you can produce the first good parts. Pay a plater to do them.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Q. Thank you for posting my question on the web site. However, I am an engineer of precision components and electronics and feel that I am quite capable of doing my own work. However in order to eliminate as much trial and error I have posted the question.

You say long books written on the subject?

Any clues then on exactly which book I should be looking at?

Thanks.

A. Hi, Ross. A good start might be our on-line article, "Introduction to Chrome Plating". It doesn't cover all the detail you'll need, but will familiarize you with the issues. Then, specific closed-end questions will be relatively easy for readers to answer, whereas "how do I hard chrome plate" is the subject for a career rather than an internet posting :-)

Perhaps the best book, if you can find it, is Guffie's "Handbook of Hard Chromium Plating". Another good one is Weiner & Walmsley's "Chromium Plating". Or, if you can find a copy of Peger's "Chrome Plating Simplified", that is worth a look-see too. But you may want to start with the accessible and inexpensive "Metal Finishing Guidebook".

Please note that chrome plating is conducted in very concentrated chromic acid, hexavalent chrome (about 32 oz/gal). It is toxic and carcinogenic. Plating shop employees must be regularly tested for chromium exposure, plating shops must vent and scrub their fumes, and any rinse water you use is a hazardous material which probably cannot be discharged without a permit. If a neighborhood child contracts cancer for any reason whatsoever, and her parents find out that you were chrome plating in a neighborhood garage, god help you. Good luck!

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.

Titanium Coating of Forks

Q. I am building a custom 1978 Harley FXS. The bike will be largely Black and Gold, but, the fork tubes are chrome plated (I assume hard chrome). Naturally the fork tubes are a wear item which necessitates the chrome, which is why they cannot be painted or powder coated. That said, I was leaning toward TiN coating, solely for aesthetics of course but the wear properties don't hurt. The Tubes are hollow of course, about 35mm in diameter and about 23-1/4" long.

Is this possible over the chrome? Or, does the chrome have to be removed?

A. I've coated fork tubes in the past that have been chrome plated with varying success. It really depends on the stress in the plating and in the TiN coating. Basically, chrome plating is usually in tensile stress; TiN in compressive stress. If either are too high, the TiN will not adhere well. It may be a moot point -- most companies that can deposit TiN on your fork tubes have a minimum charge of $500. Jim Treglio - scwineryreview.com PVD Consultant & Wine Lover San Diego, California A. Hard chrome plating is compatible with TiN coating. Ni-Cr has problems. The economics of TiN coatings on these tubes is different question. H.R. Prabhakara - Consultant Bangalore Plasmatek - Bangalore Karnataka India

Motorcycle Exhaust - titanium nitride over steel?

Q. I have a Harley and want the exhaust to have a gold color, like drill bits coated with titanium nitride. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of coating on high temp surfaces such as a motorcycle exhaust? Any tips on surface prep if you think the coating will hold out and not bubble or discolor? And do you know of any other viable coatings which will give me a color other than silver or black?

A. TiN PVD will hold up on your exhaust pipes, but you might not be able to get it done. PVD is a bulk process, and in general no one in the business will process parts for an individual. Second, the exhaust must be new -- no one will chance putting a used exhaust in their chamber. Third, TiN does not give you very good corrosion protection. No problem if the parts are stainless steel, but if they are steel they should be nickel/chrome plated before PVD coating.

Jim Treglio - scwineryreview.com
PVD Consultant & Wine Lover
San Diego, California

Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Ted Mooney is retiring but I have several offers to take it over.
We're working hard to make sure we find it the best new home.