Dirty fork oil syndrome

[bikesparky]

Got a reply from Beta USA from a nice man named Tim Pilg
apparently this wear pattern is normal and its just the color getting worn off..
and oil contamination is because of oil.. Beta uses motul
guess I'll try it at the next change.

What a load of bs!

The color IS the hard anodizing! Every person with some mechanical knowledge knows this.
When the color is gone the soft aluminium starts to wear out, not long before it turns to huge play as mine had after 60 hrs. I even noticed some binding in the forks because of that.

Pisses me off when they try to pull the wool over our eyes instead of fixing the issue, at least the importer here did the right thing for me.
BTW oil doesn't make a difference as long as you use something of a reputable brand.

[nigelbates]

Got a reply from Beta USA from a nice man named Tim Pilg
apparently this wear pattern is normal and its just the color getting worn off..
and oil contamination is because of oil.. Beta uses motul
guess I'll try it at the next change.

In the meantime, we offer a hard anodizing service ...

does this have to be done on undamaged / not worn forks or can it be done to ones like in the picture that are worn / damaged? thanks.

[twowheels]

Got a reply from Beta USA from a nice man named Tim Pilg
apparently this wear pattern is normal and its just the color getting worn off..
and oil contamination is because of oil.. Beta uses motul
guess I'll try it at the next change.

In the meantime, we offer a hard anodizing service ...

does this have to be done on undamaged / not worn forks or can it be done to ones like in the picture that are worn / damaged? thanks.

We've done it on worn forks - obviously the sooner the better.

[newbeta]

How much for a pair of 2015 red zokes?

[isaltyko]

Ill try to get a bore mic in there at next oil change and see if the wear is actually measurable.
this is a copy of the email I received
"Hello Ilya,

We have seen this before on most models. Please keep in mind that this is an “internet” issue and not an issue with the fork. What I mean is that most all motorcycles will wear the coating off the inside from normal use. This is a non-measurable amount and does not affect the performance of the fork. The Japanese brands will use a clear coating that is less noticeable of wear however the rubbing marks are still there.

I hope you enjoy your Beta.

Sincerely,"
I guess until someone has some actual data there no sense in arguing.

[bikesparky]

Ill try to get a bore mic in there at next oil change and see if the wear is actually measurable.
this is a copy of the email I received
"Hello Ilya,

We have seen this before on most models. Please keep in mind that this is an “internet” issue and not an issue with the fork. What I mean is that most all motorcycles will wear the coating off the inside from normal use. This is a non-measurable amount and does not affect the performance of the fork. The Japanese brands will use a clear coating that is less noticeable of wear however the rubbing marks are still there.

I hope you enjoy your Beta.

Sincerely,"
I guess until someone has some actual data there no sense in arguing.

All I can say is that mine had heaps of play at 60hrs. With the bike on a stand and pulling the front axle back and fort I could easily feel 10mm of play there. If there is play, there is wear....upon inspection the tubes where shit and the bushes brand new. Should be the other way arround!
My suspension guy does heaps of forks every week, he has only seen this issue on Sachs and marzocchi forks, on the others the bushes wear as they should.

Funny how they (manufacturers and distributors) use the internet for publicity and links to positive reviews until a problem surfaces, then it's web gossip.....Hate that stuff....

[KB112]

Ill try to get a bore mic in there at next oil change and see if the wear is actually measurable.
this is a copy of the email I received
"Hello Ilya,

We have seen this before on most models. Please keep in mind that this is an “internet” issue and not an issue with the fork. What I mean is that most all motorcycles will wear the coating off the inside from normal use. This is a non-measurable amount and does not affect the performance of the fork. The Japanese brands will use a clear coating that is less noticeable of wear however the rubbing marks are still there.

I hope you enjoy your Beta.

Sincerely,"
I guess until someone has some actual data there no sense in arguing.

All I can say is that mine had heaps of play at 60hrs. With the bike on a stand and pulling the front axle back and fort I could easily feel 10mm of play there. If there is play, there is wear....upon inspection the tubes where shit and the bushes brand new. Should be the other way arround!
My suspension guy does heaps of forks every week, he has only seen this issue on Sachs and marzocchi forks, on the others the bushes wear as they should.

Funny how they (manufacturers and distributors) use the internet for publicity and links to positive reviews until a problem surfaces, then it's web gossip.....Hate that stuff....

Tim is actually correct. I remember awhile back Honda buyers were getting upset because of this same issue, many had the coating worn at 10hrs. If the wear is in a band around a certain area, I would imagine there is binding in that area. Hard anodizing is not going to stop the binding, it eventually wear through just like the factory coating. Im not sure how you would get 10mm of play, between the thickness of the wall and the bushing you dont have 10mm of material. Maybe 10 thousands of play.

[oldman]

Got a reply from Beta USA from a nice man named Tim Pilg
apparently this wear pattern is normal and its just the color getting worn off..
and oil contamination is because of oil.. Beta uses motul
guess I'll try it at the next change.

[bikesparky]

Im not sure how you would get 10mm of play, between the thickness of the wall and the bushing you dont have 10mm of material. Maybe 10 thousands of play.

10 mm play at the axle with the bike on a stand, as explained in the post.
I did calculated at the time how much wear there was at the contact point of tube and bush.
I'm not at home now so I don't have the figures but it's not that hard to work out after measuring the lenght of the tube from bush to axle.

[Enmerdeur]

I have found the Sachs have looser tolerances even when new. Once you compress the forks about an inch the slop disappears so not really an issue while riding.

I found that at least on the CC forks most of the contamination is coming from the aluminum wear rings on the spring perches. Why they use aluminum there is beyond me.