by GMP » Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:29 am
After looking at everything in detail, my feeling is that the anodizing is just not that great consistantly. Same inner and outer. Cosmetic color T2 anodize is done at a lower current, higher temp, and yeilds a thinner layer. I too had a grain of sand stuck on the top edge of the lower triple and it easily scratched off the red coating when I twisted the fork out, very thin. Also when I buffed the internal bore it was being removed with aluminum polish. I originally thought there may have been debri in the fork but that is unlikely being it had two prior oil changes, what I found came from the upper tube. The bushing on the affected leg had a slight twist so its possible it did not float properly in the land of the lower, and grabbed the inner wall of the upper on its edge. The bore of the right side upper looked like a cylinder that had a piston seizure. Other tube also had early stages of wear but no scoring. May just be a combination of things. Yes, many (most) have no issues but it is happening to some. Keep everything clean and serviced, and watch the oil. The bad thing is it pushes the fouled oil into the cartridge where it can do more damage. We will see what happens, hopefully it will be servicable for the year.
Glenn
'13 Beta 300RR Racing