Just thought I would let you all see my current problem, that of peeling chrome on the forks. 2010 abs model with Marazocchi forks. It appears that the stanchions are corroding from the inside out. I noticed what looked like a couple of stone chips on the RH fork following a deep clean after me France trip. On closer inspection I found the damage on the LH fork and two further marks in areas that would usually be protected by the front mudguard. No Chips are visible on the guard BTW. Ducati Wolverhampton and Ducati UK have been great. The forks are soon to be replaced under warranty. Its not just the S models with suspension issues! US ABS wallers clearly don't want to be left out.
There must have been a bad batch because clearly the plating was faulty. How could Ducati/Dealer do anything but replace them as you havent done anything wrong.
It's impossible to tell what caused that but we have had two cold winters on the trot and the amount of salt put down plays havoc with chrome.
Dont know how and when the bike was used prior to my buying it but it has just gone through 3000 miles. the rest of the bike looks like it hasn't seen much in the way of salt etc. There is a little corrosion around some of the fastners but that I feel is in line with the cheap bolts etc that tend to get used during manufacture. I would be interested seeing a metallurgy report but I somehow doubt I will ever get to that stage.
I'm no expert on this sort of thing but it looks to me like the Chroming process was at fault, as the chrome doesn't appear to have stuck to the steel. I would think you'll need new tubes and obviously seals as they've almost certainly been damaged.
+1... Not overfamiliar with the chroming process but it would appear that one process was faulty/didnt happen & the chrome is now falling off... is there any other cases of this happening? Ducati.ms etc?
There's a similar issue with the shaft chrome on my rear shock. It'll be knackered and replaced before it becomes an issue though.
If chrome is left with winter salt on it fo any period of time, it will deteriorate rapidly. Trouble with fork legs especially at the bottom, is the salt and grit gets worked into the fork seals and acts as a nice grinding paste.
That may well be the case but it has clearly come off in blobs which is not the result of normal wear , even allowing for salt. The chromium plating will not adhere properly during the manufacturing process if for example the leg got splashed with an oily substance. The way it is pockmarked is clearly not normal wear.
Looks like stone pitting has started the problem, small chips now have corrosion in and started to peal the chrome off..
Nope, definitely not stone chips, looking at the right hand leg there are no other dinks scratches or otherwise that elude to stones. One of the "marks" is slightly round the back of the fork leg not a place associated with stones. The fork is definitely corroding from inside out so my thought is that the steel tubes were defective from the outset, bearing in mind these things are manufactured in pairs. It is a full set of new forks on their way. Looking around it doesnt seem to be a common problem I must just have been unlucky!
