Yet another update...
Today has seen a rapid U turn on my decision to use Maxton for the forks. The biggest reason being that getting to speak to anyone on the phone seems to be impossible and even if you leave a message they’re either not checking voicemail or they’ve got enough on not to worry. Whatever
Anyway, I’d been considering using Race Tech emulators rather than Maxton so I spoke to the guy who handles most of their kit in the UK but is also the designated suspension specialists for the Thundersports Championship so must know what he’s doing.
He’s going to get the fork stanchions re-chromed, ground and polished with the emphasis being on polished because I’ve used two other companies to chrome forks and they simply ground them leaving a rough finish that knackered new seals in less than 1,000 miles.
New Race Tech emulators which are fully adjustable but not as easy to do as Maxton because you have to remove the springs then fish the emulator out with a magnet. I can live with that.
He’ll also check the spring rate on my existing springs and if they need changing to suit my weight he’ll supply them.
He’ll also finish the fork bottoms black. They’re ‘natural’ aluminium right now and I’ve cleaned, removed minor bumps and scratches then polished them but as we all know, aluminium castings have a finish that can look porous even though it isn’t and they tarnish quickly so fuck that, they’re being finished gloss black. I’ve looked at countless pictures of Montjuics and some have black fork bottoms, some don’t and there’s no consistency so it doesn’t matter.
My engine parts are now in the country so progress there is in the lap of the Gods, sometimes known as UK customs. I’m expecting to wait a week
Brake calipers and wheels are work in progress so I’ll probably go back to random cleaning, painting and polishing parts that don’t really need doing