Removal of swingarm

Since we now have winter in Finland and it is not possible to ride my black darling have i been thinking on doing some small color changes.

Have any one removed the rear singarm

I thinking of removing it and paint or eloxate it black. (what's the word in english) I actually had this idea before i did see the 990R

The same with the alu Y-bar that supports the belly pan/battery.

and also thinking on the rear support frame.

Any ideas what else ?

have the fork sliders coated in gold nitrite? look great in contrast to the black

Gregz: Thanks for the advice

The problem with annodising is that depending on the aluminium it has a sligthly difference in the color, I don't want to have diffrent shades of black.

We do use both Powder coating and annodising in my work so acces to it is no problem, just send it to the sub-contractor.

I have to check the swingarm and what the tolerances are, this depends also on the painter on how much the spray on it.

The problem now is to get the bike supported while i unscrew all the parts

I have now got some of the parts back that i did send for anodising.

Somehow did the company not anodis all the parts and I belive that they where not satisfied whit the finnish, they said that it is difficult to get a good finnish on this type of alu, but I don't mind if it is matt black.

I belive will have the other parts painted insted and paint is also more wear resistant.

I think it depends on what the part is used for. If it has any moving parts, like the swingarm for instance, tolerances have to be taken into account, although you could argue masking areas like where the bearings sit. But the wheel adjuster blocks and the brake caliper mount, need to move. These items would start to look very second hand very quickly after adjusting the chain a few times, and the caliper mount may not want to slide in it's groove thanks to the thickness of the coating. Also, powder coating, whilst very durable, can still chip so using it near the back wheel would be debatable. Anodising however, is just as hard wearing, corrosion resistant, and astheticaly more pleasing on aluminium. The swingarm is already anodised silver, it's just a case of changing the colour. Powder coating is excelent in the right places, I've already had the wheels done satin black, and have sent the engine mounting plates and subframe to be done. The swingarm, adjuster blocks and rearset footpegs have gone for anodising for the reasons mentioned above

Good points regarding the swingarm - as you say, the adjusty bits would look sh1te in no time, but I was mainly talking about the brake and gear pedals as per the pic.

Don't forget to post up some pix of the SA once you get it back.

No comments.. but some info regarding powdercoating / anodising:

Anodising:
1) Is a micron thick layer of 'oxidisation' on aluminium (very thin)
2) To anodise aluminium, you need to remove the natural oxidisation layer first - ususally done bathing in caustic soda
3) An anodised surface is considerably harder then unanodised surface, but will still scratch as it is very thin
4) To anodise a surface you use electrolisis in an acid mix and do it in a cold temperature controlled bath - using a specific time/current setting depending on total surface area
5) The anodising thickness can be increased depending on the settings and length of time/temp/current used
6) Colouring anodising is as easy as using the correct dye in the acid (incedently black is the hardest to infuse and the dye significantly dearer than other colours)
7) Texture is totally dependant on the finished surface and brings out any (even minor) imperfections
8 ) anyone can anodise at home with simple equipment and formula's, but black needs different settings and delicate setting to work - few people achieve a good black finish (BTW - Red is the easiest to apply).
It is VERY DANGEROUS and is (esp for large items) better done by professionals

See for more info:

Powdercoating:
1) Powdercoating is actaully painting... using similar paint products but delivered in a dry powder medium - approx <1mm thick
2) Curing paint is done by baking in temperature (as opposed to paint drying)
3) The coating is very tough and is abbrasion resistant, but its traits are to fill the surace with a thick coating. Thickness can be increased or decreased easily
4) The surface need to be sandblasted and cleaned to provide a solid coating surface.
5) It easily covered surface deformities
6) The colour and texture can be almost anything - huge choice
7) Powdercoating takes specialised equipment and needs to be baked. This is almost always a job for professionals

See for more info:

Which is best - depends on your preference.... but the simple question is usually:

"Does the final item require close surface/fitting tollerences"
if yes - then you need anodising
if no - you can use both

"Does the final item require covering of minor surface impfections"
if yes - then you need powdercoating
if no - you can use both

Regarding the swingarm:

Use annodising for easy re-fit.

If you choose to use powdercoating, you will need to mask off some areas before spraying (wheel blocks points, bolt holes, mating surfaces, bearing inners, etc) or be prepared to sand/grind off these surfaces to make things fit.

Anyway... hopfully you can use this info