Rust on lower fork bracket

[VicsCB1100_imp]

[url=http://s286.photobucket.com/user/owdbugger/media/20140306_140055.jpg.html]

Well here is one area of concern, underneath rear fender, that was clean last week, had two rides on which I thought there was no road salt,, bike is kept in a ventilated garage, just bright tin plating , will rust in hours, hope acf50 helps just of to get some.

Chrome plating is not very thick and will not live up to rock impingement forever. You could consider rubberized undercoating.

Chrome plating is not very thick and will not live up to rock impingement forever. You could consider rubberized undercoating.
Hi Dakota

My bike which has never been in the rain anf the underside of my guards looked similar to your photos. If not slightly worse. The rest of the bike is fine so far.

This bike is a 2011 model, meticulously cleaned, never ridden in the rain and always garaged.

We dont have salted roads here in Australia so that is not an issue.

I have just cleaned and repaired the guards using some products that I have used very successfully on boat trailers with steel parts used in salt water.

I used a rust converter that I bought from a Marine supplier called Fertran. After cleaning of dirt and loose rust you simply paint it on. It is water clean up.
The rusted parts turn black and form a protective coating after reacting with the iron oxide(rust) after a few hours. It was amazing to see how many parts of the guard actually turned black. That chrome is not thick at all and virtually transparent in patches.

After the Fertan has done its job overnight you can over paint the surface. I have used a Rust protection paint from PPG called Rust Guard. It is an epoxy paint.

I will look for a more durable coating to apply over that in the areas that are likely to get stone chips.

If you catch the rust early and seal off the air and moisture this should be a long term fix. One of my boat trailers had some no galvanised parts and this treatment survived a few years of dipping in the ocean.

Whilst Honda should properly apply automotive quality plating to the guards, that will take some lobbying. In the meantime if I lived in your salt road environment a coat of Cold Galvanising paint with a protective top coat would be my first job from new.

Chrome guards have always been a problem on Jap bikes. These new CBs look to have even thinner chrome than my CBs from the 70's. One of which (1977 CB750K7) I only sold 6 months ago with the original guards still shiny and intact.