FM350 wrote:Here in the UK its often cheaper to buy a used pair of modern 38mm forks from Ebay, than mess around getting OE re-chromed.
Hi FM350,
Here in Australia if a person wants to compete in trials in any of the Motorcycling Australia affiliated clubs they need to comply with the General Competition Rules in the Manual of Motorcycle Sport. Under those rules a bike such as the TY of the original poster would fall into the category of "Post Classic" more commonly known as Twinshock. In those rules twinshock is a sub-set of Classic, and as such shares most of the rules and principals.
For anyone who has never seen them I'll copy a couple of the most relevant bits here :
23.5.0.1 The eligibility and dating of Classic Motorcycles shall be considered in terms
of major and minor components and the period of the motorcycle shall be the
period of the latest major component.
23.5.0.2 Major components are:
a) All engine and gearbox external castings,
b) Frames,
c) Brakes,
d) Wheel hubs,
e) Forks, and
f) Carburettors
23.5.0.4 Major components that were manufactured outside the period, but which are visually
indistinguishable from period components shall be eligible for that period.
23.5.0.5 All other components shall be considered as minor components.
23.5.0.6 Minor components may be modified or updated provided that they remain
visually compatible with the period being depicted.
Now the reason I said all of that was so that I could say this.......
FM350, Why is it that nearly every time you offer any advice on old bikes you seem to be recommending modifications which would use parts from outside the era of the bikes, and render them ineligible for competition here ... and yet at the same time you drive everyone crazy with your complaining about the unfairness of including in competition highly modified bikes incompatible with the era being depicted. Why do you seem to practice the opposite of what you preach?