Kat Shock - Too Rusted to buy? (Part Deux)

[pronator]

Thanks for the explanation, guys. I'm sure it'll all make much more sense when I have a shock in my hands. I'm a very visual person and 3D is better than two. 

Buddha, I didn't know you had a blue shock.   I only knew that you had a yellow powdercoated kat shock for $50. And it was very, very tempting because I have a yellow GS. But finances got the better of me and I'll probably end up buying something cheap and ugly - but functional - to repaint. I wonder how much powdercoating would cost around here...

[The Buddha]

Blue ... 
The powderguy called me with a bunch of stuff done. He said he had a blue batch running in the next 1-2 days and my fenders etc will be done. I asked about the yellow, and he said they dont know when, so I decided to do in blue instead of yellow. So blue shock is the new yellow shock.
BTW I have several I popped open, I can do em in any color, I plan on doing silver under candy blue on one shock body (yes fluid capsule) and doing springs and stuff in black for that. A negative shock, this bike is black and silver+candy blue all over.
Cool.
Buddha.

[pronator]

 

You know what I'm going to ask, right?

What for it....wait for it....upload some photos, man! 

Seriously, I'd love to see this candy blue. And what would it cost to send you a shock to get powdercoated...when the next batch of yellow is done?

[The Buddha]

It will cost you $10-20 depending on what ... Spring alone in 1 color prolly $10, collars and cuff and what not, prolly $1-2 each. Blasting is included and he has a blaster that will tear anything off ... excellent for cleaning stuff and he aint afraid to use it. Like I said, he does industrial stuff, like whole 2 storey spiral staircases, car bodies, trailer frames, kitchen hoodies etc etc etc ...
I aint making a run to drop or pick up the stuff unless its added to a batch of my stuff or I am running there anyway, cos its 38 miles to my door from there, 1 way by the shortest route.
Now candy blue is transparent blue. The thing makes sense only if its put on a base color, and I put it on a very speckled silver which has flakes of mylar in it. It totally catches the sun and reflects like the facets in a diamond ... I been doing a lot of silver under candy blue, this shock spring however is a regular blue, shocks usually never catch the sun much, and I wasn't waiting for yellow and can live with this or sell this shock or fit it on my non wild colored bike.
Anyway, I can ask them next week when they do yellow next.
Cool.
Buddha.

[The Buddha]

BTW if you need a shock done, send it to me, I'll split it and get it coated and refit it back and send it to you. However I dont control 90% of the time (powdercoating) and dont ask for matching this or for "chartreuse" type BS ... powder coat and a color that is 1 word in english is all I can ask him to do. Blue is OK, not electric blue and definitely not chartreuse.
Splitting and refitting will take me 2 mins, so I'd pretty much do it for what they charge me. But dont say you need it by the 6th thursday of may or BS OK.

Now with a small reservation ... I can slice a fluid column open and re seal, and refit the shock ... but it will cost you over $100 Or close to. When that is open it can also be powdercoated, but again single word english etc etc ... shock body can be 1 color and spring can be another ... like a black and silver to sorta match a black and silver bike.

All remote reservoir shocks are equipped with fluid columns you can unscrew. Those can be rebuilt/resealed etc for $10 or less, which is also why they command a premium. I can reseal them too.
Cool.
Buddha.

[pronator]

Wait, does that mean that getting the coil in Gamboge or Alizarin is out?

I'm feeling pretty dense here but when you say you can split it and get the shock body and spring powdercoated different colors, that's the easy job right? Meaning you'd just charge what the powder guys charge and the two colors would break down like the picture below?

The $100 would be if you opened up and then resealed the fluid column.

And I had such high hopes for a spring that looked like this. Damn.

[The Buddha]

Gamba what ... sorry my ghey to english translation isn't that good ... Oh ... green you say ... OK I could do green, but I wont ... 

Now I can remove the springs, collars, end plates etc etc and powdercoat all the metal that isn't filled with fluid.
The fluid capsule, the chrome rod and the end fittings cant be powdercoated, they can only be painted. That operation needs a good fluid capsule and seal set, and then its doable easy. Pay for powder and paint and its good.

The next step - cutting open the fluid column and replacing seals. That will cost ya, I have just completed one of these, and this will be 100+ Now here I can powdercoat anything ...

In a remote reservoir shock like I am selling (katana 600/750 88-98 shock is not remote reservoir) the opening and rebuilding part is very easy, they have screwed on end caps in teh fluid column. You pop the shock open, then just go on and unscrew the end cap with a spanner, measure and buy the seals and O rings in there and fit it back on. This is likely to cost $10 or so ...

How often do the shocks blow ... I blew one in 03 after 7-8 years of regular use, it also is a upside down design compared to the katana (fluid column is up and chrome rod is down) ...so it helped the seals stay soft IMHO. A bike that sat can lose stuff like this faster than one that was used. the chrome rod is just about all that cannot be replaced IMHO. It gets rust pits and its adios.
Cool.
Buddha.

[The Buddha]

Oh I forgot, remote reservoir shocks have 300 Psi nitrogen in the reservoir. I have to bleed it first before opening it. Refilling it may be 20-30 bucks.
Cool.
Buddha.

[pronator]

Buddha, thanks for breaking it down.