Anodizing

[Wasp]

Would anyone know or have educated guess when anodizing was first implemented by a manufacturer in  OEM part manufacturing ?

[geoff]

Hi Walter, Thinking back I had a 1973 Cheney B50 BSA with a blue anodized tank so it has probably been around for quite a while before Eric started to have his tanks done.

[Momus]

Manufacturers have been using it since the mid 1920's- so almost 100 years.

[Wasp]

Hi Walter, Thinking back I had a 1973 Cheney B50 BSA with a blue anodized tank so it has probably been around for quite a while before Eric started to have his tanks done.

Thanks for that info , the first time I have seen color anodizing , was on a Kramer-Maico around mid seventy . So Cheney was perhaps the first . I know  the process was invented 1923 for the aviation industry , but it must have taken years to find its way into European motorcycling and then much later to Japan . What year did the Japs fit the first anodized parts ?

[Momus]

Probably on wheel rims. Then as now the majors make hardly anything on bikes from wrought material suitable for anodising so most of it gets a paint type coating of some sort or is out of the weather well oiled. Edit. Color anodised throttle slides appeared on some Mikuni carbs mid 70s

[shoom]

Um, I saw astronauts with anodized air fittings on their suits in the mid 60s..
And weren't the original AN fittings back in WW2 time anodized too??