Polishing vs chroming

[Diablotin]

Hi guys,

Just wanted some opinion about polishing.
I had my wheels polished about 1y ago but it keeps on getting oxidizing.
It's not that bad but hand polishing is taking a lot of time and results are not amazing.

Is there anyway to keep a clean mirror polish for a long time ? clear coat ?

I always have the possibility to chrome or to paint them, but I really like the metal look which is more natural.

Has someone already tried to have chrome removed ? is the result good ?

Still checking for option on my painting theme

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Once you polish them, you become a slave to them....always polishing. Not sure what the best route is; clear coat, paint,powder coat....or keep polishing! Some people don't mind polishing. Its like a labor of love to them! I would rather powder coat and ride!

 

[Diablotin]

I totally agree
I don't mind spending time and cleaning every week, I love to see my bike shinny
But the hand polished wheels, it just doesn't work for me.

I thought there will be a smart way before getting a polishing wheel and finding a way to remove the wheel each time.

 

[EvilD]

I polished my scoops, going to clear them soon. That should take care of the oxidizing and the need to constantly polish

 

[1967vmax]

Take my advice CHROME IT!!!! My 85 i polished and in a few days you could see it start to loose the luster, My 02 has just about everything chromed except the wheels, and it took me 1.5 hrs to polish my RC s I may chrome them next yr, Sean already has my first 2 girls college fund. LOl JIM

 

[spursmech]

unk: Hey, Chrome everything you can. It's the only way to go, looks better also. It does not cost much more than polishing does. You will still have to clean it often or it looks bad. Spur

 

[88vmx12]

ok here is what I think about polishing vs chroming. I like the looks of polishing better than chrome because I think that polishing has a better and deeper look about it. The down side as many has said, you are now a slave to the polish. Now chrome I like because it is very easy to take care of. So I have most of my stuff chromed because the ease of maintanence. You can have chrome removed, I suggest sending it in to your local chrome shop. They have the chemicals that it takes to remove it. Now for you on your polished wheels if you are wanting to have them chromed. Make sure that you inquire the pricing if your wheels are already polished. The price will and should be less. due to the fact that polishing is the last major step before dipping your parts for chroming. Because the finished product (chrome) will only be as smooth as what is underneath it ( Polished ). My wheels are polished I will hate taking care of them but that is just way too much chrome LOL

Gannon

 

[vmaximum]

Chrome....:no no no: chrome does not last. chrome scratches and you cant repair. yes it will stay shiny longer with no love put into it, but when you get that 1st scratch 2nd sctatch your done it will look like crap until you fork out more $ to fix it. and it does not last. on the other hand you have to put alot of time into your un-clearcoated aluminum. yes if you clear coat the aluminum it will fade/tarnish or whatever eventually if you use cheap clear coat. their are anti graffiti wet spray clear coat sprays that take 2+ days to dry in the booth and will last a long time without fading/tarnishing. the key is a good clear coat. i have a friend that has it done on front end of a old car and leaves it in sun year round with no cover for last 4+ years and clear coat has not faded. again...

you scuff chrome = cant repair
you scuff clear coat = you can fix

i personally put alot of time and love in cleaning my vmax. rims without clear coat would be a pain in the ass and too much work for me to keep oh so nice especially when i do not have a garage atm. im in the process of getting them powder coated. just got my scoops, diaphram covers, kerker exhaust(no emblem), foot pegs back from polisher about an hour ago! OMG so bitchen! good luck on your decision as i see alot of people weighing towards chrome. i would suggest to go to a finishing shop and talk to someone there and get advise from them.

 

[EvilD]

It does not cost much more than polishing does. Spur

Cost me less than $20 to get the stuff I needed to polish my scoops, your can't get chrome any where near that price.

 

[vmaximum]

a pic of my cover fresh back from polisher.

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Polishing will last longer also if you do not get the bike wet! Water (rain or tap) has a nasty tendency to promote oxidation.

 

[Diablotin]

Thanks for the input guys.
I guess my main problem is the humidity here which is around 90%.
Everything is oxidizing no matter what.

I'm planning to go to a metal shop next week to see what they will say, they do chroming, black chroming, powder coating and so on.

But from what I have read, polishing with clear coat doesn't always give good results on a long term. It can fade and in some case oxidize under the clear coat.

My scoops, grad bar are chromed and it's always shinny. The only bad thing is I noticed crack in the chrome after years.

So I guess there's no miracle.

My goal was to go for more a street fighter look rather than a custom one, a black v-max and maybe keeping some chromed/polished parts (maybe black chrome) or going to a full gloss paint (PC for the wheels).

 

[one2dmax]

Chrome will far outlast the polish if proper care is taken care of (look at some of the cars with 50 years on them). Polish can be redone but you have to do it all the time.

Black chrome will scratch more easily. We haven't had the colored chrome long enough to get a very good feedback yet but they are chromed then powdercoated to get the colors. They should be very durable.

 

[vmaximum]

Chrome will far outlast the polish if proper care is taken care of (look at some of the cars with 50 years on them). Polish can be redone but you have to do it all the time.

true sean but that was the good ole days. the chrome on the old cars is the real stuff, those chemicals are no longer allowed in the US. i know of connections that send stuff to mexico because they dont have the restrictions we do here.

 

[slowpoke]

have you thought about powder coating? i had mine done last year and would do it over again if given the chance

 

[Diablotin]

yes I'm already inquiring for it.
So far I get 40$ per wheel for a black gloss coating vs 80$ for chroming.
The guy will drop by my house this week for estimating the cost.

I still need to see how they proceed and how the result looks like.

 

[slowpoke]

woah i just noticed you were int he pi... i lived a few miles from pinatubo back in 92

 

[4gasem]

Your bike would look bad ass with black wheels... I'm not a HUGE fan of shiny black wheels but they have there place. I'd be more apt to go semi on them but that's me.

Chris

 

[Diablotin]

woah i just noticed you were int he pi... i lived a few miles from pinatubo back in 92

yeah not so far from Manila, but I guess more fun to ride there than here with those crazy drivers lol

 

[Diablotin]

Your bike would look bad ass with black wheels... I'm not a HUGE fan of shiny black wheels but they have there place. I'd be more apt to go semi on them but that's me.

Chris

I'm thinking to give up the chrome and polish and to go for something like that :