Harley Chrome

M

mustangmike

New member
Going to venture into new territory and detail the neighbor's Harley. He's upset with himself because the bike is new and he already has light scratches all over the paint and windshield. Doesn't look like a huge problem to me, I have plenty of stuff that will remove scratches and polish the paint and windshield. I'll follow up with Klasse and some Collinite 476.

The area that I'm not sure of is the chrome near the engine. He says it gets pretty hot near the engine, melted his boot on the exhaust pipe already. I have lots of stuff to clean the chrome but I'm wondering if I should try to coat the chrome with the Klasse. I don't think wax would hold up to the heat but Klasse might have a fighting chance. I've checked some supplier sites and haven't seen anything dedicated to sealing or waxing hot chrome.

What say ye, oh experienced bike detailers? :help:
 
I'd give it a shot with Klasse. I don't think it will be able to stand up to that kind of heat though, but you don't really have much to lose....If it was up to me I would just clean it with Pro Polish and leave it alone.
 
I've done as many bikes this summer as I have cars seems like:D

On the chrome where the leather or rubber has melted to the pipe..WD40 or goo gone will take most if not all that off...Steel wool 0000 is something that I use as well with the WD40..it will not scratch the chrome..then for a good metal polish PB PP 2 is great on all metal surfaces on the bike..or if you can find Semi-chrome

for the plastic windshields, PB PP is one that I always use, or a paint cleaner...it will not harm the plastic...make sure to use a cotton applicator it gets a better bite on the plastic:D

For the paint..follow the same as any painted surface..I polish lightly on most all bikes...glaze with PB BH, seal and wax
 
Thanks for all the tips guys. I like the PB PP too, use it on a lot of stuff, works great.

I might try the Klasse on the chrome parts around the engine but I think I'll leave the exhaust pipe just cleaned and polished. Not sure what the Klasse would look like if the heat fried it.

The owner likes the Collinite over Klasse package, I applied it to his and his wife's vehicles. It's one of my personal favorites, great durability.
 
mustangmike said:
Thanks for all the tips guys. I like the PB PP too, use it on a lot of stuff, works great.

I might try the Klasse on the chrome parts around the engine but I think I'll leave the exhaust pipe just cleaned and polished. Not sure what the Klasse would look like if the heat fried it.

The owner likes the Collinite over Klasse package, I applied it to his and his wife's vehicles. It's one of my personal favorites, great durability.
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The Klasse sealant on the chrome will do nothing but make it look shiny, once the pipe heats up it will be gone. I put a coat of wax on the chrome just for the shiny factor only :D
 
Right, the Klasse will probably just disappear. I guess I was thinking that it might turn brown and green and stain the pipe forever. :crazy2:

I do like the shiny factor though, it makes for a good first impression. :inspector:
 
I use PB Wheel sealant on the chrome of Harleys and can tell you that when it burns off it doesn't leave any residue or staining. PP FTW on chrome. I use a wool pad on my rotary to remove the burnt on boot marks with PP works great and very fast too with no marring. I chip off what I can with a plastic razor blade first though.
 
Still have some PB wheel sealant, could give that a try. I generally use Klasse on my wheels, good durability.

Dave, what is PP FTW? Can't quite figure that one out. I do have the plastic razor blade, pretty handy tool.
 
mustangmike said:
Going to venture into new territory and detail the neighbor's Harley.
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What model & color? Most late model H-D clear coats are medium hard and easy to correct and finish. The exception is the metal painted parts on the dressers & Softails that come out of the York, PA plant. The fiberglass parts come out of Tomahawk, WI and appear to have a totally different CC. Some of the colors on metal parts on the dressers are miserable, especially Vivid Black. It polishes like a medium-hard CC but you impart marring just wiping off the polish residue like a super-soft CC. Sometimes tough to finish micromarring-free.

I've found on these troublesome CCs the opposite of what you'd normally do works.... polishing with a soft pad and aggressive polish then finishing with a polishing or cutting pad with a finishing polish produces the best results. On black I remove polish residue with a soft WW and liberal QD, otherwise you risk imparting marring on the tins. All for naught as the first time the guy washes his bike and dries it he's gonna swirl it up again.

OEM H-D shields are coated polycarbonate. Polish too aggressively and you'll be staring at an optically distorted spot. Don't ask how I know this. :wall I no longer machine polish stock H-D shields, I use Novus 3-step solutions by hand. What that won't remove you're stuck with. Polish and protect with Plexxus.

Anything chrome near the engine or exhaust will burn off anything you put on it. Glare Pro Polish claims to be impervious to burning off at those temperatures. Preliminary results on my bikes indicated it's still there after a coupla thousand mile trip. Stuff shines great on chrome and sheets rather than beads preventing spotting. Best you can do is polish with Nevr Dull or whatever you prefer. Wax or sealant is a waste of time.

If you have metal spokes to polish make sure they're chrome or don't bother. The stock wire spokes are cadmium plated and once they start to go there's no bringing 'em back. Only thing you'll do is polish the thin cadmium coating off. If you're dealing with uncoated, polished cast aluminum wheels S100 or P21S polishing soap works better and easier than anything else. Microfiber or nitrile gloves while you're working on wheels if you value your knuckles.

On wrinkle black engine & tranny cases S100 Engine Brightener available at most bike shops looks great and revives faded black. Longevity is pretty decent.

TL
 
OK, gotcha Dave. LOL.

Thanks for your comments TL, sounds like you have been around bikes for a while. I'm not sure what model the bike is, I'm guessing an Electra Glide or a Road Glide. I only saw it for a few minutes. It does have wire wheels. The color is a royal blue which I think is their pearl blue, looks like it scratches pretty easily. I'll have to educate the owner on how to keep it clean without scratching it. As soon as I learn how myself, LOL.

The Glare polish looks interesting, never heard of that before. I see that they claim 5 year durability which makes me a little skeptical. That would be good on the chrome.

I do have the 3 step Novus plastic polish, it works great on the Mustang clear instrument covers and taillights. I've used the PB PP on snowmobile windshields before with great results.

Might have to try the S100 products too if what I have doesn't do what I want it too. Always interesting to try new stuff. As if I needed any more products, LOL. :rockon
 
mustangmike said:
Thanks for your comments TL, sounds like you have been around bikes for a while.
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Naw, I just read a lot. :D

mustangmike said:
I'm not sure what model the bike is, I'm guessing an Electra Glide or a Road Glide.
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ElectraGlides have the traditional fork-mounted batwing fairing, usually with the twin passing lamps... pic of one in my profile. Road Glides have the shark-nosed, frame-mounted fairing with the dual headlamps. Regardless, it's a dresser which would make me suspicious the CC on the tin... tank especially... might be a PITA.

mustangmike said:
I only saw it for a few minutes. It does have wire wheels.
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The stockers were the cad plated ones. Many ordered the upgrade wheels with chrome spokes. A little polish on a spoke will quickly tell which you're dealing with.

mustangmike said:
I'll have to educate the owner on how to keep it clean without scratching it. As soon as I learn how myself, LOL.
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There's a method if you do them a lot. I always wash the tank first while my wash media is perfectly clean. Then the rest of the paint leaving the front fairing for last because that's where the bugs and scratch-inducing contaminents are found. Then I switch to a grungy utility mitt for all the grungier non-painted parts and wheels.

mustangmike said:
The Glare polish looks interesting, never heard of that before. I see that they claim 5 year durability which makes me a little skeptical. That would be good on the chrome.
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I'm skeptical of many of their claims as well. I initially tried it on the recommendation of a detailer that finds it useful on some of the trouble-spots nothing else worked on. Worked for me too. Discovering how nice it works on chrome and seems to stand up to high temps was a bonus. It can be found a lot cheaper with OEM labels... many Honda dealers have it labeled Honda Glare Professional Polish. I've heard it's labeled for other marques as well.

mustangmike said:
Might have to try the S100 products too if what I have doesn't do what I want it too.
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Many S100 products are near-equivalents of P21S. I found them all to be comparable and much cheaper. Many of the online vendors that feature motorcycle products carry the whole line. Word of warning... the S100 Total Cycle Wash is touted as a spray-on, rinse-off product for the lazy that are disinclined to do the hard work. Many use it as a cheaper substitute for TAW. Used undiluted it stains polished aluminum and is almost impossible to remove from hot parts. Some numbnuts "detailer" at a dealer sprayed it on a hot, silver engine on a customer's new bike and when they couldn't remove the staining they thought they were gonna have to replace the engine for him. A call to H-D yielded a novel solution... Scrubbing Bubbles, the foaming bathroom cleaner! Works great for lots of things on bikes and cars :) That coupled with some small brushes and swabs is the ticket for cleaning the tight spots on engines before brightening 'em up. As for that, Pig Spit is another product comparable to S100 Engine Brightener. I've tried CD2 and a lot of other products targeted for autos and they stink on a hot engine and burn off quick. The S100 and Pig Spit are nice finishing touches and really bring back faded wrinkle black engine cases.

mustangmike said:
Always interesting to try new stuff. As if I needed any more products, LOL. :rockon
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Yeah, right. I'm gonna have to build another garage just to house detailing products before it's over.... :wall

TL
 
TL, it's got air vents on the front fairing. They are black plastic wind wings, can be adjusted to direct air on you while cruising to keep you cool. Heard of those? I want to say it's got the twin passing lamps but I could be wrong on that. Sometimes I didn't see what I thought I saw, LOL.

I have used S100 paste wax. It was so easy to use I waxed everything with it for a while. Durability wasn't great but it looked good. Got it at the Harley dealer online when they had a sale on it.

Good to see a new use for scrubbing bubbles, LOL. I have some stains on some polished aluminum car engine parts I might try it on.

Thanks,TL, great info. :yourrock
 
mustangmike said:
TL, it's got air vents on the front fairing. They are black plastic wind wings, can be adjusted to direct air on you while cruising to keep you cool. Heard of those?
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The adjustable ones are on '09 and newer Electra Glides. They swirl easy, M105 cleans 'em right up by hand.

Don't forget under the fuel fill door... often overlooked and it gets pretty gunky in there from spilled fuel. When they redesigned the 6 gallon tanks an air bubble was created in the top and getting the last 1/2 gallon in takes about 20 - 30 mini pulls on the pump handle. Get one of those tight, uncooperative pumps and there's no way to avoid making a mess. Which explains swirls on the top of the tank. It's a natural reaction to wipe the splattered fuel off, frequently with those crap paper towels hanging at gas stations.

I'd suggest having the owner remove the saddlebags for you. They've been using those bogus Dzuz fasteners since the 60s. Might want to take a rubber mat or something to set them on so you don't scratch up the bottoms setting them on concrete or asphalt.

If he yanks the seat for you it makes it easier to get the rearmost portions of the tank. If you do any wiping around under there or polish the now-exposed top of the rear fender be careful around electrical connections. The ECM sits right there on top of the battery and a tug on a wire frequently ends up in a troubleshooting session when something doesn't work. Lots of electricals under the small sidecovers so avoid blasting around there with water. I wouldn't bother taking them off because when you see the crud underneath you'll be tempted to clean it up a bit which can result in hours of fun with Q tips and swabs. A hundred miles later they'll be full of road crud again.

I generally recommend just cleaning up the rubber pads on the footboards.. no dressing there or on handgrips. I use PB's Natural Look on mine as well as on rubber floor mats in the car but you have to be sure you buff off the slightest residue. The underside of the rider footboards is a crud accumulator as well. Cheezy chrome on the underside and a prime place for corrosion to start. Brillo or SOS works well.

TL
 
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