I'm new to Harleys and I made a stupid rookie mistake.Now I'm looking for some chrome-cleaning advice.

I took the SG out for a long ride on Tuesday and the roads were still damp. There must have been some residual salt or ice-melting chemicals still on the road (I'm in NY), and now the leading edges of my triple tree won't come clean.Feels rough to the touch and has spots and stains that won't wash off.

I made two big mistakes: taking the bike out without waiting for some rain to clean the roads, and I didn't know enough about chrome to know that it needed to be cleaned immediately (it sat for 2 days).

Any advice appreciated -- thanks ...

 

i don't think your trees are chrome - polished aluminum.

 

I did the same about the same thing. But the triple tree on SB is polished aluminum. I rubbed onthe bottom bracket (the windshield protected the upper one)for about an hour with aluminum cleaner/polish. Got about 95% off. My paint and chrome apparently had enough wax on to protect them. What got on them washed right off. Don't know what to tell you about pitted chrome.

 

Never dull and some elbow grease. It is polished aluminum and you probably already have some oxydation happening there. I have to go over mine down here in Houston about every 2 months to keep ythem looking good. Mothers polish works well on aluminum too. If it's really messed up I'd go over it with the mothers and a cloth first and then go back for a final rub down with never dull to fine tune.

 

+1 on the Never Dull

I had same issue with my rocker boxes last spring. I bought my SG in March and rode it all over creation during some of the winter thaw and got similar spotting on areas. The Never Dull works flawless and will give you a great shine when its all polished up.

I wouldn't waste your money on any other polishing compund out there

 

break cleaner

 

Mother's works very well.

DougJ

 

Is the polished aluminum on the triple trees coated on? Can it be rubbed off? The reason I asked is when I got my bike used there were scratches on the triple tree which I tried to get out with steel wool. Thought it was solid but it seemed to have taken away the finish? Can this be buffed out with polish? Can it be fixed? I'm bummed.

 

Easy fix,0000 steel wool and mothers billit aluminum polish,then again with a soft cloth and Semichrome polish. Keep the steelwool saturated with polish while you're useing it.

Good Luck

Tom

 

+1 On what TOMMAY SAID. Semichrome Rocks for the final finnish. Don't use any harsh chemicals.
Let us know what you come up with. Don't panic you will get it looking good.