Hi folks,
I've been lurking for a year or more, but just now bought my first HD, a black 2003 Fatboy. I'm really proud of the bike and feel like I got a really good deal on it, low mileage (8K) and some extra chrome and pipes. The only catch was that the guy that owned it didn't spend a lot of time cleaning it. It came with the HD polished aluminum wheels and they had quite a collection of brake dust and grime on them. I got quite a bit of it off with soapy water and elbow grease, but I feel like it's going to take quite a bit more work to get them completely clean. My question is, do those wheels have a layer of clearcoat over the aluminum, or are they just polished with no layer or clearcoat? If no clearcoat, then I imagine a polishing session with some good aluminum polish will get them clean, if their is a clearcoat, then I'm up for suggestions on how to get them shining again.

Thanks in advance,
Daniel

 

Hey man.....I recently picked up a Deuce with the same problem.....The onlything I've found so far that works really well is NeverDull.........and a TON of elbow grease......my rear wheel is looking almost brand new now (is 10 years old).......mine doesn't appear to be clearcoated, I imagine it is the same for yours.........

 

A friend bought me a can of Eagle metal polish. About the same thing as never dull. It's a wadding polish. It takes a lot of elbow grease but it made the aluminum on my FB wheels shine.

(Just as reference, the pic in my sig shows dirty wheels, before cleaning with the Eagle wadding)

 

I used S100 polishing soap on my rims when I got the bike as it had not been cleaned very often. It worked pretty well. then I hit it with Flitz metal polish and a powerball.

Drew

 

i polish mine every couple of weeks. this winter i'll be taking them off to get them professionally polished then clear coated so i don't have to worry about it too much anymore. there is a company around here called transwheel that refurbishes car wheels that are heavily oxidized, bent and or cracked. when they are done with them you can't tell anything was ever wrong with them.

 

I had some pretty rough Spoke Wheels on my 1998 Sportster when I 1st got it. tried everything and couldn't bet even the flat polished surfaces cleaned up let alone the rough cast areas.

Bought a second set of wheels and rear pulley, took them metal masters and had them Beauty bead blasted and mirror polished. On my way out of the shop the guy asked what I was going to seal the wheels with as the rough cast areas would just suck the grime back up.

I bought some Duplicolor Wheel Paint, Primer and Sealer and did them myself. Powder coat would most likely have been a better option but the paint has held up well and the polished areas are as shiny now as back then.





Karsten

 

Thanks for the responses folks. I guess I'll take those puppies off one at a time this winter and polish the heck out of them. One question, all of the fatboy wheels I have seen so far are polished around the rim, but the centers are a rough texture. The wheels on my bike are polished from the rim to the axle. Was this a Harley option in 2003, or are these aftermarket wheels? THey look exactly the same as my neighbor's fatboy other than the polished vs not polished look.

Thanks,

 

I ran a FatBoy rear wheel on a '93 Sportster. I had it polished smooth all over at a place that polishes both bike and car wheels. Your wheel was probably done at a place like that.

 

I have used a product called "white Diamonds" for years. It is kind of hard to find(try
A google search) but I have tried everything and it works best.
Good luck.

 

Interesting read. Thanks for the share.