(Wanted to share this just in case someone ever has the same thing happen)

Well today I mounted my long awaited windshield. It's a Rifle brand and I was impressed with the 4 heavy duty billet aluminum mounting blocks and the windshield's construction overall. Anyhow I made the cardinal error of not taping off areas of the bike for possible scratching. And as I was mounting the shield it slipped down and one of the stainless vertical strips scratched my bottom tree.

The scratch was definitely a scratch. I don't know the actual depth but it clearly too deep to be buffed or steel wooled. So I went to phase II, cut your loses and compromise. I put some 800 grit sand paper on the area. It took quite a few passes (pressing hard) to get most of the scratch depth lowered. It looked much better but it had that haze look instead of the clear shine.

Anyhow I then pulled out my Harbor Freight metal polish kit and grabbed the white bar and a cotton hand rag. I rub the rag a few times on the white bar and then rub the rag across the area at right angles to the sandpaper pattern. I got some results so I repeat this (rub the bar, then rub the area) several times. And amazingly the (not chrome) but polished Aluminum shine started to return. Now just standing there looking, it looks like nothing ever happened. I'm sure if you put a lamp and a magnifying glass on it. you could still see damage but for all practical purposes my bike looks like it did before I scratched it.

FOUND IT WAS NOT CHROME BUT POLISHED ALUMINUM

 

Update, it has been pointed out to me that my trees are polished aluminum not chrome. I thought maybe they had chrome over the aluminum. So just to be clear on that.

 

This thread should be titled to How to Fix an Aluminum Scratch. Least with this post it should clear up any future ambiguties. Thank you RWB