Black or Chrome ?
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Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 515
Likes: 41
From: long island ny
Black or Chrome ?
buying a new bike and have always had the chrome/silver finish and was wondering if the black treatment is any easier to keep clean. Anybody have thoughts on which cleans up better ?
Thanks
Thanks
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,859
Likes: 2,507
From: Lake Orion, MI
It's a matter of choice. Some of the new bikes are black only.
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 282
Likes: 62
From: Wilson, NC
I went with black instead of chrome on my new bike. It still shows dirt when riding in rain and stuff but spray motor down with cleaner and hose off, then hit it with engine brightener and the wrinkle looks good as new. No more polishing pipes and chrome covers, I just hit everything with detail spray and a rag.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,675
Likes: 11,463
From: State of Confusion
I always had chrome but on my 2020 new purchase decided to try something different so went blacked out .. it was ok, but the forks were chipped and showing almost immediately..in hindsight I should have had some sort of protection added..FF to new bike this year went back to chrome..looks better to me and $1350 less than the black trim option .. win win imo
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 655
Likes: 370
From: Gilbert, AZ
I always had chrome but on my 2020 new purchase decided to try something different so went blacked out .. it was ok, but the forks were chipped and showing almost immediately..in hindsight I should have had some sort of protection added..FF to new bike this year went back to chrome..looks better to me and $1350 less than the black trim option .. win win imo
I used to be a black trim person now it's chrome for me.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 769
Likes: 432
From: CLT NC
My buddy and I both have 2014 FLHXS. His paint is glass black and my paint is denim black.
He changed most all of his chrome to black, either by way of HD bolt-on parts or by way of powder coating. He and I both keep our bikes very clean and very well maintained and all I can say is the black HD parts on his bike did not hold up well. His bike looks a bit dull while mine still looks brand new.
Not a fan of the Me-Too black on black on black hip-and-trendy fad. Chrome is timeless and the chrome on my 2014 still looks like it is brand new. Black, especially near exhaust components, never seems to look good for very long even when the bike is tuned and temps come down.
I have read that later chrome is not holding up like earlier chrome but I can not comment in that regard.
That being said I am NOT a big fan of the denim paint...
He changed most all of his chrome to black, either by way of HD bolt-on parts or by way of powder coating. He and I both keep our bikes very clean and very well maintained and all I can say is the black HD parts on his bike did not hold up well. His bike looks a bit dull while mine still looks brand new.
Not a fan of the Me-Too black on black on black hip-and-trendy fad. Chrome is timeless and the chrome on my 2014 still looks like it is brand new. Black, especially near exhaust components, never seems to look good for very long even when the bike is tuned and temps come down.
I have read that later chrome is not holding up like earlier chrome but I can not comment in that regard.
That being said I am NOT a big fan of the denim paint...
Last edited by VortecCPI; Mar 13, 2024 at 12:29 PM.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 694
Likes: 821
From: East Texas
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Supporter
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 1,410
Likes: 4,867
From: Colorado
Hey, do we choose your women the same way?
Who needs a pretty, slim, big tittied gal? She is going to get wrinkled, fat, with gravity ***** sooner or later, so you might as well start out with an ugly, fat, gravity challenged one. That way she does not need to worry about makeup, hair styling, attractive clothes, or looking nice. Hell, whenever she needs a bath, you can just shove her out in the yard and hose her off.
(I would say that you could then just jump on her and ride away. But that would be too graphic of an image.)
To hell with the chrome. Too much trouble.
(I know that you know this, but the preceding was sarcasm. I suggest that you go with chrome. It makes for a much more beautiful bike.)
Who needs a pretty, slim, big tittied gal? She is going to get wrinkled, fat, with gravity ***** sooner or later, so you might as well start out with an ugly, fat, gravity challenged one. That way she does not need to worry about makeup, hair styling, attractive clothes, or looking nice. Hell, whenever she needs a bath, you can just shove her out in the yard and hose her off.
(I would say that you could then just jump on her and ride away. But that would be too graphic of an image.)
To hell with the chrome. Too much trouble.
(I know that you know this, but the preceding was sarcasm. I suggest that you go with chrome. It makes for a much more beautiful bike.)
Last edited by Evo-Wes; Mar 13, 2024 at 12:53 PM.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2023
Posts: 523
Likes: 406
From: So Western Ohio
I like chrome. The all blacked out bikes don't strut their stuff in low light or at night. They look like shadows.
I don't really wash the bike. Fair weather riders like me don't have all the mud and crud to deal with. I use spray polish and a few clean rags, 20-30 minutes of busy work, skip the wheels for another day and I'm all shined up. I wipe down the forks and front parts for bug removal almost every ride, clean the whole thing about once a month. It's dusty from storage right now but today's too nice for cleaning. Goin for a ride in rare nice weather is more important.
I don't really wash the bike. Fair weather riders like me don't have all the mud and crud to deal with. I use spray polish and a few clean rags, 20-30 minutes of busy work, skip the wheels for another day and I'm all shined up. I wipe down the forks and front parts for bug removal almost every ride, clean the whole thing about once a month. It's dusty from storage right now but today's too nice for cleaning. Goin for a ride in rare nice weather is more important.
Last edited by Rufus13; Mar 13, 2024 at 12:58 PM.
