I'm new to bikes and hence new to chrome. I own a 2004 Sportster XL1200C so I've got a lot of it. I just took the bike out of storage and the chrome has a ton of little spots all over. Will polish get this out? Is this normal when a bike sits in a non-climate controled environment for a long period of time? Any advice on how to get the chrome back to looking new like it did before the winter would be appreciated.

 

I had one area on my XL883C last year that had those spots on it. It was the aluminum cross bar on the triple tree just under the headlight. I used Simichrome polish and got it almost completely cleaned off. Lots of elbow grease required though. You can get it at the HD shop. I've heard some say that it may be too harsh for chrome, although the package says it can be used on chrome.

 

I have always used Mothers Chrome Polish with great success.

 

That Mothers is some great stuff!

 

Semichrome and products like that are really for restoring badly pitted areas. If you're just wanting to clean your chrome, stay away from these abrasive products. Chrome is not that hard and it won't be too long you won't have any chrome left.

For just routine cleaning and detailing on my 1200 C I use windex.

 

Chrome should be polished with something that will help protect it. I use turtle wax chrome polish, it takes out some rust and corroded areas as well as tar and bugs, but it is not abrasive. If you are going to store the bike for the winter in a place that there is moisture, a coat of axle grease will protect it from pitting. Windex wont do crap for protecting the chrome, it will only clean it. Chrome is layed over the nickel to protect it from corrosion and to make it more scratch resistant (it's hard not soft), but it is only a few microns thick and abrasive cleaners will were through it in time.