You guys are a rough crowd...post some close-up flash pictures of your chrome....probably not as clean as you think.


DamienBlade...that is just the rocker box peeling... plenty of them on ebay...easy fix.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...boxes&_sacat=0

 

The dirt on the chrome looks kinda salty, Harleys arnt a big fan of salt, if your riding on salty roads you need to wash the bike when you get home. Could be whats affecting the chrome.

 

It's from the rust.
The chrome plate may have gotten a scratch or chip and rust has started on the base metal.
The rust begins to slowly creep/crawl across the base metal and under the chrome plate, the chrome looses it's connection with the base metal and peels away.
At this point it will not stop.
You can slow it down by cleaning the area well, maybe even a little treatment with Naval Jelly (phosphoric acid), drying and coating the area with a clear or chrome colored heat resistant paint.
The idea is to cover/prevent the base metal from having contact with air.
Rust is oxidation,
But because the base metal is now rusted underneath the chrome at the edges of the affected area, you can't stop it, only slow it down.

 

If your gonna have chrome you have to clean it A LOT!

 

The missing exhaust suggests the OP is doing a winter project on his bike. Not a lot of motorcycle riding going on in Finland right now.

 

That's on the lower rockerbox cover. Once the peeling starts there's not much you can do except replace the part, or get it rechromed. I bought some used chromes ones to replace my polished ones and got them pretty cheaply, but I don't know if they have EBAY in Europe.


"is it just me--but after seeing that picture-I am a little speechless"

That bike looks like a daily rider someplace where it rains. No big deal for someone who rides their bike.

 

Oops, I posted before I read the whole thread.

 

I've ridden this bike only 3 times in my life since I just bought it.. so guys, I haven't done any damage to the bike, trust me!
I have no idea what the previous owners have done to mess up the chrome. Luckily that's the only place where the chrome has peeled off.
And the bike does have about 45k miles on it, so it's not exactly factory fresh.

Thank you!

And yes, I know the bike is filthy in the pics.. but I live in Finland and we have like 20 sunny days within the full course of a year.
I will be keeping my bike clean in the future, but that pic was taken after the first test rides I had after buying it. It was raining and very cold but I simply had to try out my new bike.
Now I'm doing a winter project on it, as some people have guessed in previous posts.

 

Testors(R) sells a little bottle of paint that they call chrome. Get a little brush too and paint over that spot. Maybe two or three coats. I've used it and it's passable looks wise. It will also seal that area and slow down the corrosion rate.

 

To fix this issue you'll either need to replace the part or have it re-chromed. Unless it's a show bike I don't see wasting the money to do either.