All, as I said in my "new dude" post, I am having chrome problems. I bought a 2003 three deuce (100th Anniversary). It was really neglected by the previous owner. They let the chrome get corroded in spots. There are couple of places where the chrome is popping or bubbling. What does that mean? Am I hosed? There are also places (especially on the backs of the mirrors) that are pitted. THe spokes on my front wheel are also pretty corroded. There are some small places that have a little rust forming. What can I do? ANy recoomendations on techniques or products to repair this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. THis is my first HD. I love the bike. I want to make it look and run the best that it can.

 

this is from wear and tear. when chrome gets scratched and is left unwaxed, moisture gets in the chrome and rots it out. you have 3 choices. live woth it and wax what you have, get everything acid dipped and re chromed, or just buy new stuff. either way you should have seen what you were buying as you were buying it.

good luck

john

 

The spokes are probably not chrome, and should polish up with some elbow grease.

Mirrors are really cheap and easy to replace. Factories are about $50.

As for the rest, clean it up with some 00000 steel wool followed by chrome polish. You will be suprised how much will come off. It wont fix the bubbling, but it will clean up the rusty looking spots. Be sure to wax it after if you don't use a polish with a sealant in it or it will corrode again.

If you ride it a lot, it will get dirty anyhow, so if it's minor I would just leave it.

Good luck and Welcome to the forum.

 

Thanks for the help. I will try all of that. The bike runs great, so that is the most important thing. Thank you for the warm welcome!

 

In cases like this, Ebay can be your best friend. Stock parts coming off a bike being customized, they sometimes go real cheap.

 

I have an '03 deuce also, bought it in August of 02. The spokes were originally plated with some sort of cheap galvanized looking material which promptly flaked off. I saw a guy with nice chrome spokes- he said that they were about 100 bucks, wait until your next tire change maybe. I haven't bothered replacing them yet. I wouldn't get too excited about polishing the spokes, they just get cruddy again really fast. If it bugs you, get the stainless spokes.

I think you'll like the deuce- it's a good looking bike that can be configured for bar hopping or touring and still look great.