Polished Aluminum vs Chrome
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 662
Likes: 0
From: SE Michigan
I have polished aluminum on my 99 FXD.
The problem I see is that it is clear-coated. It seems to get dingy under the clear-coat. If you get real close up it looks a little foggy. It does shine up nice and looks good from a little distance.
Chrome is better.
The problem I see is that it is clear-coated. It seems to get dingy under the clear-coat. If you get real close up it looks a little foggy. It does shine up nice and looks good from a little distance.
Chrome is better.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,033
Likes: 29
I polished nearly all of the aluminium on my Ironhead 10+ years ago. I shine it up with Mother's mag polish once or twice a year. It still looks great........Check out the pics...The fork brace is chrome. The front legs are polished. They look about the same as far as shine goes.
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 236
Likes: 6
From: San Jose, CA
I polished nearly all of the aluminium on my Ironhead 10+ years ago. I shine it up with Mother's mag polish once or twice a year. It still looks great........Check out the pics...The fork brace is chrome. The front legs are polished. They look about the same as far as shine goes.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,782
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From: NC
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,033
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I've changed out a few things, but nothing that can't be swapped back. I have all the original parts except a seat. It did not come with an original two-into-one exhaust. I finally found one last year for it.
Last edited by xxxflhrci; Dec 16, 2008 at 01:49 PM.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,469
Likes: 0
From: 310
First of all I have to be honest, I don't like chrome!
I love billet aluminum, the way it looks and the way it shines. It's a totally different look from chrome.
As for the question asked, raw polished aluminum is a bit of a PITA to take care of. If you don't polish it, it looks dull and oxidzes over time especially if it's a daily driver. The weather can really give it a beating if not taken care of. I have billet aluminum rims on my daily driven Silverado SS, Intro's to be exact. When I first got them, I hated that I had to polish them every so often to keep the shine up so what I did was take them to get professionally polished every couple of months. That ended up costing about $300.00 every visit. That got old after a while, not really because of the cost because they looked great when finished, but the time to take it to the place and leave it there all day. Anyways, what I did was have them polished, then ceramic clear coated. Now all I do is wash and dry them. It was the best thing I did. I know that would be some work for some people, but for those like me who don't like chrome, it was the only way to go.
I love billet aluminum, the way it looks and the way it shines. It's a totally different look from chrome.
As for the question asked, raw polished aluminum is a bit of a PITA to take care of. If you don't polish it, it looks dull and oxidzes over time especially if it's a daily driver. The weather can really give it a beating if not taken care of. I have billet aluminum rims on my daily driven Silverado SS, Intro's to be exact. When I first got them, I hated that I had to polish them every so often to keep the shine up so what I did was take them to get professionally polished every couple of months. That ended up costing about $300.00 every visit. That got old after a while, not really because of the cost because they looked great when finished, but the time to take it to the place and leave it there all day. Anyways, what I did was have them polished, then ceramic clear coated. Now all I do is wash and dry them. It was the best thing I did. I know that would be some work for some people, but for those like me who don't like chrome, it was the only way to go.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,716
Likes: 13
I don't like chrome neither but I hate polishing aluminum, one member said the aluminum is clearcoated and another said it isn't, I have to figure out when to put air in my gas tank. and gas in my rear tire.
