Chromed versus Polished Parts

[goblinsix]

Forgive my ignorance here (too much turkey) but what is the real difference between polished versus chrome wheels? Is the chrome "plated" and the polished a buffed out surface basically? Is the shine/gloss similar?

 

[Busa1166]

polish can be a pain to keep shiny especially pieces that are hard to to clean all over an chrome some times peal or get surface rust when they aren't done properly or taken care of.. This just my opinion from personnel experience it's possible I just had poor workmanship.

 

[Haya01B]

There are pro's and cons to both. Polish is as good as you keep it with a lot of work in most cases as described above when there hard to reach places. Chrome is a almost wipe and go process and the shine is blinding when done right. The down side to chrome is pealing if not done right especially on wheels. Chrome can also pit and start to get dull on parts that are in the rough areas like wheels that take a lot of beating. I like the chrome for the ease of cleaning. The main difference is price with polish being cheaper in most cases. Polished my swingarm and it looks good and all, but just have to stay on top of it to keep it shining. Will eventually go with a chrome one though.

 

[HillbillyTom]

Like the others have said, polish = a PITA. Chrome can also = a PITA just takes way longer to do it.
If your going to ride the bike regularly go with the chrome. If your going to show it and never really plan on riding it much, you might go with polished stuff.
Just remember, once you polish an aluminum part, your a slave to that part.

 

[Mr Bogus]

I like the luster of polished aluminum but it is a bit more work.. Chrome tends to bet a bit overdone IMO.. sort of like the kanji thing, some end up doing the entire bike