Rythm that was a good link.
Polishing. Be prepared for a hell of a long( I do mean long) tedious job. I do not recomend doing it until winter when you have time. I did not use easy off when I did my r1. The anodizing is a %*%^$# to get off with sand paper. If the easy off works, that will save you hours upon hours of time.
The method I used differs only slightly.
Use a da sander with 220 to get through the first and hardest part. Then 3whatever, then 400, then 600, you should be starting to wet sand now. 800, 1000, 1500, and finish with 2000. Apply some blue magic, Mothers, Or whatever aluminum polish you prefer and your done.
When you finish sanding with a particular grit, you will have all of the grit marks sanded out from the last step. Go back and sand it 2 more times before you move up.
disclaimer, I am not an expert, it's what I did.
Painted surfaces such as wheels and anniversary busas, use Aircraft stripper to get the paint off. Works better than anything you can buy at the hardware store and does not harm aluminum. You can get this stuff at auto parts stores in an aerosol can.