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dechroming my bike

7K views 31 replies 15 participants last post by  trempus 
#1 ·
i am not a big fan of chrome
so i started removing some of the chrome aprts to paint them black
here's the result so far
 

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#6 ·
for my saddle bags, that's how they came when i bought them
i bought them used from a guy on kijiji, and he said that he thinks they came off a shadow 1100, they are semi rigid and got them for $60, i only had to buy the vulcan bracket and made them fit
 
#10 ·
Nice work!

This thread came at the perfect time for me. I've just recently been thinking about doing this to my bike as well. Chrome is nice and all, but I feel that it's not very original anymore.

I was wondering if I could prep chrome and paint it flat black, or if I had to go the long (read: expensive) route and purchase all those parts again, but in painted flat black. I didn't know you could just treat it.

Would it be possible to get a how-to with pictures posted up?
 
#14 ·
I was wondering if I could prep chrome and paint it flat black

Would it be possible to get a how-to with pictures posted up?
that's what i did, except i took a semi gloss black

as far as the How to, it's just a matter of removing the part that you want to paint, and cleaning it with T.S.P. (follow direction on the box)
and then once it was completely dry, i sprayed it with a rattle can, let it dry, and put the part back on
 
#18 ·
You know how when you wash and clean your car or bike, it seems to go a little faster and smoother? This is what chrome does for our bikes but it actually works to the point that you do not need to add all kinds of upgrades and performance enhancers, just chrome it. Why do you think the manufacturers put so much of the stuff on bikes? You guys should be ashamed of yourselves painting over that pretty chrome.

For goodness sake, you can't even see yourself in the speed o.
 
#22 ·
I'm amazed how much chromed plastic there is on these bikes, as well as painted plastic. How did they get the bike to weigh so much? Haha. I'm kinda torn, the chrome looks right on the Classic, but the black paint looks good too.

I worked with a guy that painted a bunch of his Moto Guzzi parts with a coarse metallic, then red candy, topped with PPG Tactile clear. The effect made the parts look like they were all anodized red. I'm half tempted to try this on some of the parts on my bike, if I had a Custom I'd definitely do it.
 
#25 ·
As far as the right side cover, if you take the pipes off and tape/cover things pretty well, I think you could get away with painting it on the bike. Removing the part is always better, but, it can be a pain sometimes.

I, too, am in the chrome camp. It's often dirty because I like to ride! But that's okay. However, yours is done well and looks good!

You probably already know this, but, be careful getting fuel with that black speedometer bezel. Rattlecan paint (and really almost anything but certain grades of paint with special multi-part clear coats) doesn't resist gasoline so it'll eat that black right off if you splash any gas up on it. I saw a guy once who had gotten some pin striping done and some of it was near his filler cap, so he always grabbed a paper towel from one of the window washer things at the gas station and covered it before fueling. Not a bad idea!
 
#29 ·
If the paint in an area that doesn't get stressed starts to peel, it's because of a lack of adhesion. If even a microscopic layer of wax or oil remains it will create a barrier between the old surface and new paint. It has to be absolutely squeaky clean. TSP is a good cleaner, as I kept a case for myself when I sold my business and "retired". It works well when cleaning exterior surfaces on the house before painting. I would use it after I degreased the surface with a solvent like lacquer thinner, denatured alcohol, etc that doesn't leave any film behind. Etching the surface with fine wet/dry sandpaper works well. Remember, squeaky clean and no oil, wax or film remaining.
 
#31 ·
for the head cover they are just a plastic cover for "show" over the actual head cover

all you gotta do is remove the spark plug wire, disconnect the vaccum hose and undo the bolts, 10mm if i remember correctly

the front one will come off really easily,
for the rear one, the wiring harness gets in the way a little, but with some time and patience it comes out and goes back in without scratching it (i scratched mine once it was in as i dropepd the bolt on it)

the best way for the rear cover is to rotate it 90 degrees and then slide it to the rear and side at the same time, opposite way to put them back on
 
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