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  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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White spots on motorcycle chrome

I stored my new motorcycle in enclosed trailer during the winter. Now, I have white spots on the chrome which is very difficult to remove. What is the best method to restore the chrome finish? Has the chrome been damaged?

Calvin Wilson
hobbyist - Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
2004

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This sounds strange. The chrome plating itself doesn't corrode, and underlying layers like nickel and copper generate greenish and bluish corrosion products, not white. Steel does not generate white corrosion either. Substrates that do include zinc and aluminum. Therefore, can we understand that you are not talking about handlebars, shocks, exhaust or frame, but rather you are speaking of engine components or wheels?

This sounds like corrosion of the substrate, which means the plating is shot. If so, products like C-L-R ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] or Lime-Away ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] might remove the corrosion temporarily, and keeping it well waxed will help a little, but you have a problem.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2004

Are you sure it is chrome? Because this happens frequently to MC parts that are aluminum and have a high polish. They look chrome, but are not. They have just went through a good polishing process, and in that case it is just oxidation. You can buff it back out with a buff wheel and some red or white buffing compound.

Michael Messer
US Navy - Milton, Florida, USA
2004

So, what kind of motorcycle is it, Cal? My Honda GL1800 does not have that kind of problem...

Peter Church
- Hampstead, New Hampshire usa
November 22, 2010