previous owner painted the chrome trim on the rear fender,

[dannylightning]

I don't know why the guy did this but he painted it this dull Grey bare metal looking color and in my opinion it looks like crap. some of the paint is chipping off a little and i can see the chrome under the paint,

what can i safely use to remove the pain that wont ruin the chrome and is that real chrome or is that the cheep fake chrome

[JWR]

Where is the picture???

Trying to cover rust, scratches???

cheep fake chrome

The only thing cheep on a GZ is the rider.

[dannylightning]

the bike was kept out side and shows a little bit of wear from the weather, there may have been some rust on there. there is a tiny big of rust here and there nothing that is a big deal, for a first bike that i got kind of cheep to learn on im happy, only thing that bothers me is that he painted over that chrome back there.

[patrick_777]

There's a couple of them on ebay, but they're on the pricey side for trim ($25 - "GZ250 Chrome Rail (http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_dmptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories?_nkw= gz250+chrome+rail&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=gz250+chrome&_osacat=0)"). May not be worth it.

[dannylightning]

There's a couple of them on ebay, but they're on the pricey side for trim ($25 - "GZ250 Chrome Rail (http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_dmptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories?_nkw= gz250+chrome+rail&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=gz250+chrome&_osacat=0)"). May not be worth it.


thanks, i been looking on ebay for a set of those and couldn't find any, those must have just went up for sale. 50 bucks aint that bad i guess. im sure that's probably a hell of a lot cheaper than buying new ones form the dealer. there was a pair on ebay i was gonna buy i had my eye on for a few days when i finally decided i was gonna buy them they were gone, i think they were about the same price. i may just pick those ones up.

if i ever decide to move up to a bigger bike i think they would help the resale value so fifty bucks may not be that bad after all. plus it would me a a bit happier to have it looking a little nicer,

[mr. softie]

Regular paint remover won't hurt the chrome, but you have to take care not to scratch it. Wear protective gloves and eye protection when using chemicals. Do not use scotchbrite pads or sharp scrapers or sandpaper on chrome. I might try a heat gun to soften the paint and then use a plastic scraper. Finish with brillo pads and rinse with water. The brillo pads work good on any rusty chrome too. Protect the chrome when it is all cleaned up with some wax or chrome polish. Some people use brake fluid to remove paint, I have not tried that but suppose it would work. Of course remove the chrome from the bike before doing any paint removal.

Welcome to the GZbike forum Danny.

[patrick_777]

Depends on what kind of deal you could get for a good sandblast/chrome job at a local shop (the kind that does that sort of thing). You might look around on some local cycle forums (harley/sportbike/VTX) and search around for their recommendations. There's a local sportbike forum here that I group ride with on occasion and the knowledge-base is very diverse...including fabbers and painters.

[dannylightning]

Of course remove the chrome from the bike before doing any paint removal.

It should be common scene to take them off first but than again you never know, than again there are a lot of people out there lacking any type of sense.

ill try some paint remover and see what happens. and if they are beat, ill look in to getting a new set or like the other guy mentioned ill find a place that will sand blast and dip them and get a quote,

thanks, wasn't sure if paint remover would damage chrome, didn't see how it could but its better to be safe than sorry!!!

[patrick_777]

When I got mine, I went for about 2 months without realizing they were actually metal. I thought they were just plastic faux-chrome trim.

[dannylightning]

When I got mine, I went for about 2 months without realizing they were actually metal. I thought they were just plastic faux-chrome trim.


its not exactly a top of the line model motorcycle so i figured they may have skimped on the chrome and if you think about it most car manufactures use the cheep plastic chrome on the grill and what not, im gonna pick up some paint remover tomorrow, pull those babies off and see what happens..

[dannylightning]

all the chrome on the bike is the real deal than??????

[music man]

all the chrome on the bike is the real deal than??????


The turn signal housings and i want to say the speedometer housing is plastic, but other than that I can't think of any other fake chrome on the bike.

[adrianinflorida]

Mine were crap, as well. I picked up pair for $45 on ebay, just keep an eye out, they come up from time to time. I have my old ones if you want em for sandblast/rechrome. lots of pitting and one big section of chrome missing out of the left one.

[adrianinflorida]

thanks, i been looking on ebay for a set of those and couldn't find any, those must have just went up for sale. 50 bucks aint that bad i guess. im sure that's probably a hell of a lot cheaper than buying new ones form the dealer. about $140 each at the dealer, iirc

[dannylightning]

[/quote] about $140 each at the dealer, iirc[/quote]

you got to be kidding, thats so much crap

ill pass on the pitted out ones, ill stick to fixing up mine or getting a nice set, thanks tho....

[dannylightning]

well i got the paint off, the chrome is really scratched up in some parts and has a little rust, looks like the guy took sand paper and tried to sand off the rust spots and scratched the crap out of it. so painting it was not really a bad idea, it was just the dull flat silver color he chose to paint it and he did not do a really good job painting it eiter plus some of the paint was chipping off,


im thinking i could live with out these being chrome they might look really nice glossy black, is there any way to get paint to actually stick to chrome so it wont start to chip off.

[JWR]

Google is your friend on that information.


Jerry

[mr. softie]

You could finish off the chrome by sanding or sandblasting, I don't know if you have a power sander or not. A random orbit or disk sander would work. Start with 100 grit. Or buff it off but that takes buffing wheels and compounds Paint wont stick to chrome. You want your final sanding on the bare steel to be 220 or 320 grit. Clean and dry. Then immediately prime with a sandable primer, wet sand with 600 grit, tack off and paint. The paint brand is up to you but I have had luck with duplicolor. Stick with one brand/system for primer and topcoat. Observe can directions for application, each paint has different recoat times etc.