Motorcycle chrome is probably one of the easiest and most practical ways to give your motorcycle that "custom" look, to give it classic beauty and to increase its value. Ok, I understand the beauty that chrome accessories can enhance on a motorcycle, but is chrome practical?
Chrome is not only great looking, but its ultra-hard metallic finish protects the metal underneath from the harsh environment that you ride through each day. From excessive moisture to dings and impacts from rocks, stones - and even curbs - chrome has been protecting our vehicles for almost one hundred years.
 |
| Motorcycle Chrome |
It's true, that in the early years of the last century, most automobiles' and motorcycles' shiny surfaces were from a nickel plating. While nickel plating can be an excellent industrial finish and really gives a brilliant shine, nickel can't really hold a candle to chrome - especially motorcycle chrome. Chrome is definitely a more expensive and difficult hard metal plating, as some really nasty chemicals are used in the process of chrome plating. But, time and time again, shiny chrome plating is almost always the first choice for any motorcycle chrome, from handlebars to headlights, and beyond.
 |
| Motorcycle Chrome |
As tough environmental regulations, and styling considerations over the past several decades pretty much drove good old motorcycle chrome off of many motorcycles, the resurgence of the big cruiser bikes such as Harley-Davidson and certain Hondas and Yamahas, pointed designer's tastes back to durable and cost-effective chrome plating. It didn't hurt matters that chrome platers really got their acts together and figured out how to apply chrome without trashing the environment with chemical wastes leftover from the plating process.
 |
| Motorcycle Chrome |
Of course, quality motorcycle chrome increases the value of your bike, and makes a styling statement that you are a traditionalist when it comes to motorcycle design. If you ride your motorcycle, then you'll never have to worry about rust of other forms of oxidation if you've got chrome in the right places. Even if those shiny surfaces become dull and discolored, there are literally hundreds of top-quality products on the market that will make that chrome shine like new!
