KZ750 LTD: Polishing the chrome.

After bringing the old girl home, it was more apparent that we had our work cut out for us. While it was definitely a solid running bike, the devil truly is in the details.  I don't think the KZ had been stored outside for sustained periods of time, but it was obvious that she had seen some weather at some point during it's 27 year life. The usual rust on the nuts and bolts, the shock springs, a few spots on the frame, etc., were doing their part to detract from the overall impression. 

Please, if you're reading this and getting ready to start a restoration or detail of your own old bike, DO NOT use steel wool on the chrome parts. Yes, many people love doing it because it quickly removes the orange discoloration, but it scratches the chrome and makes for an ugly, albeit shinier part. I can't tell you how many times I've spoken with people on the phone following up on a lead to have them proudly tell me how they cleaned all the rust up "for me" with a Brillo pad and it's looks "really nice".  It makes me want to cry... There is no short cut that I've found to bringing back chrome. Use a non-abrasive chrome polish and patience. The stuff I use is Turtle Wax brand and is around $3 a bottle and the local auto parts store. Hazy chrome that doesn't have a lot of pitting usually is easily cleaned up with an application of the polish with a jeans rag (I'll cut small sections out of an old pair of jeans. This makes for rags with very little lint and are durable enough for heavy duty rubbing on rough edges.) For areas that are heavily rusted and pitted, I'll use the same polish but with a Scotch-Brite pad designed for non-stick teflon cookware. These pads are made from a type of plastic and while offer some scrubbing power, they are designed to be soft enough not to harm teflon coatings and also don't damage old chrome parts. In extreme cases, where the chrome almost destroyed anyway, I'll use a copper Brillo-type scrubbing pad with a liberal application of the Turtle Wax chrome polish to remove the rust while leaving what plating is still there in tact. 

Whenever chrome pieces are polished/scrubbed to remove rust, there will be areas where the steel underneath is now exposed to the elements and will rust again in time. It's critical then to use a good quality wax on the pieces to help protect them from the weather. Unfortunately, the only way to have a like-new piece is to actually re-plate the part. Polishing and rust removal only makes the parts look as good as they can. I've heard of people clear-coating the chrome pieces after removing the rust, but personally I think this band-aid look s lowsy.  In my opinion, it's better to just keep up with the wax and don't store your newly beautified jewel outside (not that you would anyway).