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[mark]

Was cleaning the bike today and noticed my rear brake pedal had the chrome peeling/flaking off a spot inside one of the three slotted holes.

It seems the chrome plated billet aluminum doesn't  hold chrome as well as steel parts.

[SERK3]

Mine is a 07 SERK, Have had it 5 yrs. this past Sept. no problems with chrome or paint. 

[2018_FLTRXSE]

Was cleaning the bike today and noticed my rear brake pedal had the chrome peeling/flaking off a spot inside one of the three slotted holes.

It seems the chrome plated billet aluminum doesn't  hold chrome as well as steel parts.

Rumble collection items suck....

Mine, with almost 30K in a corrosive environment..... Rumble mirrors... rumble saddlebag latches, brake lever, shift lever (only one) and the front forks near the fender mounts.

[grc]

Aluminum is in fact harder to plate (or paint for that matter) satisfactorily.  It tends to have porosity issues, and it's highly reactive so a raw aluminum part will quickly develop a thin oxide layer that if not removed immediately before plating or painting will affect the durability of the coating.  This is nothing new, and folks in the business are fully aware.  The biggest problems come from shortcutting the processes to cut costs and speed up production.  And the plain fact of the matter is that chrome plating of aluminum parts will likely never be as reliable as chrome plating on steel.  It's just an electrochemical fact of life.  However, unless you break the surface of the plating or coating, peeling is virtually always caused by a manufacturing defect.  Industry experts will tell you the same thing.  So all that BS from Harley and it's dealers trying to blame the customer or the environment is pure hogwash not based on science, but strictly based on the desire to avoid financial responsibility for poor quality.  When a company bases all it's purchasing decisions just on lowest price (to them, not to you), it's not hard to understand why they have so many issues.  Perhaps they should stick to applying chrome only on steel and plastic parts, and forget trying to plate aluminum altogether.  I know some car manufacturer's have done exactly that, with many "chrome" wheels these days having a separate plated cover permanently bonded to the aluminum wheel.


Jerry

[2018_FLTRXSE]

Aluminum is in fact harder to plate (or paint for that matter) satisfactorily.  It tends to have porosity issues, and it's highly reactive so a raw aluminum part will quickly develop a thin oxide layer that if not removed immediately before plating or painting will affect the durability of the coating.  This is nothing new, and folks in the business are fully aware.  The biggest problems come from shortcutting the processes to cut costs and speed up production.  And the plain fact of the matter is that chrome plating of aluminum parts will likely never be as reliable as chrome plating on steel.  It's just an electrochemical fact of life.  However, unless you break the surface of the plating or coating, peeling is virtually always caused by a manufacturing defect.  Industry experts will tell you the same thing.  So all that BS from Harley and it's dealers trying to blame the customer or the environment is pure hogwash not based on science, but strictly based on the desire to avoid financial responsibility for poor quality.  When a company bases all it's purchasing decisions just on lowest price (to them, not to you), it's not hard to understand why they have so many issues.  Perhaps they should stick to applying chrome only on steel and plastic parts, and forget trying to plate aluminum altogether.  I know some car manufacturer's have done exactly that, with many "chrome" wheels these days having a separate plated cover permanently bonded to the aluminum wheel.


Jerry

Shortcuts.... Chrome plating is a three metal process (not including polishing the base metal first)

Prep the base metal, platre copper to fill the imperfections in the base metal and effectively seal it from exposure to the elements. polish it.. then dip in nickle,repeat process, then dip on chrome.

On every part I have that has failed, there is CLEARLY no copper base.

There used to be a meticulous plating shop here that did the 3 steps completely.. and I have had things plated by him years later that hold up just fine in the "harsh environment" as HD calls it.

I went as far as to peel a pieve of lifting chrome off my brake lever and sent it to HD in an envelope with a note indicating the chrome should be three steps, not two.... never got a reply... I wonder why?

[grc]

Actually it should be 4 steps, copper/nickel/nickel/chromium.  But the copper step has been eliminated by a lot of folks, not just H-D's suppliers.  Just like so many other things these days, the old tried and true methods that stood the test of time have been preempted by bean counters.  It isn't about making stuff the best it can be, it's all about making it just good enough to get by.  Or in Harley's case, just good enough to get it out the door and then they'll blame you if it fails ten miles down the road.


Jerry

[2018_FLTRXSE]

Actually it should be 4 steps, copper/nickel/nickel/chromium.  But the copper step has been eliminated by a lot of folks, not just H-D's suppliers.  Just like so many other things these days, the old tried and true methods that stood the test of time have been preempted by bean counters.  It isn't about making stuff the best it can be, it's all about making it just good enough to get by.  Or in Harley's case, just good enough to get it out the door and then they'll blame you if it fails ten miles down the road.


Jerry

I've seen guys do the copper more than once as well... to fill imperfections... but copper prices have hurt the chrome industry by cost increases....

[Sledge]

That's enough numbers for me to realize almost half of us are going to have problems with the flaky chrome.  I'll be watching mine.  The case paint poll showed 67% good so far so it'w a lot better.

Getting some HArley granite spray paint in a can to the silver headbolt bridge as done in another thread on the forum.  Hope it looks as good as the pics.

[moscooter]

 
I'm posting in this (old) post cause I thought I started a similar type one earlier today and now I see no ref. to it.   I don't believe the recent yr. Harlelys have as good or quality of chrome as they did a few yrs back.  I've owned four since the early 90s and my old '93 Wide Glide had much better chrome than does my current 2009 CVO.   

On the other hand,  I do indeed live close to the ocean but my bike is inside a climate controlled garage..............Still I can see that it's effected by the (location).

[Akicita]

Had a 2012 FLHTK that decided to fling bling everywhere it went.  Dealer replaced the rear wheel (under warranty, thank you) and life has been good since.  Traded it in on a 2013 FLHTCUSE8 that only had paint problems...so far.

[2018_FLTRXSE]

Brake lever, shift levers, front wheel.... (on the '12, with 17K)

Looking back into this thread, we talked about aluminum being more porous... true.

However, the Wheels made by Alcoa for HD, (Blades, Sidewinders and one or two others) had little corrosion issues.. even when neglected. (I let mine get black with brake dust, grime, etc as it is my daily ride and it rains almost daily here.) They always polished out and left no pitting.. only some light scratches from vigorous efforts to clean until I found a very easy means to accomplish this task.

They were forged wheels, less porous than the counterparts from manufacturers who choose casting as the manufacturing process.

[Akicita]

I'll guess it will be 34% yes like the flaky case paint issue.

Arlo Guthrie?  Holy crapsicles, now I feel old as anyone that can remember him and/or Woodstock, which I'm told didn't actually last three weeks like I sort of remember.  Oh, wow!

[miker]

I just noticed the air cleaner insert on my 09 is corroding somewhat or somehow, it is friggin plastic...un-friggin real...

[9 1/2 Beers]

My Mirrors are finally getting bad, I knew it was coming 

[miker]

Funny, the right one my bike bubbled up right away, the left one is just starting, rear brake pedal on the inside but not the shifter...must be because that side of the bike faces the ocean 12 miles away in the a/c garage that it lives in....they have no shame...none...Hear me Willie...you have no shame.