Motorcycle Wheel Plating at CalChrome

We offer our show-quality wheel plating services to the motorcycle industry such as Performance Machine, West Coast Choppers, Mid-West Choppers, etc. Harley's, Sport bikes, and Billet aftermarket, we have just about done them all. Please note that very few exchanges are available because we primarily process your wheels to ensure that the chromes you receive fit exactly and correctly. Due to the intricacy of these wheels, process time is approximately 15 to 20 days, depending on work done. During winter and spring seasons processing times may take longer due to the high volumes of wheels we receive during these times.

Due to the many types of sizes, designs and base material used on motorcycles, please call for a custom quotation, and have available photographs if requested.

Payment is required prior to any work being performed. Payment for chrome work is accepted via Personal / Company check, PayPal, or Money Order. You may send payment along with the wheels attached to the Customer Instruction Sheet. This will help expedite processing time. If you are unsure of the work to be performed, we can upon receiving your wheels, send you an estimate once we have determined what work needs to be performed.

Harley Multi-Spoke (Diamond)	Harley Fatboy	Harley Deuce	Harley Multi-Spoke
Sport Bike 5 Spoke	Billet 1 Piece	Sport Bike 3 Spoke	Sport Bike 1 Piece

Please Note: Previously chrome plated parts require being chrome stripped before being rechromed. (Chrome Strip processing time is 3 to 10 business days.) Rechroming a wheel does not guarantee a perfect wheel. Corrosion can cause pitting which may show through the new chrome. We will rechrome the wheel with a best effort to make the wheel look as good as possible.

Please read the rechrome section of the website here.

The cost to chrome strip a Motorcycle wheel is an additional $70.00 each. The cost to chrome strip the hubs if separate is an additional $25.00 each.

A concern about chrome stripping a previously chromed motorcycle wheel is the bearing holes, metal races or anything steel attached to the wheel. Part of the chrome strip process is to place the wheel into Nitric acid. We can plug the bearing holes with rubber plugs to prevent acid from entering. However, there is no guarantee that the plugs will not leak.

We can remove the plugs during the copper stage to allow material to enter and tighten up the bearing holes. If the bearing holes are tight, you can freeze the bearings to contract and warm the wheel to expand to help with bearing installation or if the bearing holes are loose, you will need to peen, stake or knurl the bearing holes and/or use 3MT Scotch-Weld Retaining Compound for bearings and sleeves.

Before beginning, please determine which type of motorcycle wheel you have. For example, a Harley Fatboy, Harley Deuce, Honda Vulcray, and Suzuki GSX-R are all examples of one-piece motorcycle wheels. If the wheel is a custom billet wheel, it may actually be composed of multiple pieces. For example, there may be hubs bolted onto the wheel. These pieces need to be separated and plated individually, which will add an additional plating cost. Be sure to contact us for an accurate quote.

Secondly, please have the tire and all other hardware removed from the wheel, such as wheel bearing assemblies, bearing races, brake rotors, etc. If you have any questions about what needs to be removed, please contact us. Bearing assemblies need to be removed professionally by the use of a bearing puller. Using a hammer to remove the bearing can cause warping or distortion of the bearing hole. This will lead to problems when re-assembling the wheels.

To continue, please read the Shipping Guide.

Customers routinely ask "What about the bearings? Should I leave them in? Should I take them out?" Please remove all bearings, and races if applicable prior to shipping wheels for plate. This procedure is best perfomed by a professional shop which has the proper tools to remove and re-install the bearings.

We use specially made high density rubber plugs to assist in preventing plating build-up in the bearing hole. The following images illustrate how the rubber plugs work, and the final image shows a fully chrome plated wheel, with a clean bearing hole.

Do you live in a harsher climate or near the beach where traditional chrome plating can have issues with salt corrosion? At CalChrome we are proud to offer a solution to this problem, previously unadressed in motorcycle wheels.

In the past our CalChrome Clear all season chrome was only available on automotive wheels. We have now developed the technology to run this finish on motorcycle wheels as well!

Also, unique to the CalChrome Clear finish, is our ability to tint the finish custom colors. Virtually any color is available, from black, to red, to blue to gold. So if you have a bike that you really want to do something unique with, Tinted CalChrome Clear may be exactly what you need.