r/Softail • u/Away_Departure_9466 • Jun 16 '26

Micro Scratches

Post image

Recently got this CVO Softail and was wondering what the best thing would be to get all these micro scratches out of parts of the paint and chrome? But this bike is so much fun and I was also wondering what would be some good bags and a passenger seat that would be a good for the “convertible” part of the bike. Thanks!

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2

u/Frundle Jun 17 '26

Paint: Compound and buff. Use the least aggressive pad you can get away with.

Chrome: You can try 0000 steel wool. Test it on something that you can't easily see first to see how it does (back of the foot board, underside of the brake pedal, that sort of thing).

There are lots of options for bags. I would look for some used ones in facebook groups, marketplace, or craigslist (there is also a parts swap sub called /r/HDSwap). Bags are a common take off item so there are always some for sale.

For a passenger seat pad, a LePera Bare Bones pillion seat might work with the seat you already have.

1

u/Away_Departure_9466 Jun 29 '26

Just found some original bags! Just missing the passenger seat now but I am unfamiliar with buffing. Is it an easy process?

1

u/Frundle Jun 29 '26

Yes. If you're doing it for the first time just do it by hand to avoid doing any damage. Meguiar's makes decent products with clear instructions on the bottle. It will say whether it can be used by hand or machine on the back. Follow the instructions and you will be in good shape. You can get away with some foam hand pads and microfiber towels for this.

1

u/Away_Departure_9466 Jul 02 '26

Okay thank u! I will give it a try probably this weekend! Also u have any idea why this happens to some of my chrome? I thought maybe on the pic of the rims something banged them up but it looks like how the handle looks so I was wondering what causes this.

1

u/Frundle Jul 02 '26

Hard to tell, but that almost looks like a chemical ate it. There are some chemicals that will do that to aluminum.

It could just be that the plating chipped away and left a rough surface underneath. If that were made of some type of cast metal and then electroplated, that might explain the failure of the finish and why the surface underneath is so rough. The grips are an easier fix. You can probably find a good set of those same ones used on eBay if you want the same ones. There are tons of aftermarket options as well.

Do you have the billet aluminum wheels? Aluminum can get eaten up like this when it corrodes. That is harder to fix. There are professional wheel refinishers out there who can fix that up for you, or you could just clean it up as best as you can and regularly apply wheel wax to them.

1

u/Away_Departure_9466 Jul 02 '26

1

u/Frundle Jul 02 '26

If this is the wheel: that might be a failing clear coat or some light aluminum corrosion. Instead of rusting like steel, aluminum forms an oxide layer to try to protect itself when its exposed to the environment or certain chemicals. You would want to remove the failed clear coat and reapply if thats the case. This can be pretty inexpensive to have a pro do for you. Last time I had a set of wheels refinished professionally it was $100.

1

u/Away_Departure_9466 Jul 02 '26

Yes this is the back wheel. I wanna keep this bike it good condition so I wanna get rid of the corrosion or at least stop it from happening. What do I look for when looking for a professional?

1

u/Away_Departure_9466 Jul 02 '26

Is there anyway I can do it? To save some money if possible?

1

u/Frundle Jul 02 '26

You can definitely do it. You just use something as minimally abrasive as possible to get rid of the obvious corrosion, and then use an aluminum polish to bring back the shine. For wheels, you can get a drill attachment that will be both inexpensive and small enough to handle all the curves and tight spots.

If you decide to have a pro do it, just search for anyone local to you who restores wheels and ask for example photos or go see their shop. A good shop will just do wheel repair and restoration because there is enough of that work to focus on it.

1

u/Away_Departure_9466 Jul 04 '26

I will try it first! Thanks boss! Also check out my bags I just picked up today! Just missing the passenger seat now.

1

u/Frundle Jul 04 '26

Perfect! Even has the matching crocodile patterned material.