Chrome shop recommendation

Buddy

Member
Just received price for CT70HK1 taillight bracket, rear fender, triple tree and fork trim rings, quote from Courtesy Metal Polishing, price seems very reasonable, I was surprised. Anybody have any parts rechromed there. Still waiting on quote from The Chrome Shop.
 

Deoodles

Well-Known Member
I have used the chrome shop recently. The work is good but you need to communicate clearly with them. I had to send one back. On a good note. They redid it sent it back quickly and it was perfect; no charge and they paid shipping. I would use them again. Just call and talk to them first

E149787A-82A6-4BEA-AF70-8EC56117CD02.jpeg
 

kirrbby

Well-Known Member
However you came up with those ears, you did very well.
I'd value a set of NOS ears at $400+. Yours look as good, or maybe better than NOS, judging by the picture.

I've been working on a setup to be able to disassemble HL ears, and straighten the parts. Then reassemble them...ready for metal finish and rechrome. It might be interesting if I can ever get it together. Maybe I'll start with a set of painted 77up type. If they can be made to look good with paint, then go all out with a set of K3 and get them rechromed.
The scariest part for me is the metal finish. Will probably be a buttload of work to get them smooth, and nice enough for chrome. Then the question is, will the reward be worth the work??
$400 might not cut it.
 
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Deoodles

Well-Known Member
I have close to that in this set. The finish ran almost $200 alone. I searched close to 4 years for this set. With that in mind I wouldn’t part with these at $400. It wouldn’t be worth my time and may take another several years to find another. The chrome shop sent them back to me with a dent in one. I had to get the dent out and send it back. They could have done it but they would have charged more. That’s where improved communication would have been helpful. If they called me first I would have paid extra for dent removal up front
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
I have close to that in this set. The finish ran almost $200 alone. I searched close to 4 years for this set. With that in mind I wouldn’t part with these at $400. It wouldn’t be worth my time and may take another several years to find another. The chrome shop sent them back to me with a dent in one. I had to get the dent out and send it back. They could have done it but they would have charged more. That’s where improved communication would have been helpful. If they called me first I would have paid extra for dent removal up front
This is very typical of what it's like redoing chrome pieces, circa 2020. The landscape has undergone a seismic shift in the last 20 years. I had an entire set of K1 chrome parts, including the diecast fork rings done...and done well...for $350 total, back then. The ground started crumbling beneath our feet and prices skyrocketed, beginning 2006. The number of chrome shops has fallen by over 50% since then...regulated & priced out of existence.
 

OLD CT

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't even think of selling this set for 400. I say they are worth a minimum of 500 bucks, quite possibly 550. ;)
 

Deoodles

Well-Known Member
Pats right at over 500; profit would only be around a hundred bucks. On eBay and PayPal the fees would get that. They would have to fetch close to $600 to put a C note in your pocket. Is that enough to cover the years of searching And the risk taken that the repairs and chrome come back okay. Back to the reason for the thread. The chrome shop is a decent place to send parts. Only the person who wants to do this can say if they got their money’s worth.
 

Buddy

Member
I am going to ship those parts to The Chrome Shop. I sent them pictures of the parts and they quoted me $85 for the taillight bracket and $45 per side for the handlebars. This is a lot better than the $350 I was quoted at a shop in South Florida for just the taillight bracket. The S. Fla shop gets a lot of high dollar yacht business , so I think they quoted high because they didn't want to mess with a bunch of Honda trailbike parts. I will report back on how the parts tuned out with pictures, they said it would take about 6 weeks.
 

Buddy

Member
IMG_0248.jpg IMG_0249.jpg IMG_0250.jpg IMG_0251.jpg

Just received all of my parts back from the chrome plating shop. I decided not to ship them out and used a local plater.
R & H Plating Company. I think they turned out really nice, but the backsides of the taillight bracket, spark plug guard and rear fender came out much shinier than stock.
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
That batch of parts looks really good on my screen. If you can find a shop that turns out quality work at a reasonable price, take advantage while you can. Chrome shops are nearing extinction, especially the ones that don't require selling a kidney to cover the invoice.

Two caveats: Test fit your handlebars in the clamp. Don't be surprised if they are too tight, or too tight to fit. With three layers of plating, parts "grow". It's a minor inconvenience sanding-down the plating on the unseen ends of the bars, then greasing them. (The added thickness might actually result in improved feel of the twist grip throttle.)

The other issue to be aware of is the TL bracket...that's waaaay nicer than original. These were rough stampings and the plate section originally had a matte finish. Personally, I like the finish seen here better than original. That said, if purist correctness matters to you the upgraded finish could be an issue.
 

OLD CT

Well-Known Member
Nice! All the parts look great. I like the way the inside of the fender is way better protected from surface rusting now. The muffler shield is a piece of jewelry now. :)
 

Buddy

Member
racerx I actually made a trip back to the chrome shop after dropping off parts to give them the handle bar mount so they were aware of the possible fitment issue and they still fit well. I am trying to figure out if I can make the license plate section more of a matt finish. A least back side of the plate section since I can cover the front with a license plate. They do nice work considering these parts looked like hell before. At a reasonable price, NO!
 

Gplracer

Member
Those look great! I assume my fenders could not be done. The top has some places where the chrome has come off but the bottom of the fender is really pitted. I would not know how to fix that.
 

MikeyGNYC

Member
Here's a few of my last builds in 2022. Look at the purple bike , look at rims , those are real chrome rims not junk on eBay that I bought and shipped to me rusted !, Al's chrome in Texas does all my chrome parts, best I've seen anywhere. If you want phone number post me. Thanks mike in nyc
 

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