Topic: Are these chrome prices out of this world?

[Prospect]

I went to get the back rim chrome plated this afternoon and was told $175  .  I was blown away.  I've had smaller pieces plated before at the same shop but for that price I can get a new rim from Honda.  Am I going crazy or is $175 waaaayy too much for plating a rim.  Am I being quoted big city prices? How come it's so expensive to chrome anyway?  Is it very labor intensive or are the chemicals pricey or both?

[Stev-o]

Not sure why, but chrome is super expensive these days. I inquired to get a frt fender plated and was quoted over $200. No thanks!
Many guys are powder coating rims.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Powdercoat. +1.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Chroming ain't cheap but if you have a good chromer it will look MUCH better than original. A new rim is cheaper but probably won't be as nice. The EPA has put the hurt on many chromers and put them out of business thus eliminating competition. Just depends on what you really want.

[Prospect]

I'm going for a stock restoration so powdercoat is out of the question.  Is there powdercoat that looks like chrome?

[MCRider]

Chroming ain't cheap but if you have a good chromer it will look MUCH better than original. A new rim is cheaper but probably won't be as nice. The EPA has put the hurt on many chromers and put them out of business thus eliminating competition. Just depends on what you really want.

+1 on all that. Brown's is the gold standard. The only rim price I could find in their catalog was $311. And they limit the warranty on rims to 90 days. Besides the EPA, i can see the spoke holes tearing up the buffer wheels? Maybe?

The OEM rims will be a duller chrome. But not a bad way to go.

[BobbyR]

Jerry is right. You can hardly find a chromer in NY anymore. They were everywhere years ago. The chemical are getting wildly expensive to dispose of.

[gsalter]

The owner of Advance Plating (Steve Tracy) in Nashville, TN does some of the best chrome plating in the U.S.  All the big Hot Rodders use him.  You can check out the link for Motorcycle pricing . At least your not shocked when they tell you how much.


grant

[Stev-o]

Here's a new rear rim for $139....


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Factory-New-Honda-18-Rear-Rim-CB750K-1969-76-CB750F-/280790689695?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item41606de79f#ht_500wt_689

[754]

 Most chromers cant/wont do stock type chrome anyway  if youre gonna pay the bux, may as well get rthe super shiny.. check with Platingmaster in ont, then you will know if that is a good price..

[Don R]

Getting new steel chromed is easier than getting an old one stripped. The waste is the issue.

[pknopp]

 I would have guessed more than $175. As noted, regulations have made chroming such a pain and expense that fewer are doing it and for that reason can charge more.
 
 They do make "chrome" powder coating but it's still not the same as chrome.

[Grabcon]

Years ago when I was in my youth I was complaining to my father about the cost of some gears I need to replace in the differential of my car. He just looked at me and said if you don't like the price make them your self. This piece of advice can be applied to most anything.

I the case of chroming the most important part for us motorcycle geeks is the final finish. prior to chroming the piece must look like chrome. Meaning that the prep is critical to the process. Crappy prep and any chrome will look like #$%*. This is what you pay for is the prep. The polishing of the piece to make it shin before it is chromed. Now this isn't to say that the materials aren't cheap either.

The point is you get what you pay for.

[markb]

I don't think $175 is bad for a rim.  I've been quoted a lot higher.  Besides the expense of the plating itself, a plater told me that there is a lot of labor in polishing the rims which is a large part of the cost.  And it's true that most rechromed rims will look much better than original.  Which is a problem when you're trying to do a "correct" restoration.  I'm trying to find a plater that will cut back on the polishing which hopefully will save some money too.

[the technological J]

i think that the knuckleheads riding harley pay just about anything if they want something chromed so all around they can charge more and not need the little guys business.. who need a break.... i was just thinking about that myself.. i was gonna look into local businesses that chrome things(not open to the public) and talk to someone who works there

[MCRider]

25 years ago it was hard to find a chrome shop that was run like a business. You could get a good price maybe, but turnaround was 6 weeks to whenever. And if somethings wrong you play heck to make it right. Still that way.

At Brown's they don't quibble on price (There is 10% off for Internet use) and you get what you pay for. Really quick, no-nonsense, turnaround, businesslike respect for the customer, prompt fixing of problems I had a few, the Owner Ronnie was on them like stink on poop and wouldn't quit till it was right.

Ship it in, they inventory it, shoot you back the estimate for approval, and in my case, 3 separate batches were all done in less than 2 weeks each, including shipping. Each piece meticulously wrapped for return without damage.

[754]

  Plus they really know BIKE  PARTS,...none of that .. "Oh I thought the other side was the part you see!!"...insert rolling eyes emoticon..

[sandcastcb750]

EPAEPAEPAEPA

Every plater standing when the EPA music stopped was left without a chair. The guys with a chair charge an arm and a leg. I paid $350 for a cb750 K0 front fender in 2005.

Go to China???

[seanbarney41]

the main plater in my town closed shop about 1989/90? ...100 year old buiding was immediately torn down...land is now likely a superfund site which is largely irrelevant considering the history of the rest of the neighborhood.......and I actually like heavy metal

[mycb750k6]

I know the EPC ran most of the chromers out of business in CA long time ago. Chromers leave a really nasty footprint. You can still find them though that do triple chrome , chrome, copper , nickel that is much better than new from Japan. Examples are rims for 70, front fender, 70, rear fender 50. Nuts and bolts by the pound. The places I go to I would consider "off the grid"