Its been my experience over the years that Suzuki in general is bad for their chrome rusting.

JOG has been touting ospho for years.  Use liquid not gel.

I don't know if it will penetrate thru chrome though.

The presumption is the chrome has a pin hole(s) and rust is bleeding thru.

If liquid can penetrate it as well may convert it.  would require a good soak.

electrolysis may be another option as it'll dissolve rust into a solution to transfer it to a cathode/anode (one of the two).  Then you'll need to seal it again.

Well... it's gotta be better than rust.

You know where that's headed.

Aluminum foil & water, rub the affected area, for some reason, that knocks the rust down real good. I havent done it, others have & raved about it AND Rick on American REstorations showed it to us the other nite.
I keep a quart of Ospho in the shop. I get a coupla years or so out of it, I wipe rusting places & rinse them off after its turned black. If ALL the rust is gone, then theres nothing to turn black & its gonna rust right back up. Iron Phosphate isnt iron, nor is it iron oxide,, I havent done a real test to prove that its more stable & doesnt rust, but from what Ive casually observed, its a LOT better than raw metal. If ya use a brass brush it wont scratch the chrome. But, Id just hit it with the Ospho, Im sure its just starting, not deep enough to keep the chemical from reaching thru & thru the rust,
Wipe it, wait 24 hours, wet rag rinse, dry. If you dont like the look, brass brush to get the staining off the chrome around the rusty specks. Thatll leave a tiny dark dot. Ive done it several times, cant even see it on a walk by,, The guy who bought it didnt. I think youd need a magnifying glass to see it. Its a very dilute solution, so, it wont mess things up ( Tho Id caution against getting it on aluminum) I wear rubber gl;oves, cuz its not fun on the skin, The new name is Jasco, manufacturer sold out, same jug, same stuff,, lower price,,

Its always smart to test anything new on a small spot in an out of the way place,, Dont just go for the Gold here,, Ive been using pure silicone oil on car dashes & interior trim for many years. I Always test in a small out of the way spot on any new car I use it on,, I cant KNOW that the plastic in this car is the same as the others, now can I?

Thanks. I think I'll try the Ospho technique with either foil or brass scrubbies. I spent a while on the Internet looking for something more permanent, but the rust converters, which turn rust to magnetite, all seem to also include a non-heat-resistant polymer, so they won't help the exhaust.

Yes, my bike does sit outside, under a cover, in New England, where it is fairly wet. The clear coat had already started to deteriorate before I got the bike, and now it's a mess. That I'm not so concerned about, as I can always paint the aluminum. But I'd prefer to prevent the exhaust from rotting any more than it has to.

Once the cheap soft chrome starts to get rust oozing through, you ought as well dip it, strip it, and paint it. Once the pore is large enough, the chrome is going to start to bubble, and you'll end up sanding it off anyway.

My purchased brand new in 2/98 had rusty pipe and fender rails by 4/98. Gulf Coast, block and a half off the beach.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 02/04/14 at 08:17:59:



Either way, you get the same "look", one way needs attention every coupla weeks, the other, every few months. & one way, "attention" = work, the other, attention = wiping it down.. Im lazy,,
Im betting that your chrome isnt orange, its still shiny with little dots showing up, right?