Testing an internet myth...

I've read articles and watched YouTube videos about "restoring" rusty chrome with common bathroom cleaners.

I tried two different cleaners on one of the exhaust tubes. I sprayed the cleaners on, let them sit, re-applied, scrubbed with steel wool, and rinsed.

Then did it a second time. Below is the result.

 

As I understand it speckled rust is the easiest rust on chrome to deal with. There are tiny holes where the rust peculates up and the spreads out across the surface. So a tiny 100 micron hole turns into a speck the size of a pin head or larger.
But then as yo have there like on an XJ650 exhaust pipe, it has spread and multiplied and thus, the chrome is gone.
Don't really need anything special. Chrome is VERY hard and many things are softer and can be used to remove the surface rust OVER chrome. My favorite is just aluminum foil and water then periodically wipe down.
You can finish with a chrome polish if you wish. I've done this with old bicycles as well as bars and exhaust on bikes now. You will STILL have these tiny little black specs for the lighter freckled rust and they will spread again so you have to keep dealing with it.

So, if your example was sort of a freckled light rust that was more sparse and a lighter brown, it would have likely come out beautiful, but not much better than just a sheet of foil and water.

 

Yes, for rust "pops" the foil-and-water method works great, but in the example above the rust has actually eaten into (eaten away) the metal itself, and nothing will remedy that.....even a re-chrome will still show the pits unless extensive re-construction of the pipe itself is done.

 

Do people actually get things re chromed? I can imagine thats really expensive.

 

I have small a batch electroplater nearby. Anytime I've asked about re-chroming motorcycle parts the quoted cost quickly cancelled any plans.
The last time he showed me a grill from some antique car, explained everything going into the restoration.
He said that was their targeted client, someone willing to pay 2 months salary for one part.

A cheaper route to consider is the pseudo chrome powder coat treatment.
I did the exhaust on my Turbo with good results. Not quite chrome but still looks good.

 

I have had a couple sets of motorcycle head pipes JetHot coated and really liked the result. That can be done silver that looks good, not chrome but nice, easily cleaned silver. Also had the head pipes for an XJ650RJ done in black and that was pretty good too. Not cheap but very durable and supposedly helps retain the exhaust heat to aid scavenging.