chrome or polish

[obgrayone]

polishing takes forever and needs up keep,chrome on the otherhand do it once and your done. but would chrome make the bike run hotter i am thinking about cleaning up the side cases and the valve cover,

[DannyMotor]

Just polish...

[razor02097]

Polish them then take them to a shop for either clear coat or clear powder coat

[Agemax]

polishing is actually a lot easier to look after than most people think. a well polished cover wiped over once a week with wax polish will retain its shine for years.
it is also a lot cheaper than chroming. also, the quality of the chrome is a major factor. cheap chroming will yellow and flake, and once it flakes its useless, you cant just polish out the flakey bits.
NEVER clear coat a polished cover, again it will chip,flake and eventually go yellow and look terrible.
if you want show quality polished covers its worth spending an hour or so once a week to keep them looking like it and if you do neglect them for a while and they dull up a bit, they will shine right up again in no time at all

[razor02097]

cheap clear coats will yellow and flake. The factory clears it's aluminum parts. I was suggesting something that is less expensive than chrome but not as much maintenance as naked metal.

Apparently there is also a clear anodize finish to consider.