Timing Belts Changed

[notrader]

I purchased my 99 Standard last May and it had 9400 miles on it. That's not many miles. But the question of the condition of the timing belts and how long they would last was always in the back of my mind. So now, at 11,600 miles I changed my timing belts, thanks to all the information I obtained from reading the posts here on the forum. I am not a "mechanic", but have always felt challenged to do for myself as many things as I can. I do like the learning experience, but would rather have guidance from someone who is experienced. So I read everything about changing the belts that I could find, the forum and the Clymer manual. Followed all the instructions to a "T". Checked, rechecked and double rechecked the timing marks as instructed. I removed the old belts, which incidentally, were still in pretty good shape. Some wear, but no cracks or signs of damage. They were a lot more flexible than the new ones. After installing the new belts, I checked the timing marks and rechecked them. I hand turned the engine making certain that nothing was interfering and that when rotated two full revolutions, the timing marks lined up perfectly. Put everything back together, reinstalled spark plugs and reconnected the battery. Turned the key on, hit the start button and it fired right up and ran like a top. Thanks guys for all of the information. You helped to make this amateur look like a pro.

[Valkorado]

Impressive!  As a fellow amateur, I don't think I'd have had the cojones to do that job solo.

[98valk]

send me those barely used belts.

[oldsmokey]

Put another Ataboy in the file.

[..]

 

[shavdog]

Good report notrader...

[Tfrank59]

yep, now you need to do some stuff that's probably in need of maintenance, such as the rear drive, etc.  If for ex. your bike still has original tires you'd need to change them out being so old, and that's the time to do the rear wheel maintenance--see shop talk.  

[old2soon]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

[Motodad71]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

[The emperor has no clothes]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

[gordonv]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

and should be changed EVERY tire change.

The 90' metal ones, only a few dollars, and an unknown life span.

[Bighead]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

Had one fail with the keeper in place.

[98valk]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

the keepers have nothing to do with it. ALL valve stems are required to last minimum 60k miles. however the EPDM material used to last that long does not like Petroleum distillates which is in almost all waxes/polishes etc., and reason they will have a short life.

[Harryc]

Belt deflection. I forget exactly what the spec is, lets says it's 1/4 inch with 10lbs pressure applied to the belts at their mid points. Is anyone really doing this? What tools/guage did you use?

[Motodad71]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

and should be changed EVER tire change.

The 90' metal ones, only a few dollars, and an unknown life span.

Meh I put this right up there with changing out the oil pan drain plug crush washer, which I NEVER do.....and have never had so much as a drip on all of my bikes over the many years. I say do whatever makes you sleep well at night, but paranoia will destroy ya sometimes.

[The emperor has no clothes]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

and should be changed EVER tire change.

The 90' metal ones, only a few dollars, and an unknown life span.

Meh I put this right up there with changing out the oil pan drain plug crush washer, which I NEVER do.....and have never had so much as a drip on all of my bikes over the many years. I say do whatever makes you sleep well at night, but paranoia will destroy ya sometimes.

Seriously, you should listen to this advice. I highly recommend the metal tire valves. But if you are dead set against them. Change out the OEM valves regularly and DILIGENTLY CHECK THE LITTLE KEEPER. A few years back we were doing a ride and we had a dozen or so bikes. As one of the bikes went to pass a truck he cranked it up to 100 mph or better. He had sudden deflation on his front tire and luckily kept it from going down. But it was a frightening experience for sure. His little keeper had fallen off and the centrifugal force had cracked the OEM stem. Luckily there were many of us that had metal valve stems and stuff to get him going again. Honda engineers are probably some of the greatest in the world. But they screwed the pooch on this one. Please reconsider the metal valve stems. 

[Motodad71]

My newly acquired 97 has the metal stems, so looks like I'm golden for a while.

[The emperor has no clothes]

My newly acquired 97 has the metal stems, so looks like I'm golden for a while.

   

Like these ? The OEM are a combination rubber and metal.

[Motodad71]

Considering the current tires I have mounted are 11 years old and the pressures don't budge, I'd say the valve stems are doing their job. I'll "maybe" install new stems when I mount up some new Shinko's. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Considering the current tires I have mounted are 11 years old and the pressures don't budge, I'd say the valve stems are doing their job. I'll "maybe" install new stems when I mount up some new Shinko's. 

I won't keep at you. I've done my best. 

[98valk]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

and should be changed EVER tire change.

The 90' metal ones, only a few dollars, and an unknown life span.

Meh I put this right up there with changing out the oil pan drain plug crush washer, which I NEVER do.....and have never had so much as a drip on all of my bikes over the many years. I say do whatever makes you sleep well at night, but paranoia will destroy ya sometimes.

Seriously, you should listen to this advice. I highly recommend the metal tire valves. But if you are dead set against them. Change out the OEM valves regularly and DILIGENTLY CHECK THE LITTLE KEEPER. A few years back we were doing a ride and we had a dozen or so bikes. As one of the bikes went to pass a truck he cranked it up to 100 mph or better. He had sudden deflation on his front tire and luckily kept it from going down. But it was a frightening experience for sure. His little keeper had fallen off and the centrifugal force had cracked the OEM stem. Luckily there were many of us that had metal valve stems and stuff to get him going again. Honda engineers are probably some of the greatest in the world. But they screwed the pooch on this one. Please reconsider the metal valve stems. 

centrifugal force had ZERO to do with it. There are many vehicles and OTR with angle valve stems.  Do u really think the Honda engineers are that stupid. DOT law requires all valve stems to last a minimum of 60k miles, THAT IS THE LAW. These same valve stems have been used for decades on the Goldwings. there never has been a problem needing a recall. Again for the 1k time they fail/crack due to the polish/wax compounds put on them when cleaning the wheels. I posted the chemical charts a few times over the yrs and zero responses from anybody. then going down the road they fail from rot, NOT from centrifugal force.  did I change mine out, yes but only because I polish/wax the wheels and it is impossible to keep it off the oem valve stem.

[The emperor has no clothes]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

and should be changed EVER tire change.

The 90' metal ones, only a few dollars, and an unknown life span.

Meh I put this right up there with changing out the oil pan drain plug crush washer, which I NEVER do.....and have never had so much as a drip on all of my bikes over the many years. I say do whatever makes you sleep well at night, but paranoia will destroy ya sometimes.

Seriously, you should listen to this advice. I highly recommend the metal tire valves. But if you are dead set against them. Change out the OEM valves regularly and DILIGENTLY CHECK THE LITTLE KEEPER. A few years back we were doing a ride and we had a dozen or so bikes. As one of the bikes went to pass a truck he cranked it up to 100 mph or better. He had sudden deflation on his front tire and luckily kept it from going down. But it was a frightening experience for sure. His little keeper had fallen off and the centrifugal force had cracked the OEM stem. Luckily there were many of us that had metal valve stems and stuff to get him going again. Honda engineers are probably some of the greatest in the world. But they screwed the pooch on this one. Please reconsider the metal valve stems. 

centrifugal force had ZERO to do with it. There are many vehicles and OTR with angle valve stems.  Do u really think the Honda engineers are that stupid. DOT law requires all valve stems to last a minimum of 60k miles, THAT IS THE LAW. These same valve stems have been used for decades on the Goldwings. there never has been a problem needing a recall. Again for the 1k time they fail/crack due to the polish/wax compounds put on them when cleaning the wheels. I posted the chemical charts a few times over the yrs and zero responses from anybody. then going down the road they fail from rot, NOT from centrifugal force.  did I change mine out, yes but only because I polish/wax the wheels and it is impossible to keep it off the oem valve stem.

I'm relaying the incident as it happened. If you choose to believe otherwise, so be it. 

[Motodad71]

If we are talking about a game of "averages", then I am betting the numbers are overwhelmingly in favor of few issues. Issues are only issues when they occur, and I carry a pump and repair kit with me at all times anyways. Funny thing is I have never used my pump and repair kit on my bike, but have used on others bikes. 

[Jess from VA]

It doesn't really matter WHY Valk valve stems fail, but it is a known fact a good number have failed, and some at speed.  

My belief is they fail because they weren't changed with every tire and got old, coupled with people simply pushing the air chuck on them bending/stressing them (at the wheel), rather than laying down to use the other hand to hold/support them when punching on the air chuck (especially the rear).  And why do you think Honda stuck the elbows on them anyway?  Because they flex under the torque these bikes deliver, and air chucks, and I've seen plenty of Valks with missing elbows.

I had a lot of bikes that never had this issue. But the Valk does have this issue.  And they are old bikes with high miles, for the most part.

Metal stems is the intelligent remedy.  With average tires lasting 10K or less, always putting in new rubber stems at every change, and making sure your elbows are always secure and working (more often than only at tire changes) is only a 2d place remedy (and then you still need to worry about rubber stems).  And over the life of the bike new rubber stems with every new tire, and maybe new elbows from time to time, costs more than the metal stems.   Nope.

Most stems get cracked at the wheel and develop slow leaks that may not be noticeable beyond any tire losing a few pounds over time (with no leaks).  But some of our rubber stems have entirely blown off at the rim with traumatic blowout handling issues at speed.  Only a fool would risk that.  

End of sermon.

PS:  DOT law requires all valve stems to last a minimum of 60k miles

I'd trust a rubber valve stem for 60K (on a motorcycle) because of a law?    

On the other hand, I'm still using my drain plug crush washers that came on the bikes 19 years ago.  No problem whatsoever.

Speaking of these crush washers, anyone new to this bike should know that it is very common to drop the drain bolt (often into the pan since they are hot), but the crush washer stays up on the pan (and may be hidden from easy observation from crud), unnoticed.  You pour out the hot oil and find and clean your bolt, but can't find the crush washer in the pan, so you use another one.  Surprise, two crush washers results in an oil leak.  Don't be that guy.  

[Bighead]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

and should be changed EVER tire change.

The 90' metal ones, only a few dollars, and an unknown life span.

Meh I put this right up there with changing out the oil pan drain plug crush washer, which I NEVER do.....and have never had so much as a drip on all of my bikes over the many years. I say do whatever makes you sleep well at night, but paranoia will destroy ya sometimes.

Seriously, you should listen to this advice. I highly recommend the metal tire valves. But if you are dead set against them. Change out the OEM valves regularly and DILIGENTLY CHECK THE LITTLE KEEPER. A few years back we were doing a ride and we had a dozen or so bikes. As one of the bikes went to pass a truck he cranked it up to 100 mph or better. He had sudden deflation on his front tire and luckily kept it from going down. But it was a frightening experience for sure. His little keeper had fallen off and the centrifugal force had cracked the OEM stem. Luckily there were many of us that had metal valve stems and stuff to get him going again. Honda engineers are probably some of the greatest in the world. But they screwed the pooch on this one. Please reconsider the metal valve stems. 

centrifugal force had ZERO to do with it. There are many vehicles and OTR with angle valve stems.  Do u really think the Honda engineers are that stupid. DOT law requires all valve stems to last a minimum of 60k miles, THAT IS THE LAW. These same valve stems have been used for decades on the Goldwings. there never has been a problem needing a recall. Again for the 1k time they fail/crack due to the polish/wax compounds put on them when cleaning the wheels. I posted the chemical charts a few times over the yrs and zero responses from anybody. then going down the road they fail from rot, NOT from centrifugal force.  did I change mine out, yes but only because I polish/wax the wheels and it is impossible to keep it off the oem valve stem.

Mine failed waaaaay before 60k miles maybe around 30k. So who do I talk to about some reimbursement for my trouble.....it is the LAW....after all

[The emperor has no clothes]

Speaking of these crush washers, anyone new to this bike should know that it is very common to drop the drain bolt (often into the pan since they are hot), but the crush washer stays up on the pan (and may be hidden from easy observation from crud), unnoticed.  You pour out the hot oil and find and clean your bolt, but can't find the crush washer in the pan, so you use another one.  Surprise, two crush washers results in an oil leak.  Don't be that guy.  

I've not had an issue with the crush washers. (Probably just jinxed myself) But, I have had an issue with the o-ring on the filter sticking on the bike unseen. You think 2 crush washers leak ? Try 2 filter o-rings (not really). Cleaning up 4 quarts of oil off the garage floor is harder than you would imagine. 

[98valk]

and did everyone of these failures have wax/polish on the stems from waxing/polishing the wheel?

I'm not denying failures, what I'm stating is the cause of the failures, it is not the design or the material which is EPDM not rubber as required by NHTSA.

[Jess from VA]

Speaking of these crush washers, anyone new to this bike should know that it is very common to drop the drain bolt (often into the pan since they are hot), but the crush washer stays up on the pan (and may be hidden from easy observation from crud), unnoticed.  You pour out the hot oil and find and clean your bolt, but can't find the crush washer in the pan, so you use another one.  Surprise, two crush washers results in an oil leak.  Don't be that guy.  

I've not had an issue with the crush washers. (Probably just jinxed myself) But, I have had an issue with the o-ring on the filter sticking on the bike unseen. You think 2 crush washers leak ? Try 2 filter o-rings (not really). Cleaning up 4 quarts of oil off the garage floor is harder than you would imagine.  

I've heard of that happening on an oil filter (cars not bikes), but always look.  On the crush washers, I never use a torque wrench, but I sure don't do much more than snug the drain bolt, and my crush washers always stay stuck up in the bolt cutout on the pan bottom, like partially heat welded.  And with the bike on the side stand, even on your knees, you really have to get low and look up under there to see it.  And since Jeff (ChrisJ in FL) doesn't maintain my bikes, it's cruddy under there and easy to miss.  The first time it happened, I was looking all over the place when it wasn't in the drained oil pan with the bolt.  And I didn't have a spare, or I would have used it (and had 2, and a leak shortly).  I use a flat blade screwdriver to scrape it off.  I guess both the pan and the washer are aluminum, so it's not one of those different metal deals, it's just a heat deal. And come to think of it, maybe it's a using the same crush washer forever deal.  

We live, and learn, and screw up, regularly.  

I do recall a buddy dumping all the oil in his truck with the drain plug out.  Laughing just made him madder, but I couldn't help myself.

[Bighead]

and did everyone of these failures have wax/polish on the stems from waxing/polishing the wheel?

I'm not denying failures, what I'm stating is the cause of the failures, it is not the design or the material which is EPDM not rubber as required by NHTSA.

No!!!

[bentwrench]

I chromed the wheels on my 98 tourer at 30k miles as  I was tired of polishing the alum.
I pulled the stems out and cut the little T off since I was planning to use metal stems.
It was quite shock to me when I saw how bad the stock stems were decomposing they came apart easily as I pulled them out.

I mostly used a wheel polish called BOM which had a strong ammonia odor to it that could shorten it's useful life.

With 40 years of servicing on and off road machinery I'll say that anyone who wants to trust O.E. valve stems.for more than one tire interval is being foolish I've seen more than a few valve stems spit right out of a wheel,  given the costs of the new metal stems Your crazy not too switch.

[Tfrank59]

This thread has been hijacked to valve stems . Oh well we'll keep it going, I have since changed to metal valve stems because the shop where I have my tires changed has a policy that they won't reuse a valve stem unless it's metal. They say it's a liability thing.  There's probably a historical basis for it.

[h13man]

AND PLUS if there are still rubber valve stems on yer wheels-Git Rid of them NOW A S A P SOONEST cuz they-rubber valve stems ain't worth a hoot nor a holler! RIDE SAFE.

Hmmmmm.....have owned many bikes over the years and all had rubber valve stems, not one of them so much leaked or failed.

They were likely the straight kind though. The Valkyrie’s are the 90* kind. And they will definitely fail without the little keeper in place.

+1. Found out the hard way as the previous owner tire changer lost the keeper during 1st. tire change and obvious mine wasn't aware of it thus I spent a hour on I65 late night with a bad valve stem after tire replacement. Bought 10 keepers off EBay for $20. Still haven't changed keepers in 20,000 mi.  

[RonW]

This thread has been hijacked to valve stems . Oh well we'll keep it going,

I chromed the wheels on my 98 tourer at 30k miles as  I was tired of polishing the alum.

bentwrench, was it worth it to chrome the wheels? How is the chrome holding out if you don't mind me asking.

[bentwrench]

It's been nearly ten years and they're holding up pretty good, I would do it again .This last tire change I had some chrome lift off the frt. one put a little epoxy under it and saved most of it.

It's great to wash the bike and only have to put a little wax or chrome polish on there once or twice a year.
Kinda pricey I think I spent about 700.00+ on both wheels but again I think it was worth it.

[Jess from VA]

After taking a year off really going to town on my OE non-clear coat wheels, I paid the price the other afternoon crawling around and laying on my back for hours with bloody fingers (even up on the jack and wearing Nitriles, which just keep tearing off anyway).  Mainly the rear under the IS bags.  The front is ten times easier to clean, and stays nicer even with ordinary bike scrubs.

Every time I do this, I swear I want to get a spare rear rim and get it powder coated light gray (wash and wear), and just work it into the rotation of rear tire changes until both bikes have powder coat rears.  I would not care one bit the front and rear wouldn't match exactly (light gray powder coat and polished aluminum is close enough for government work).  That would take some time with 37K mile car tires in back.

The good news is, my past high speed buffing and polishing saved the rear from new bad pitting.  But it was hours of scrubbing with steel wool and corrosives, then steel wool with aluminum polish by hand. Now it's clean and silvery, but not chromy.  

The bad news is, it's time to swap out bikes again because I took last year off on that bike's wheels too. 

[Motodad71]

After taking a year off really going to town on my OE non-clear coat wheels, I paid the price the other afternoon crawling around and laying on my back for hours with bloody fingers (even up on the jack and wearing Nitriles, which just keep tearing off anyway).  Mainly the rear under the IS bags.  The front is ten times easier to clean, and stays nicer even with ordinary bike scrubs.

Every time I do this, I swear I want to get a spare rear rim and get it powder coated light gray (wash and wear), and just work it into the rotation of rear tire changes until both bikes have powder coat rears.  I would not care one bit the front and rear wouldn't match exactly (light gray powder coat and polished aluminum is close enough for government work).  That would take some time with 37K mile car tires in back.

The good news is, my past high speed buffing and polishing saved the rear from new bad pitting.  But it was hours of scrubbing with steel wool and corrosives, then steel wool with aluminum polish by hand. Now it's clean and silvery, but not chromy.  

The bad news is, it's time to swap out bikes again because I took last year off on that bike's wheels too. 

So the aluminum OE wheels are not clear coated, I was under the impression somehow that they were? Mine are not pitted from what I can tell, but they most certainly need some TLC and I don't want to use any cleaner/polish or abrasive surfaces which might really screw them up.

[The emperor has no clothes]

‘01-‘03 Standards (CD models) are clear coated. I don’t think the ‘01 Interstates were though.

[Jess from VA]

After taking a year off really going to town on my OE non-clear coat wheels, I paid the price the other afternoon crawling around and laying on my back for hours with bloody fingers (even up on the jack and wearing Nitriles, which just keep tearing off anyway).  Mainly the rear under the IS bags.  The front is ten times easier to clean, and stays nicer even with ordinary bike scrubs.

Every time I do this, I swear I want to get a spare rear rim and get it powder coated light gray (wash and wear), and just work it into the rotation of rear tire changes until both bikes have powder coat rears.  I would not care one bit the front and rear wouldn't match exactly (light gray powder coat and polished aluminum is close enough for government work).  That would take some time with 37K mile car tires in back.

The good news is, my past high speed buffing and polishing saved the rear from new bad pitting.  But it was hours of scrubbing with steel wool and corrosives, then steel wool with aluminum polish by hand. Now it's clean and silvery, but not chromy.  

The bad news is, it's time to swap out bikes again because I took last year off on that bike's wheels too.  

So the aluminum OE wheels are not clear coated, I was under the impression somehow that they were? Mine are not pitted from what I can tell, but they most certainly need some TLC and I don't want to use any cleaner/polish or abrasive surfaces which might really screw them up.

Like Meat said, only on those model years.

The thing to do is scrub them first good with with soap and water with stiff bristle brushes, then mild corrosive mag wheel cleaner sprays or S100 and steel wool (but never allow any corrosives to air dry before follow up soap and water and rinse).  

Then go to work polishing, and the various aluminum white pastes (like Mothers, Eagle 1, etc) are a lot harder to work with and get off, than the liquidy metal polishes like White Diamond, and best of all BombsAway (on-line only).  When the wheels are still crummy after scrubbing, I use 4-O steel wool with the metal polish, but if they are pretty good, then just use rough cloth with metal polish (abrasive tack cloth works very well).  If you are pursuing a chrome like finish, do a final buff with electric drill and hard cotton buffs (but the drill arbor will walk on and mar your wheels easily).

And even though you are tired by now, go back and do a quick wax job to make all this work last.  Except this wax job will actually diminish your final shine, but do it anyway.  The BombsAway says it has wax in it, but not like real wax for lasting protection.

Nitriles are helpful for the hands (especially corrosives on open wounds), but I just keep ripping them to pieces.

I just used both the other day, and the BombsAway is better and quicker (also for boot marks on pipes) than the White Diamond.

You won't be sorry (unless you make the mistake of knocking over an open bottle and it leaks all over the driveway).  On chrome, it gives it a stunning blue tint shine (for all metals).  Especially great on the non clear coat handlebar controls (but not the clear coat brake reservoirs, fork lowers or pumpkin).  Two bottles last for years, absent spills.  Also amazing on chrome plumbing fixtures, bright stainless revolvers, old bayonets, and just any metal you want to spend time on and beautify. 
https://captainrichardsbest.com/index.php/products?page=shop.product_details&category_id=6&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=34

This stuff can be found at most auto parts.
https://www.amazon.com/White-Diamond-protectant-oxidation-discoloration/dp/B00MN9RKG8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1523301351&sr=8-2&keywords=white+diamond+polish

[Motodad71]

Awesome info....time to get to polishing!!! 

[bentwrench]

Boms away was the best(easiest) stuff I found,but again I think that it ate my rubber stems.