Exhaust and Fork Cleaning?

Hi Guys

Decided to treat my bike to a good cleaning of the exhaust for its 10th birthday. See the PICS. I have a few questions regarding what I am doing. I have been using Autosol and a medium grade wire wool and it seems to be working well without leaving any scratches. You should be able to see where I have rubbed down and where I haven't.

As you can see from the pictures there are quite a few dark marks that are smooth to the touch. Is this normal discolouration or just wear that is a little deeper? I suspect its not wise to move to a heavy wire wool as it will damage more than clean?

If you look at the forks also, they have various stone chips etc and I gave a small area the same treatment but it didn’t work anywhere near as-well. Can anyone suggest a better way to approach this?

Cheers

Rob

There's a thread on here somewhere recommending optiglanz for the exhaust down pipes etc.
I tried it and was pleased with the results. Just spray or brush on, leave for 3 mins and wash off. It took a couple of goes but it removed the surfaces dull appearance pretty well. I'd advise agitating it with some wire wool or a scotchbright pad (like a brilopad but for metal) for maximum effect. Oh and wear gloves & eye protection. It's strong stuff!
Finish with autosol to get it shining.

http://www.getgeared.co.uk/OptiGlanz...1&category=217