Any experiences with chrome wheels? I had a polished front wheel once, and did not find it that bad to maintain.

Just looking for people's opinions on these options for wheels.

Thanks, Mark

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1990 GSXR750, reasonably modded

is there any truth that chrome adds weight?

my friend used to hate his polished wheels because if he wasn't diligent with his cleaning the brake dust would corrode everything http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif

ben http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif

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ben :)
http://www.geocities.com/bentang_00/gsxr.html

yeah, chrome adds weight. probably not a huge amount...


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http://149.123.110.32/misc/bike_small.jpg

I guess that polishing would reduce weight also, but would not be enough to care about, unless obsessed...

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1990 GSXR750, reasonably modded

The only thing I've ever heard is that chrome has a tendency to embrittle the aluminum surface. I have NO idea whether this is true, or whether the embrittlement aspect would matter. Perhaps some closet metallurgists out there could comment???

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My wheels were polished,they were a mission to keep clean.
I recently had the middle of the wheels(the three spokes and to the first lip)painted silver and just left the rest polished.
It's hard to notice its painted,looks awesome and is really easy to clean.

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powdercoat ,em black.
my 0.02
Karl

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Hey KJ, I do keep the powdercoating option open too, but I desire a little more flash.

I currently have white rims, and I have NO problem keeping them clean - I must be a strange cat, cause I love to wash my bike - every Saturday AM, before the ride.

mark

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1990 GSXR750, reasonably modded

A good compromise would be to polish the outer rim of the wheel and powdercoat the spokes and the middle section of the outer rim. I have got the black spokes with polished edge and it is pretty easy to keep clean. The rest of the bike though is a different matter.

Regards,

Dale

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OK, re the polish thing. Is there anything wrong with polishing to a nice shine and then covering with a couple of decent coats of clear??? It _sounds_ like it would beat the pain of constant polishing rather than riding.

Does the polishing leave a surface that wouldn't 'like' the clearcoat (NOT anodized)?

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i was told you can't paint over a smooth polished surface because the paint has nothing to grab onto, which is why they always say to scuff the surface of anything before painting.

i don't know....

ben http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif

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ben :)
http://www.geocities.com/bentang_00/gsxr.html

clearcoat over the polished wheel will work great if you use the right paint for the job there is a special clearcoat for doing polished aluminum wheels which I believe is made by BASF also you can have them clear powdercoated. RE the chrome there is the cheap way which is chrome plated directly onto the aluminum and the good but more expensive way which is sometimes called triple plate or show chrome which involves plishing the wheel smooth copper plating the wheel polishing again to make the surface perfect then nickel plate and finally chrome plate and obviously there is a diff in price.

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86 moded one end to the other

If Your gonna chrome em'..make sure it's triple chrome plated!! http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1501652&a=11331889&p=40163186

Or if You do polish them..to a mirror finish that is....You can powdercoat a transparent color over them!!Thats what everyones doing these days!

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"Joey-Red"
TWIN CYCLES
3 Bruckner blvd
Bronx,N.Y.10454
(718)292-TWIN
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1501652&a=12559897&p=46458114
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doug, can u post more info on the clear powdercoating. i called up a few places in the phone book and they don't know what i'm talking about http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif

ben http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by doug:
clearcoat over the polished wheel will work great if you use the right paint for the job there is a special clearcoat for doing polished aluminum wheels which I believe is made by BASF also you can have them clear powdercoated. RE the chrome there is the cheap way which is chrome plated directly onto the aluminum and the good but more expensive way which is sometimes called triple plate or show chrome which involves plishing the wheel smooth copper plating the wheel polishing again to make the surface perfect then nickel plate and finally chrome plate and obviously there is a diff in price.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>



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ben :)
http://www.geocities.com/bentang_00/gsxr.html

Hey Ben, I've seen this clear powdercoating before on auto wheels. It's been done. If you find a place that does not know what you want, you don't want to get them to do it...There are plenty of places here in Van that do that stuff (Aircraft, marine industries etc.) I really gotta see that bike in action one day. My 88 aspires to a facelift not unlike yours. Got an SRAD tail for it and some lights etc. http://24.113.193.215/bike/bike.htm


And as far as chrome goes, it does not affect aluminum, but almost no dipper will guarantee it. Iy just does not stick the same as with metal.

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keep it rubber side down....
http://24.113.193.215/bike/rear.jpg

it's still as mcperformance. can't fix my shock reservoir knob and it's still hairy in the corners because of the preload. according to my traffic ticket i've got 30 days to resolve my lack of turn signals or i pay the fine http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif

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ben :)
http://www.geocities.com/bentang_00/gsxr.html

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cosworth:
Hey Ben, I've seen this clear powdercoating before on auto wheels. It's been done. If you find a place that does not know what you want, you don't want to get them to do it...There are plenty of places here in Van that do that stuff (Aircraft, marine industries etc.) I really gotta see that bike in action one day. My 88 aspires to a facelift not unlike yours. Got an SRAD tail for it and some lights etc. http://24.113.193.215/bike/bike.htm


And as far as chrome goes, it does not affect aluminum, but almost no dipper will guarantee it. Iy just does not stick the same as with metal.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

um, can u recommend a place please? i'm pretty much stuck with calling every name in the phone book.

as for my bike... yeah i would like to see it in action too. still broken and funds are running low http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif

is that converted blue gixxer in that link u sent me a local bike?

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ben http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif
http://www.geocities.com/bentang_00/gsxr.html

[This message has been edited by Benjamin Tang (edited 06-16-2001).]

Nope. It's from San Jose. Looks good though huh? Is the ride still in the shop?
OH... I'm not aware of any powercoating places here. I've only lived here for 5 years and don't know all the little nooks and crannys yet. Call some hot rod shop and ask them where they would recommend.
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keep it rubber side down....
http://24.113.193.215/bike/rear.jpg

[This message has been edited by cosworth (edited 06-16-2001).]

try rainbow powdercoating 604 521 0899

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86 moded one end to the other

okay i just got the scoop on clear powdercoating... yes it can be done, BUT... this type of coating has no ultraviolet protection properties, so after 2 years of use/exposure it might start to yellow... oh well it seemed like a good idea http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/frown.gif

ben http://www.gixxer.com/ubb/images/icons/tongue.gif

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ben :)
http://www.geocities.com/bentang_00/gsxr.html

Be careful putting clear over polished alloy.
The problem arises when you get a few stone chips on the clear coat and oxidization begins on the stone chip. This lifts the clear coat around the chip under the clear, so you can't just polish off the oxidization as you would if the wheel was just bare metal, and to fix the problem you have to remove all the clear coat that has been applied (not fun). I've gone with the bare metal and keep on polishing approach but the triple chrome sounds great if you can afford it. If you can't, polish em up.

Regards,

Dale

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