What do your wheels look like?

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

Ok then.
I don't mind maintenance, but I have had it with the pure crap paint job on the wheels of my 93 K1100RS.
So, I've decided to powder coat them.
Here's the before pictures.
The bike just a year and a half ago.




 The wheels this week. The picture really does not capture how poorly the paint is. They capture brake dust like a magnet too.



 
Also need a new front tire so I bought a Michelin RP3, the rear RP2 will be remounted.

You cannot see it, but there are numerous spots where the paint actually looks worn off. That & they collect the brake dust like crazy.

The rear is EASY! No bearings. The front on the other hand is trouble.
I could NOT get behind the bearing to drive it out. The rim would not fit in my oven to heat it up. So, Dremel to the rescue.
Yes, I cut that bad monkey out. I am NOT proud of this, but I am good at it. Took an hour to do too. I cut a " V " in the inner part of the bearing, then hit that point with a cold chisel to break it. Pop that out, remove all the left over ball bearings and holders, then use a small pry bar and a block of wood to lever out the outer race part of the bearing. Remove the spacer parts & drive out the other dual row bearing.
Refitting them is much easier. I'll grease & then freeze them over night.
Heat the rim over a pot of boiling water using a towel so as not to scratch the new powder coating. Place the bearing in & drive home with a like size socket or piece of PVC.
The powder coat guys are local and do a lot of stuff. He new right away what area's needs to be masked off. It's more industrial, but there where lots of car parts & MC parts laying around a nd a coworker recommended them. They say it takes about a week.
I'm off to the stealer soon to get the new bearings. Moto Bins has 2 sizes listed for the dual row bearing. I cannot find markings on my stock bearings that match anything so I don't want to take a chance on that.
It'll cost maybe twenty bucks more at the dealer, about $70.00 for both bearings and this is one of those items that needs to be right.
We DO have a LOT of good bearing suppliers in the metro Milwaukee area, but it's all just too iffy when I talk to them. That & the weather is really starting to turn to spring on some days here and I want this done.
I will post pictures again when complete of just the wheels, the wheels & the tires, and when all back together.
I'll keep you guessing on the color until then.
_________________
1993 K1100RS that I'd rather be riding FAST!

[Rick G]

Before you reassemble make a small indent on the inner surface of the spacer so you can get a punch in to get the bearings out next time

[wmax351]

Mine were just painted. Rattle Can satin black. Came out looking nice. One of these days I will powdercoat them.

In order to get the bearings out, just stick it in an over at 300-350 degrees. Take it out, and drop the wheel on a box of 4x4's, or a couple of pieces of wood. The bearings will start to come out, and you can grab them with an internal puller, or just keep clanking it.

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

 Good tips on the bearing removal.

 Tried to fit it in the oven, no go. Will look real hard at putting a notch in the spacer.
If I ever need to remove them again I would like to try and reuse them if possible.
The stock ones were shot in my opinion at 53,000 miles.
 My bad, should have used more grease under the 2 metal covers. Not having that packed well
probably let the water get past.

[wmax351]

Good tips on the bearing removal.

 Tried to fit it in the oven, no go. Will look real hard at putting a notch in the spacer.
If I ever need to remove them again I would like to try and reuse them if possible.
The stock ones were shot in my opinion at 53,000 miles.
 My bad, should have used more grease under the 2 metal covers. Not having that packed well
probably let the water get past.

They should have rubber seals, and don't need any grease between the bearings.

You can try making a DIY oven, with some turkey pans.

[johnny]

yawl... mines never looked better...



j o

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

" They should have rubber seals, and don't need any grease between the bearings."

 Yes, rubber seal, no grease in between the bearings, each side that is confirmed. There is a large steel cap spacer between the end of the bearing/wheel and the inside fork.
I think if I'd had kept that packed with grease the water could not have penetrated to the rubber seal. Which did not keep the water out on mine.

 Never thought about making a temporary oven from turkey pans. That is thinking outside the box. I could use the heat gun to fire it up.

 Oh JO! That poor poor wheel will never be the same. Man oh man when it let's go it really lets go.

[DRxBMW]

Ok then.
I don't mind maintenance, but I have had it with the pure crap paint job on the wheels of my 93 K1100RS.
So, I've decided to powder coat them.

:hmm: under the impression powder coat was "ill advised" due to the chipping factor when spooning on fresh tires ? First time a hydraulic tire machine goes to work,look out.

I'm with JO, the more filth the better. Status symbol of a true rider. Hell, you should see my GS wheels. A routine hosing is all they ever get. 

Tip: a lazy man's way to sparkling wheels, is to spray them with "mean green" detergent concentrate then hit them with a power washer carefully. NO fuss NO muss, five minutes and your on the road again. 

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

 Chipping the powder coating.

 Will have to see how the tire guy I use does with the newly coated wheels. They do custom painted wheels all the time. They have  a tech dedicated to special wheels and there are 2 - 3 bikes in storage/ service with coated wheels that I saw.
 I described my project up front & told them what I'd be doing. They said no problem so we'll see what happens.

 To each his own on the dirt. I'm no Shriner and knock down plenty of long dirty days. I don't mind cleaning things up once I'm back home

[DRxBMW]

Chipping the powder coating.

 Will have to see how the tire guy I use does with the newly coated wheels. They do custom painted wheels all the time. They have  a tech dedicated to special wheels and there are 2 - 3 bikes in storage/ service with coated wheels that I saw.
 

dunno, I have access to a "state of the art" Atlas tire machine. Cat's ass,there's really nothing better on the market for MC and ATV rubber swaps.



http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Motorcycle-Tire-Changers

http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Atlas-TC229DAA-Tire-Changer_3

The shop makes riders sign a wavier that we will NOT be responsible for any scratches on a wheel during the mount period.

Granted, if your real careful, use custom plastic protectors,etc. your are probably safe.  However, I've seen custom paint/powder coat chipping/chatter in spite of every precaution taken. Especially on Jap sport bike wheels.

In the real world of motorcycle mechanical wunderland, it's called chatter marking.

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

 Wowza!

 Thanks for that.

Guess I'm a gonna find out one way or the other.

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

Here we go, this the update as promised.

 Wheels back from the powder coater.
 Sorry cell phone pics.


 Bearings and rotors installed.


New front tire & added tire pressure monitor valve stems that were a very generous gift. I went to the moto sports dealer on a Saturday morning. They had
2 techs on duty and nothing to do. They asked about the wheels and the coating, then asked if I wanted to watch them mount the tires. OH YES!!!! But no pics.
They used nice clean shop towels on the equipment to make certain the wheels were not marred. They did not put a single nick or scratch anywhere. The wheels sat in the rec room for a week with no change in tire pressure according to the new monitor system.



 Spent part of the day getting it all back together and double checking everything. We had a snow storm yesterday and now cold air has moved in
for the next couple of days. Was cloudy when I took the pics and late afternoon. It looks good and the pictures don't quite do it justice.
 When I first got the tires put on I thought how beefy the black color made it all look. Now on the bike, to my eye, it seems to make the bike
appear smaller & more compact. The coating is super slick after waxing and should shed and or hide dirt well.
 Oh well, it's done now and I'm ready to ride as soon as the weather clears. Which should be in 2 to 3 days and we are back in the 50's.





 Hope to see YOU down the road!

[johnny]

they are looking good there jjb...

gotts the winter windscreen on there i see...

j o

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

 Thanks Johnny.
Yep. That's one of those Parabellum set ups I got.
 It works OK. Gives enough protection to make the ride comfortable, but just enough wind to let you know you are still on a bike.

 It's coming off soon.

 I have the Aero Flow as well. I like that one for protection better. Highway speed and no wind at all in the face. Then it's easy to
take off & be stock again. Can't do that with the Parabellum.

[DRxBMW]

Yes Siree, I must admit your black powder-coat wheels do look sharp.

One of these days, I'm going to paint my whip.

NJ bricKhead gave me a pair of 3 spoker mags after he high sided his K 75 S two years ago, they would work perfect for the project.

[Chaos]

My wheels seem to be powder coating themselves   :lol:

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

My wheels seem to be powder coating themselves   



 And there is nothing wrong with that at all. If that's your groove thing, run with it. :2thumbup:

 Long as your riding, enjoy what ya got.

 



 

[Crapdealerbob]

Had mine done in black back in 2008 - really like that Black on Black

[Jumpin Jimmy B]

  Black on black. That body work is that graphite color with a bit of metallic in it. Really a very dark gray
The place that did the wheels also does hi-temp industrial coatings. Looks just like the PC, but is good to 1,000 degrees F.

 If dollar bills somehow start appearing in my pockets, I may not be able to resist coating the headers, which are Stainless, and the muffler, which is aluminum skinned to be black like the wheels.