FROM BLACK TO WHITE

Well I finally decided to paint my wheels. I was going to do powder instead of paint, but I coudn't justify the expense of powder coating (shipping, removing and re-mounting the tires )

I just had brand new tires installed in March.

I have only done the front wheel so far, but I'm very happy with the results and can't wait to do the rear wheel. (no runs, no sags, no drips and very glossy)


I took a few pictures with my very old and very low mega-pixel digital camera which really doesn't justify the results.

I would definately recomend this easy wheel paint mod for the measely cost of $25.

Rob

[image: user posted image]
[image: user posted image]
[image: user posted image]

looks pretty good. how do you think it will hold up to havign a wheel weight attached? think it'll chip or peel the next time the weight gets pulled off?

does that look a little off-white to anybody else?

Kanadian Ken, May 24 2006, 01:25 PMlooks pretty good.  how do you think it will hold up to havign a wheel weight attached?  think it'll chip or peel the next time the weight gets pulled off?

Not sure, but it can't be any worse than the crappy original honda paint. By the way I had used two cans of the Dupli-Color white paint for really good coverage.

Mr Pheer, May 24 2006, 01:26 PMdoes that look a little off-white to anybody else?

No it's a real nice white. Like I said my camera is lousy and had a bad tendency to shift white a little to the yellow side.

Look's good!

fing02.gif

Now you'll be faced with this after a chain lube / ride in the rain:

[image: user posted image]

tongue.gif

cbar, May 24 2006, 05:39 PMLook's good!

fing02.gif

Now you'll be faced with this after a chain lube / ride in the rain:

[image: user posted image]

tongue.gif

Geez........you need some more weight on that wheel huh.gif I don't think I've ever seen that much weight needed to balance a tire.

Oh yeah ufraidees.........good job on the paint.

ufraidees, May 24 2006, 12:32 PMNot sure, but it can't be any worse than the crappy original honda paint.

Hello? The paint on my wheels was very tough, no chips, peels, etc. Hell, it took two cans of aircraft stripper to get the stuff off!

rmcobb, May 24 2006, 01:44 PMGeez........you need some more weight on that wheel  huh.gif   I don't think I've ever seen that much weight needed to balance a tire.

Oh yeah ufraidees.........good job on the paint.

+1.gif I would take that tire back if it really took that much weight to balance it - unless your rim is foobar. Try balancing just the rim if you have not done so before.

jeremy556, May 24 2006, 06:06 PM Try balancing just the rim if you have not done so before.

Good idea,...unless it needs to be there to compensate for the sail effect. wink.gif

johne, May 24 2006, 02:15 PMGood idea,...unless it needs to be there to compensate for the sail effect.  wink.gif

We'll take care of that sail for you CBAR - don't you worry. THen you will have to get that tire rebalanced...... bwa ha ha ha!!!! tongue.gif

jeremy556, May 24 2006, 01:06 PM +1.gif I would take that tire back if it really took that much weight to balance it - unless your rim is foobar. Try balancing just the rim if you have not done so before.

Hmmm...that's the way it was when I bought it from the previous owner, who had just put the new rubber on....I didn't know any better at the time. huh.gif

Looks good - apart from the whitewall tyres! goofy.gif

Having had white rims (on my granite blue metallic '90 VFR750), I'd never go back to them. The stripped rims were so much easier to keep clean, and looked better with the black/gold/silver theme of the bike.

Ooh - I should get some photos of Biker Gurrrrl's 883 Snortster. She painted it with a $4 rattlecan of flat black, and it looks really good. Heh... the salesman asked her what she wanted the paint for ("To paint our Harleys, of course!") and he freaked out: "Noooooo!!!! You can't do that!" laugh.gif

Drizzt, May 24 2006, 01:45 PMHello?  The paint on my wheels was very tough, no chips, peels, etc.  Hell, it took two cans of aircraft stripper to get the stuff off!

I have a friend who also rides a 98 Vfr (which is garaged by the way) and the paint on his wheels is also lame. I was told by the local dealer that Honda had begun out-sourcing the painting of it's wheels in early 96 to some piss-poor Japanese outfit in the Philippines who did sh@t jobs of preping & spraying of the wheels.

The paint on my front wheel was thin that lightly using the red scuff pad was taking the paint off right down to the metal finish (hence the need for gray Primer)

I also had a few people look at the wheel finish before I decided whether to paint or powder coat the wheels who also felt that there was very little or even no clear-coat applied to the finished wheels.

Rob

cbar, May 24 2006, 01:39 PMLook's good!

fing02.gif

Now you'll be faced with this after a chain lube / ride in the rain:

Thanks... smile.gif


I think in order for me to avoid that kind of chain lube mess now, that I might have to start taking the wheel off the rear hub before hitting it with the chain wax... idea3.gif

I'm interested in seeing the whole picture with both wheels done and on your bike. Something about that RC/NC 30 look.

sa1713, May 24 2006, 04:39 PMI'm interested in seeing the whole picture with both wheels done and on your bike.  Something about that RC/NC 30 look.

Sure I can do that, but I'm not ready to do the rear wheel just yet. I will probably have the rear wheeldone with-in the next two weeks or so.

I want to get the front wheel back on so I can fool with the brand new PC-II I just picked up for $145 + $8 shipping... tongue.gif

Trace was kind of enough to e-mail me his custom map and I'm dying to see how that effects my bikes overall performance.

ufraidees, May 25 2006, 08:59 AMI want to fool with the brand new PC-II I just picked up.

Trace was kind of enough to e-mail me his custom map and I'm dying to see how that effects my bikes overall performance.

I hope he didn't send you the joke one he sent me! Oh how we both laughed! Especially at the massive BLAAARRRRGHHHH! I got if I opened the throttle too much. That was SOOOOO funny in rush-hour traffic! laugh.gif

ufraidees, May 25 2006, 08:31 AMI think in order for me to avoid that kind of chain lube mess now, that I might have to start taking the wheel off the rear hub before hitting it with the chain wax... idea3.gif

Excellent idea!
Except...
That chain lube on the pictured white wheel is from riding it after lubing it.

Except...
What if you forget to put the back wheel on after lubing the chain? blink.gif

Actually, it depends on your chain lube. I've found that Spectro Chainwax and Motul Chain oil/lube/grease/spooge have almost no fling-off.

But white paint does perversely have BlackVoodooMojo™ that attracts both chain spooge AND road spooge.

Here's a better picture with the masking tape removed. Of course my camera still stinks but with the flash on the pics look a litte better.

Oh yeah the Dupli-Color wheel paint is not a pure white, but it's still a very nice shade of white IMO.

[image: user posted image]

So, you took the whitewall tyres off and put normal black ones on?
You've lost the retro look, but I think it looks better. Sort of more contemporary, modern even. fing02.gif

I have doubts about how well that paint is going to hold up after the first tire change. Since you didn�t remove the tires, there is going to be an edge that is in the same place the tire irons are.

I did use the duplicolor silver and clear to pretty good effect on my rear hub. The original paint was peeling and flaking off.

enzed_viffer, May 25 2006, 04:16 PMSo, you took the whitewall tyres off and put normal black ones on?
You've lost the retro look, but I think it looks better. Sort of more contemporary, modern even.  fing02.gif

Lol... My neighbor said my white-wall tire masking tape job looked better than what the bozo's @ Maco did when he had his 88 Suburban re-painted 2 years ago. As I recall he said they must have used just enough masking tape to cover his windshield wipers because those were the only things that didn't have paint on them.

jeremy556, May 25 2006, 05:04 PMI have doubts about how well that paint is going to hold up after the first tire change. Since you didn�t remove the tires, there is going to be an edge that is in the same place the tire irons are.

I did use the duplicolor silver and clear to pretty good effect on my rear hub. The original paint was peeling and flaking off.

Not a reall big deal if it does since I have decided way ahead time before I went with this simple do-it-yourself wheel painting project that I was going to have both rims professionally powder coated and cleared at the next complete tire change interval.

So I have about 12,000 miles to ride first on these brand new Avons still before I will go the full Powder Coating route.


Rob

That is the same type of paint I used in clear on my wheels. It is holding up very well.

ufraidees, May 26 2006, 10:08 AMSo I have about 12,000 miles to ride first on these brand new Avons still before I will go the full Powder Coating route.

So which Avons did you go with, Rob?

enzed_viffer, May 25 2006, 07:02 PMSo which Avons did you go with, Rob?

I choose the Azaro-ST 45 front & 46 rear.

I had pretty good luck with the Avons on a few of my other bikes as they seem to balance real world street tires with enough of the sticky stuff for my likings.

I had a pair of matched Michelin Tx-15 & Tx-25 tires on my CBR that only lasted about 4K.. sad.gif Albeit I did spend quite a few track days on those tires when I was honing my survival skills.

jvafyr, May 25 2006, 06:56 PMThat is the same type of paint I used in clear on my wheels. It is holding up very well.

Nice to hear that.. wink.gif

My Co-worker Dave had re-painted his 99 YZF-600 wheels silver and to be honest his wheels still look great after two years so far even with the few runs in the paint on one side of the rim lip.

[image: user posted image]

Completed Conversion.. biggrin.gif

WOW...shiney beer.gif nice job on it.

Hobie1dog, Jun 8 2006, 07:32 PM 
WOW...shiney beer.gif   nice job on it. 
 

Thanks HobieDog... wink.gif

I took my sweet time prepping, masking and painting.

I'm finding so far that it was well worth the $25 a wheel in rattle can paint until I can get them professionally powder coated.

wheel.gif

Hey this looks like a good idea to me and It's only $25. Now I'm thinking about doing the same thing, but maybe a different color. I have an 05 in silver with silver wheels (kinda). I bent both of my rims a while back...I think something like 10k miles ago and the guy the straighten them had to take liberty in trashing the paint around the bent areas. My rims are straight now and the discolored parts don't bother me too much since I don't care that my about looks but it would kinda cool to make them look nice again and it would give me something to do over the summer. Now I wonder what color I should make it...