Next Summer I am going to refurbish my wheels. I will keep the same colour. Questions 1) How much approx? 2) When you take the wheels,do you have remove brake disc and bearings? 3) Does it look like new again or ever better. Thanks.
It's one of THE things I try to do when I get a new bike if they aren't perfect, the difference is amazing. So obvious once they're done plus you get the option of a different colour or finish. The guy who does mine charges £90 the pair for bare wheels. I have to remove the valves and bearings before he'll dip and strip them. Much nicer than black. Again, much nicer than black.
This is from personal experience. I have had lots of wheels powder coated in the past but on my ducati, which has thin spokes like the new blade wheels ,i have had no end of problems since i powder coated them. The rear one cracked a spoke so i took it back under warranty . I was given another wheel which i had powder coated again. After ducati had investigated the crack they said it cracked due to the powder coating and i should change the front wheel too. Being a tight Yorkshire git ,i thought ok i will keep an eye on it to see how it goes. The front wheel was like cheese ,i would come back and find massive dents in the rim even though i don't remember hitting anything .It was so bent that it was pushing the pads back into the callipers so i renewed that wheel too. Now i have cracked the second rear wheel spoke and had to buy yet another wheel . So no more powder coating wheels for me from now on . I am glad i had the wheels done silver ,as if they had been black i probably wouldn't have seen the cracks.
I'd agree with this. I had my wheels powder-coated and if I was going to do a refurb again I'd get them painted. I was doing some work on the bike and dropped a spanner on the wheel. Rather than dent or scratch the paint it knocked off a chunk of the powder coat. Seems to me like it's a little too hard for wheels.
I am on the Hyperstrada forum which is worldwide, There are people running these bikes on dirt tracks in Vietnam,Canada and south Africa. I have asked if anyone else has had problems with wheels cracking / buckling and it seems i am the only one. I have had no problems with the replacement wheel i have had painted rather than powder coated.
Ok then. It's also possible that the wheels don't like the heat that the wheel is subject to when they get re-coated. I'm no metallurgist but this is the first time I've heard of it. I trust the guy who does mine to inform me if there are issues with his procedure, and if it could cause problems I know he would inform me, as he has turned away work at his cost in the past (Fireblade exhaust sleeve) as he didn't feel it wouldn't be suitable for the product he was using and the heat it would be subjected to.
I am Just going by experience.The first wheel was replaced by ducati £850 .The later replaced front and rear wheel have cost me nearly £400 from eBay plus i had to pay for those repainting too. I can see where the wheel manufacturer was coming from ,as the way that they strengthen metals is by heat treating them to specific temperatures over a set length of time and then either letting them cool down naturally or quenching them to make them stronger. Like you i am no metallurgist but due to my experiences i am wary of powder coating such a safety critical item now.
Actually, I must get the bottom part resprayed. I will tape the spokes and get the local spray place to coat them. No need to remove the tyres.
I'm a painter by trade so every bike if ever had, if painted the wheels but lawyered them with a high quality scratch resistant clear. Never had any issues at all. I take the discs and sprocket off etc but leave the bearings in as i I'm a painter by trade so naturally iv painted the wheels on every bike if ever owned. I take the discs etc off but leave the bearings in as I'm not dipping them so no need. Always finish them with a good quality scratch resistant clear coat even if the wheels are Matt. £120 would be in the right ball park.
Had my 12+ wheels powdercoated and had no issues whatsoever. Previous owner had the 08-11 wheels powdercoated and had no issues whatsoever. You'll need to strip them down of everything; valves, discs and bearings. Expect to pay around £100 a pair. I paid £130 but they were done down in Surrey and it ain't exactly cheap down here.
Thanks for posting the question. I'm considering buying a 2013/14 White Blade next year and changing the wheel colour to white so good, to get some information .
