Powder-coat or Chrome wheels on my bike?

[03K12RS]

Powder-coat or Chrome wheels on my bike? Looking for a durable finish, also looking for quality work. Have a Capri blue K1200RS and have been thinking about this for a while.
Chrome what are the drawbacks? Approx. cost?
Powder-coat same questions. What color? Navy blue? Black? White?
Any suggestions for local shops?

[Mr Sunshine]

Chrome is heavy.

Powder coating is not.

I would powercoat.

What color are they now?

[03K12RS]

Stock silver color currently. Looking to get something a little more scratch resistant and unique.

[vpilot]

Here`s a pic of my 04 rs with powdercoated white rims

[MadMax96]

I was pondering the thought of going the route of powdercoating myself...  what is the approximate cost to getting a set of wheels done?  I have no idea.  

[vpilot]

I`ve paid from under $200.00 for vfr rims to $260.00 for bmw rims.

[veefer800canuck]

Chrome has been done to death.

Pick up a copy of SuperSteetbike magazine and look at the chromed-out stretched and lowered sportbikes.


Excessive bling is a bad thing.



Powdercoating is durable, comes in a multitude of colours and is easy to clean.


Just be sure the powder you choose is suitable for a motorcycle/automotive application. Some types of powders aren't up to the rigors of UV exposure, etc. They are meant for indoor use.

Ask the p'coating shop and they can give you the correct info.


AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WHERE NOT TO COAT LIKE BEARING HOUSINGS, BRAKE DISC MOUNTING POSTS, ETC.

Gotta mask that crap off. Oh yeah, must pop out the wheel bearings and seals first!

[03K12RS]

Here`s a pic of my 04 rs with powdercoated white rims

Thanks for the picture post VPILOT, was considering possibility of 2 color wheels, blue around rim and either black or white spokes. Do you think that is too much or I am nutz for considering this as an option?  

[Mr Sunshine]

 Thanks for the picture post VPILOT, was considering possibility of 2 color wheels, blue around rim and either black or white spokes. Do you think that is too much or I am nutz for considering this as an option?  

that would be pretty expensive.

[steve.ski]

LOVE those white wheels. Chrome still needs polishing too. Getting in around the rotors and such can be a royal pain...

[ksann]

 Thanks for the picture post VPILOT, was considering possibility of 2 color wheels, blue around rim and either black or white spokes. Do you think that is too much or I am nutz for considering this as an option?  

Powder coating is a much better choice, and far less chance of it peeling off later (unlike chrome).

As to a two-tone, as already said, it would be extremely expensive, as they would have to mask it once, spray it, cure it, then mask the already coated areas, spray it, and recure it (not sure if this can even be done realistically).
At my work, we have a truckload of panels powdercoated every day, and very rarely is there a problem with the coating. Plating is not nearly as reliable.

Also realize that your wheels will become much more noticalbe in case you do get a small scratch if you choose a light color. One of my yellow wheels recieved two small scratches at the last tire change (thank you cyclegear ), and now those two spots collect brake dust.
Also, wax the powdercoat, very easy to do, and makes them much easier to keep clean later, and in the future, only use water (maybe with a really mild 'carwash' type of soap (not dishwashing detergent)) to clean your wheels. No other chemical is needed, or wanted.



ken

[03K12RS]

After searching web for powdercoating http://www.customcoaters.com/ (scroll down to see listing by state) I found a local company that can powdercoat, suggested single color as two-tone are a major pain to get lines straight and not have some blending of color or overlap. Will look into have pinstripes put on later.

[bikerfish1100]

one drawback of powdercoating is that if/when it scratches, you can't just touch it up- you have to strip and reshoot the entire thing.

[Busy Little Whiner]

Chrome is for 57 Buick bumpers... Powder Coat is for motorcycles... the biggest hurdle is picking a color...
behold Golden Bronze... looks good enough to eat no???

http://www.caswellplating.com/powder/powder_colors.html

[03K12RS]

That's a sweet look (melted carmel) for the wheels! If I had a dark colored bike I would consider that Golden Bronze.

[03K12RS]

Powder coat on wheels is done, will get pictures this week. Cost for strip and powder coat was $160 (sweet!)
Single color on wheels, will hold off on any modifications until after posting photos. After seeing them on the bike, need more time to think about options. Should have pictures by Wed. evening, last trip out in the cold and my camera froze.

[goodhawk]

This may be on bozo list, I read someplace that SOME pwdercoating heated Aluminum beyond  a ' safe temp' ??

[XXTi]

I paid about $85 to have both wheels powder coated.  The first coating did not last well at all, so the coater re-did the job with a new finish and a clear coat to better resist chain oil and cleaning chemicals.  I recommend that you discuss your application in detail with the coater and ask what experience he has with your selected coating system.

FWIW, the system used by the local coater heats the wheels to about 400F.  You don't need to worry about hurting the wheels at that temperature.

[Lon]

Powder-coat or Chrome wheels on my bike? Looking for a durable finish, also looking for quality work. Have a Capri blue K1200RS and have been thinking about this for a while.
Chrome what are the drawbacks? Approx. cost?
Powder-coat same questions. What color? Navy blue? Black? White?
Any suggestions for local shops?

Powdercoat.  Black.  Hides brake dust.

[Busy Little Whiner]

This may be on bozo list, I read someplace that SOME pwdercoating heated Aluminum beyond  a ' safe temp' ??

My personal experience is that the temps used (320F to 410F) in powder coating will not produce an unsafe condition in either aluminum or magnesium wheels...  

[04R1150RS]

How about another route, such as stripping the paint off the current rims and having them polished and clear coated?? I did that to my old K1100RS.

  On my R1150RS I've been slowly blacking out everything that is silver. The motor on the '04's are black so why not the rest. The foot pegs and mounts are black. I'd like to do the forks and rims too. Also the drive shaft and diff, but that may not ever be done.

[03K12RS]

Here are some pictures of the wheels (last 5 pictures at bottom of page) http://homepage.mac.com/callanje/PhotoAlbum5.html
Just to give you some idea of how things turned out:

[gmicklus]

got mine done in east hartford CT they ship at airborne coatings they have a site $75 a wheel one thing I would do differently is in the corners of the wheels the metal is bumpy I would polish any raw areas because the powder coat has come off the high spots just little specs but easy enough to rectify

[Andrew]

 

WOW they look great

White sure shows the dirt, Hope they are easy to clean.