Powder coated wheels

davethegoat · 01-14-2013, 01:52 PM

Hey just had my wheels powder coated with a special pearl white powder. I think it matches up with the rest of the body pretty well. Yeah, I could have saved a lot of money with just regular white powder but I think it would have looked OFF considering the body is metallic white pearl. I went ahead and replaced the wheel bearings too since the bike has 32k.

I have some crappy pics of before the powder and after. Tell me what you think.....

Before...

And after...

I know they're gonna be a chore to keep clean. Oh well, I like cleaning my bike

kevin_stevens · 01-14-2013, 02:04 PM

I agree, those were crappy pictures!

The new powdercoat is a lot less fuzzy, that's for sure.

Looks good.

KeS

Tony216 · 01-14-2013, 02:16 PM

I miss white wheels. Looks good.

CBROldMan · 01-14-2013, 02:22 PM

Looks sweet, makes the bike look newer.

Rhetorik · 01-14-2013, 02:24 PM

Looks good!

BeeGee · 01-14-2013, 11:49 PM

White wheels always look good on a bike. Good job

stnkbg1 · 01-15-2013, 01:56 AM

They definitely look good. I certainly dont envy the cleaning ahead of you though.

davethegoat · 01-15-2013, 01:31 PM

Thanks everybody.
Yeah, I was a bit hesitant to do something "cosmetic" just for the sake of looks and all. But I'll be honest, I probably spend more time looking at it than I do actually riding it. Painful to ride for more than an hour. Lately, it seems to be more eye candy than something I want to ride much. I thought about installing dirty bars for a more comfy ride but I would hate to screw up a great handling bike. So, I think I'm going to trade it to someone who will enjoy it for what it is an get a dual-sport. I love riding my dirtbikes and think a KLR or DR would be just about right. I wish I could afford to keep it as a track-day bike and still get a commuter bike but I am having a hard time finding work lately and things don't look too good in my area. Anyways I digress.

Thanks for all the comments.

David

Rhetorik · 01-15-2013, 02:18 PM

What exactly about riding your bike is causing pain?

Also - who cares if its just for looks? I put rimtape on my wheels and love the look - although according to others it's a huge n00b/poser thing to do.

Here's a pic of mine with my new tires bungee'd on b/c I was going to get them changed

iquack08 · 01-15-2013, 04:27 PM

Definitely a clean look. How much does it cost to do something like that?

ZorroX · 01-15-2013, 06:24 PM

Not something I would spend my money on, but it looks nice.

davethegoat · 01-16-2013, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhetorik

What exactly about riding your bike is causing pain?

Also - who cares if its just for looks? I put rimtape on my wheels and love the look - although according to others it's a huge n00b/poser thing to do.

Here's a pic of mine with my new tires bungee'd on b/c I was going to get them changed

That's a sweet looking Kawi. I'm a big fan of wheels stripes as I believe the contrast is needed. You know something to break-up the BLACK/BLACK of the wheel and tire. Haters gotta hate,though,and anyone that says it doesn't look good or you're a poser can go fuck-off.

As for my pain, I have spinal stenosis and riding over bumps aggravates it. What is funny is I ride motocross on my 450 all the time and hit some pretty knarly jumps and my back is fine afterwards. I believe it is becase I am standing and using my legs so the force is not transmitted directly to my problem area.

davethegoat · 01-16-2013, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iquack08

Definitely a clean look. How much does it cost to do something like that?

$250.00 IIRC. It would have been much cheaper, except, I had to order a special pearl powder and it only comes in five pound shipments. As you see, my wheels only needed about two pounds, yet I paid for five. Do you know anyone who needs three pounds of pearl white powder?

I also replaced the wheel bearings all around at the time. With 30k on the originals, it was due. So figure another Franklin or thereabouts.

kevin_stevens · 01-16-2013, 08:20 PM

You pretty much have to plan on replacing wheel bearings. They need to come out because of the heat generated in the powder coating oven, and they don't replace particularly well.

KeS

serpentracer · 01-16-2013, 11:03 PM

definitely looks better that's for sure.

I did my black rims with clear coat last summer. I wasn't to sure it would turn out like I hoped. but it turned out better.
yamaha uses a matte finish on the rims. the clear made it look so much better. I wish I thought about doing this many years ago now.