Topic: Rusted Wheels. How bad is too bad?

[Chad]

Hello all.

I am working on a CB650 and I want to swap my comstars for some wire wheels. I found another member here on the forum who is willing to do a swap. The only problem is that the rims are rusted pretty bad.

My plan with them is to sand blast and powder coat so I'm wondering if they would be ok? I will also be ordering new spokes. Anybody have experience with rims/parts in this condition?

Thoughts?

[dave500]

if thats the worst of the inside rust they look solid.

[jason41987]

i have about that much rust on my front spokes, even more on my rear.. im going to get a front and rear spoke set.. clean the rust off the rims and hubs and put on new spokes for mine... a lot rides on the wheels, and the spokes hold the wheels together so id rather be safe than sorry personally

anyone know where i could buy a good front and rear set?

[seanbarney41]

Just be sure and smooth the pitting on the inside as much as possible, so it doesn't cheese grate your inner tubes

[Mo]

David Silver Spares has the front and rear spokes for about $90 + shipping. For some reason, the shipping from the .com site within the U.S was about 18 dollars but that's still the cheapest I've seen.

[TwoTired]

If any portion of the metal has lost more than 50% of it's thickness, it should be discarded or used only for display purposes.

[steam-powered man]

i'd toss the front rim and maybe use the rear rim.  maybe.

let's say you're if you're heeled over in a turn and concentrating on contact patch location, deciding
on when/how much to throttle up, looking for mid-corner sand or bumps that'll unsettle your old shocks/noodle frame, and gobs of other stuff.  while your brain is collecting input and making incremental adjustments and compensations, do you really want to add the worry of maybe a spoke pulling thru or loosening?

spend the money on solid rims, new spokes and the best tires you can afford.  and no, i'm not a effete snob with wads o'cash laying about but i do know how to lessen my odds of laying her down.        .015   

[jason41987]

Thanks for the tips guys!

anyone know where i could buy a good front and rear set?

jason, are you asking where you can get a set of new spokes or a new set of wheels all together?

my rims are fine.. but my spokes are rusted as bad as his on the front, worse on the rear... id like to clean up the rims and hub, paint them and replace them with new spokes, no idea what a stainless set would cost though for my bike (76 5550F)