Topic: Those of you with non-stainless spokes - How are they holding up?

[grcamna2]

Can anyone else give us a spoke report?

+1 for me too.
Who's done lot's of Original spoke finish restoring ?

[Nic]

Can anyone else give us a spoke report?

+1 for me too.
Who's done lot's of Original spoke finish restoring ?

I used one of my old rusted ones to make the r/h side front brake line bracket.

[Bootlegger56]

Can anyone else give us a spoke report?

+1 for me too.
Who's done lot's of Original spoke finish restoring ?

I used one of my old rusted ones to make the r/h side front brake line bracket.

Now that's my kind of engineering!!!  Recycle and Repurpose!

[Lostboy Steve]

My Vietnamese spokes are holding up just fine. I tend to wipe the bike down regularly tho, and I wd-40 the rims (on a rag keeping it away from any rubber).

[70cbk0]

I replated  my spokes for my Superhawk and they turned out very nice. Cadmium plating, which is very hard to find anyone who will do that anymore. When I had the the same guy do my spokes for my 750K0 he wrecked the treads, they were screwed. So I was really pissed off, out of money and wanted to get the thing finished and on the the road so I bought from Vintage CB750, because there were close and could be here in a day or 2. They have turned out to be very good. Fit perfect, been on 3 years, and I haven't babied them, and they're still perfect.

[grcamna2]

What about cleaning up rusty spokes? Anyone find a way that doesn't ruin your whole friggin' day???

I am sure there are a lot of ways to clean em up.  I use beer (not for the spokes) fine steel or bronze wool and good tunes all complemented with elbow grease.  Its therapeutic.    If they are just corroded that is all I do.  If the plating has broken down and rust has started to form I scrub them all then paint them with a small artist brush and Krylon Stainless appliance paint from Lowes.  It sort of has that aged cadmium look and holds up great. 

But I digress as my real curiosity goes back to the original post and as to whether any of the aftermarket spokes are any good.  The ones that Z1 sells are touted as being Made In Japan. 

I agree with Stev-o and would be concerned about some of the quality out there especially from China.  After all the spokes are one of the main components that keeps our butt off the asphalt.  When you think about it like that the 200 buck price for Buchanan stainless is cheap compared to curing a bad case of road rash or worse.

Bootlegger,
Could you give any info on that stainless appliance paint? I'd like to check that out.
I'd like to freshen up the appearance of my faded OE spokes. 
                                              Bill