Topic: Rim dilemna

[zxshep]

Hello everyone. I took my rear wheel to the shop to have the new tire mounted and balanced.

The interior of the rim had a lot of rust and corrosion and the shop didn't want to do anything with it until it was addressed or replaced.

I have wire brushed it and inspected it.  The chrome outer surface looks good all around and I can't detect any problem areas.  All spokes are tight and have a good "ting" to them.

So, I am wrestling with what to do to move forward.  Maybe get the inner rim sandblasted and then paint it to stop anymore rusting and protect? Or do I spring for some new rims, spokes, and nipples - along with getting the hubs hydro-blasted?  I hadn't budgeted for that kind of cost. I suspect the front is in the same condition.

Anyone have the same situation?  What did you do?

Any recommendations?

Thanks.  I appreciate any input.

[BPellerine]

get it clean and paint with rust paint and put a new rim tape on it

[BenelliSEI]

get it clean and paint with rust paint and put a new rim tape on it

+1 to this. Remember you will be pressing up a tube against that rim. But, if you are satisfied (some photos would help), and they still hassle you; go somewhere else. Some shops just don’t want to see old bikes (or people that enjoy doing some of their own work)!

[jlh3rd]

get it clean and paint with rust paint and put a new rim tape on it

por 15...

[ekpent]

  I use a wire wheel mounted to a drill to clean the rust and shag off the inside of a rim.Eye protection and gloves recommended. A coat of sealer/paint  after.  I always wondered if shops changing tires especially on project bikes where no one has peeked in there for a long time ever clean that area up.  Your shop may look at the old rusty rim as a possible legal liability issue and not want to mess or be involved with it.

[MauiK3]

If it's not too bad, elbow grease will get most of the loose stuff off. You can then use Ospho to arrest the rusting, prime it and paint it with good paint.
The best paint would be POR15

[carefree]

get it clean and paint with rust paint and put a new rim tape on it

And change your own tires, pretty easy and why pay for something you can do yourself.

[seanbarney41]

yup, tire shops that know old bikes realize this situation is very common and deal with it...I realize lots of areas in the U.S. have a shortage of vintage friendly shops.

[WhyNot2]

a shop i happen to stop by, put duct tape on the rim and a new tube......no problem

[BenelliSEI]

get it clean and paint with rust paint and put a new rim tape on it

And change your own tires, pretty easy and why pay for something you can do yourself.

+1 to “do it yourself”.

[PeWe]

If doing it yourself, make sure the tire irons have no sharp corners. My irons had which ended up in pinched tubes.

I grinded the sharp corners to  rounded radius.

[05c50]

I think that everyone is missing the point, the shop may be doing you a favor. I have seen spoked wheels split because of rust that went unnoticed. A friend of mine came back from a long trip and said that he heard something rubbing from the rear tire. When we looked at the tire we could see that the sidewall was rubbing the swing arm....and then we saw the split in the wheel! The wheel split between 5 spokes. The shop that you took the wheel to may be pricks and just don't like working on old stuff, but I would spend some time cleaning up the rust and closely inspecting the wheel. Most likely there's no problem, but it's worth the time checking it out. Just my 2 cents

....Paul

[BenelliSEI]

Paul....All good points. A few photos would help?

[PeWe]

About rims that look good...
When I restored my K6 I started to clean bike.
Rims looked fine after 22 years long storage (20 in barns), spokes rust that could be polished. DID rims that replaced stock 1983.

I used my Kärcher pressure washer cleaning the rims when chrome flaked off in rather big flakes as metal foil. New rims and spokes added to the list.

Under the good looking chrome it might be something bad.

[zxshep]

Thanks for the input everyone.  The shop was helpful and was interested in helping me out.  I appreciated them stopping and calling my attention to it.

I bought a wire wheel and will be going to town on it to clean it up.  After that I will give it another good inspection and decide if I will seal it up or replace everything but the hub.

As for changing my tires, I know how to do it and have done it in the past on my mx bikes.  I don't have the setup/weights to balance it, so I thought I'd support my local shop and have them do it instead of buying everything needed and have it sit for another 5 years or so.

Thanks, again.  I'll post how it turns out.

[zxshep]

Before pics

[zxshep]

#2

[zxshep]

#3

[zxshep]

After wire wheel pics

[zxshep]

#2 and 3

[zxshep]

As she sits right now.

[BenelliSEI]

As she sits right now.

Nice looking motorcycle! You did a great job on cleaning that rim. Truthfully, I would think about changing it out, but since you did so muchwork, probably use it another time. A nice brush coat of grey rust preventative paint wouldn’t do any harm (on the inside, all out of sight). And a new rim tape. Good luck.

[Cahababum]

I have a rim similar to this.. I decided to replace the rim. I know others have ran worse on their bikes but I didn’t want to take a chance with it.

[scottly]

#2 and 3

That rim is toast.

[PeWe]

Some nipples are too low, going thru the rim?