Topic: D.I.D. aluminum rims......clearcoated?...tire suggestions

[KCs76Cafe]

My aluminum spoked rims I scored on ebay came yesterday    They are fairly clean but I want to shine them up. Did they come from the factory with a clearcoat?

[crazypj]

Anodised.
PJ

[KCs76Cafe]

So how should I go about cleaning/polishing them?

[theunrulychef]

Bead blasting or a lot of sanding will take off the anodizing.  Then sand up in progressive grits or use buffing wheels.  Do a search on polishing aluminum, there's a wealth of info on that here.

I'm just finished blasting the anodizing off of my Goldwing DID front rim.  It's a slow going process, and you have to kinda know when the anodizing is gone & you're down to bare aluminum.  I have one trick to help see the difference between the two a little better during the process:  Bead blast one side of the rim.  Then put it on a polishing wheel w/ emory & it should look almost spotty or streaky because it's polishing the bare aluminum parts, but not the anodizing.  Then bring it back to the blaster, & you'll be able to blast off the matte parts & eventually the color will even out to a uniform dull grey.  Once you're there, get polishing like a crack monkey  .

Hope this helps,
Jay in Philly

[KCs76Cafe]

Thanks for the info. Heres some pics of them. Theyre not in that bad of shape.....just need some serious cleaning. The front does have some corrosion(?) spots on it......but not too bad, and it has a new Chen Shin ribbed rubber on it but its coming off. The back has chain lube on it.

[KCs76Cafe]

Speaking of new rubber.........Ive been debating on what to get.  I saw the recommendations by others in the FAQ section and various threads/posts....but I cant seem to decide.

Ive saw some makes of tires that I like the looks of but they are tubeless. Can I run a tubeless tire on these rims? I like the looks of the Dunlop GT 501s but I'll have to save a little more for those......along with the Pirelli Sport Demons. The Bridgestone Battlax BT 45s look good also.   

I have Cheng Shin CS Hi Maxs on the bike now that show some cracking and have kept me from riding much. I've got the money to get another set of those but dont know which way to go.

Any suggestions....based on experience with any of these tires?

Im not looking for the retro look....maybe a more modern sticky/aggressive tread pattern but dont want something that wont work good with the 30yr old 750 frame technology.

[red8657]

Most tubeless tires can be run with a tube.  Just make sure to ask the manufacturer for sure.  I know Avon told me that all theirs could be, and Pirelli/Metzeler guy Jeff Johnston says Metzelers can be run with a tube, but only under 120 mph.  I assume the same would be true of Pirellis. 

[crazypj]

So how should I go about cleaning/polishing them?

I thought I'd already posted info but it was to another group. The anodising is pretty hard to remove, its an electrochemical process. easiest thing to do is find a plating shop near you and see how much they would charge. will need the wheels dismantled though. You could also try oven cleaner or similar, dont leave it onto long as it will eat the alloy. using wetordry is a long boring dirty finger breaking experience whichever way you look at it.
PJ

[Geeto67]

To shine up my GW front end I hit it with some 000 steel wool to take out the white powdery corosion and hit it with some mothers mag and aluminum polish on a rag. I wasn't going for a chrome like finish Just that clean Aluminum look.

My cb750K ran Metzler ME77s, My F runs Avons. I love the Avons for pushing the bike, they have a good feel and lotsa feedback. The ME77s are the best all around tires I have ever had on a bike, the did everything well. Unfortunatly metzler discontinued the ME77 front tire (rears are still available) so I went with their new Lazertec sport touring tires (which in 120 size BTW are only available in a V rating - 149 mph). I've only had them a short while and am not yet through the break in but I already like them. I recommend them for any cb750 that will be ridden hard. The are not cheap however, they set me back close to $150 a tire at my local bike shop.