[MonkeyHanger]

Got my polished rims back today from Exeter. the rear wheel is perfect, front not great but may be OK. I'm going to get my old Michelins fitted in the morning (its 2am here in UK) to see if I like the look.
MH
Yellow is rarest and still the best

 

[Cheapbastard]

looks good MH, ya know ya could've got me to do them fer ya. I could use the extra $$$ right now! Actually, I'm tired of polishing, I've done quite a few sportbike frames and swingarms. It's alot of work, but decent side money. :-D

 

[Catenaccio]

I like the look of polished rims. Here's a pic of mine.

 

[Boezack]

When you get those bad boys on make sure you put up some good pics.

 

[durty]

On 2007-01-19 20:12, cheapbastard wrote:
looks good MH, ya know ya could've got me to do them fer ya. I could use the extra $$$ right now! Actually, I'm tired of polishing, I've done quite a few sportbike frames and swingarms. It's alot of work, but decent side money. :-D

REALLY, I have been wanting my rims done . OK how much .

 

[stmike]

Doesn't it take a lot of maintenance to keep them looking good once they're polished? I'd be interested in hearing whether a simple wipe down when cleaning keeps them looking as fine as they do now.

 

[ctrhenry]

polished will never look as good as the day it was first polished .

oxidation "rust" is a mother ,

aluminum oxide is which is what forms is crystal clear in its pure form ,
but it always forms with enough contaminents to give that milky look.

but you can always take em off every winter and have them brightened up .

 

[auraaura]

Hey MH, did they polish your spokes or just not take the paint off them? I can't tell from your pic.

 

[Triple_Rider]

When I first read the topic, first thing I thought was "Hell No" But those look great, I like the two tone.

 

[itchin]

So, where in the states would ya go to have that done?Are'nt they powder-coated from the factory? Is the powder coating difficult to remove befor polishing.?

Just answer the ***** question. :-D

 

[amberale]

They look lovely MH. Are they clear coated to stop oxidation?

However ,to answer your question, no.

Nor would I rim the Polish. :razz:

AA

 

[Devious2XS]

That is a nice look.

You can use ZOOPS seal to seal the polished aluminum. It will last for a couple of years of normal wear and cleaning. Another option is a non-yellowing clear laquer or clear powder-coat.

 

[MonkeyHanger]

Just got back from my local dealer. He's going to fit the tyres today if he can.

The guy in Exeter just polished the rims though he offered to do the whole thing, I wanted the contrast of the original Grey coating.
I tried to polished the rim myself but it takes an eternity by hand.

Well worth £65 is saved elbow grease!

I'm a bit of a sad git, I love polishing. Its true it is tough to keep them gleaning but during the summer me and a few pals meet in The Monkey Hanger on Friday nights for drinking and polishing fun.

When I do get them fitted I'll post a few pictures

 

[Cheapbastard]

On 2007-01-20 04:36, itchin wrote:
So, where in the states would ya go to have that done?Are'nt they powder-coated from the factory? Is the powder coating difficult to remove befor polishing.?

Just answer the ***** question. :-D

itchin, the powder coating isn't all that bad to get off. The hard part is usally once you git past the lip, most wheels have casting marks that are a b*tch to git out. It doesn't look like the S3 wheels have the really bad casting though, but those spokes wouldn't be the funnest thing. As far as stripping the paint, if you were gonna do the entire wheel, you can use aircraft stripper. Just spread it all over your wheel, wait a bit, and rinse off the bubbled up paint. Sometimes it takes a few processes to remove all of the paint. As far as just sanding it goes, I usually start with 180, then go to 320, and finish it up with 600. There's no need to go past 600, if you've done a great job sanding, she will look top notch once ya start buff'n her! :upthumb:

 

[Limey]

Not sure about the wheels but I would definitely change that carpet. :-D :hammer:

 

[bikeman]

I did polish the wheels of my last bike....never again! While they look great the maintenance is a pain unless that's your thing. If you stay on top of it with cleaning and polishing it's fine, but I'm lazy and would rather ride.

Mike

 

[zooplancton]

yeah, living on the coast and trying to keep polished aluminum alive is purgatory.
<BR>plus i think where the paint edge is, (a bare edge of paint meeting metal) i would think it would be pretty hard to preserve that nice line between polished aluminum and paint when your polishing. -- (i use a drill-mount polishing kit. sisal wheel, then harder cotton wheels with 2 rouge bricks, then soft pads and 'soft' liquid polish)
<BR>
<BR>it does have a cool "hot rod" effect though.

[ This message was edited by: zooplancton on 2007-01-20 18:13 ]