Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Polish Speedmaster Front Wheel

I'm trying to figure out why the SM front wheel is not polished like the rear - what's up with that? I hadn't thought about it before but I was getting tires put on SM wheels at a bike shop (honda,yamaha,kaw) and the service guy asked me if they came off of the same bike and it got me thinking...

Has anybody looked into or tried sanding/polishing/clear coating the front wheel? I think it would look totally badass compared to stock.

I've often thought about stripping and polishing the front wheel, but you never know what kind of ugly machine marks lurk underneath all that paint. I'd hate to strip off the paint and be left with a mess that's very difficult to sand out. I guess I just don't have the nads to dig into that job. Feel free though to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Also, the back rim isn't really polished. It's just brushed aluminum with a clear coat over it. Aluminum can polish up to a nice bright shine though, so you could do both wheels.

I think you'd also want to polish the fork legs while you're at it so everything matches. And do the triple trees and risers too.

edit: Btw,caswellplating.com sells all kinds of supplies to tackle the job. I've bought some of their stuff before to do some speaker stands where I took off the galvanized finish on some large diameter pipes which I then painted a copper color.

The wheels are painted from the factory for costs reasons. I had my wheels stripped, polished and plated. $700.00 for the complete set but worth every penny. I also had almost every other removable part polished, plated or painted.

Boogieman,

So they're painted?

Did you see them in process? I'm curious what they look like before plating. I'm assuming they're made of the same material as the rear...

Can't really afford to have them plated right now, but maybe that's something I'll have to aspire to down the road. Or maybe powdercoated...black??? Hmmmm

After stripping they were nicely finished for castings and production machining. Polishing removes even the slightest machining marks. I could have left them that way and looked really good. I had my heart set on the plating though. I'm very happy with the finished product.

So boogieman,

Where did you get them done?

Does anybody else know a good place that'll strip and polish a Speedmater wheel?

Anybody on the board doing such work?

I live in the Denver area - what about around here?

What about Powdercoating? I saw a Yamaha Roadstar Warrior, at the same place I got my tires put on, that had black wheels that looked really cool and think that might work on my AmericaMaster!

That could be a first...

Mark,I never should have switched wheels with you!Look what i`ve created,a custom monster!!!!This is how i started,run now and don`t look back before it`s too late!!!!!By the way i allways thought the same thing about speedy wheels,why didn`t they put the same finish on both wheels????chrome would be nice.

some one has to ask it, They make these in Poland?

cat Polish mc's

I know Jeff, it's kind of a sickness isn't it?! But thanks for fueling the fire!!

I do think I would eventually like both wheels to be the same. The question is how much is it going to cost and how long will it take to get done? I may have to wait until next winter because it's been up on the lift too long at it is. I'm hoping to get it all back together, with all the changes, this weekend. Still waiting for word on when the SM fender will be back from paint - hopefully soon.

I've become VERY intrigued by the black powdercoat idea and will have to investigate further and possibly save up I guess. Black wheels with cardinal red fenders....

Hey markomatic, I had the wheels and all my metal polishing/plating done at "HANDS OFF" here in the dallas area. They do work for the Martin Bros. too. Top quality work and fair prices. Sometimes a little slow on turn-around as the work load increases, but well worth the wait. They do work for builders from all across the country. I've seen the incoming/outgoing shipments. They can be reached at 1-972-487-8220. Ask for Frank. He is a long-time biker and understands what is expected. He now operates the shop due to the untimely death of the founder/owner Bradley Shelby last fall.

Thanks for the info boogieman, I'll check them out.

Was at "HANDS OFF" this AM dropping off parts and a couple interesting things popped up. In the latest issue of "THE HORSE" bike magazine, there is an article on polishing with pictures taken at the shop. Good article.
There latest project is completely polishing every exposed piece of aluminum on a new Shelby Cobra 427, including the body! Not many guys can tackle a job like that. Are they good? Obviously so!

One more question boogieman...

There are two Hands Off Polishing shops in the Dallas area, one in Plano and one in Garland - which did you go to?

Thanks

I believe they are one-in-the-same. Bradley used to live in
Plano. I live in Garland so I go there.