modifying wheel trim

[misterprofessionality]

This is something one or two people have done in order to capture the aesthetic of the cast wheels of the early 1980s on honda CBs. in specific I think i remember Powerdubs doing it, but he's Away now of course, and I haven't been able to locate his original thread on doing it. What i'm looking for is some specific methodology for refinishing the edges of my black painted wheels to show the nice silver underneath, and how to do that in a way that won't cause my wheels to go to crap over time. See an example below:



This is one of the OEM wheels from 1982. notice how the black is accompanied by bits of trim on the edges that are a nice silver.



This is an example of somebody who's done something like that on a modern CB1100. The black finish on the wheel has been skillfully removed.

I see this as essentially a Zero cost mod unless it requires some crazy tool i don't have, so I wanted to see what the correct method would be for getting this done. Instict tells me if i just get a wirebrush bit for my dremel and rub it off i'm going to have problems with the finish later on, so it can't be that simple.

[the Ferret]

Here ya go MP

http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10504

[misterprofessionality]

Thanks for that thread Ferret. so much stuff has gone by I couldn't figure out where to find it. Having read through the entire thing and watched his process I've come away with two key questions and one observation:

1) What exactly was the name of the stripper he ended up using to complete the project? it seems like the original product he bought did not work well at all and he had to pivot to another product. The same goes for the yellow tape he used. I'm assuming that's a very specific masking tape for this process, so I'll want to get the same stuff.

2) what kind of pad/wheel did he use on that grinder pictured next to the finished front wheel? i'm assuming he switched to motorized processes after he finished the rear wheel, once he had the confidence to know what he was doing. I'd love to know what material that wheel is made of.

3) He seems to scoff at the idea of clearcoating it, believing that since its kept indoors and relatively babied that it will be fine. He's probably right, but my bike is not babied. it's certainly kept indoors but I ride every single day, in any and all conditions, and i'm certianly not going to be polishing the bike every day. I'm going to need to get an idea of what clearcoat to use, and how best to apply it.

[misterprofessionality]

haha maybe i should let you do it first M. more guinea pigs is never a bad thing when you have no confidence.

[Cormanus]

Mr P, send Powerdubs a PM.

[Houtman_imp]

That is a reversed Comstar wheel from early eighties , I prefer the earlier ones, not the reversed spokes and than all silver.

[Townie_imp]

If things go awry with the paint stripper & grinder, and you're going to replace the cast wheels, the 2014 Canadian standard had what you're after, black centers with silver rims. Expensive option though.

[misterprofessionality]

Mr P, send Powerdubs a PM.

I tried that with the Velocity stacks project, no reply i'm afraid. radio silence.

[Cormanus]

How very interesting. He still checks into the forum. Obviously doesn't want to talk to us.

By the way, I wondered whether standard 2013 rims would meet your specs.

[misterprofessionality]

If things go awry with the paint stripper & grinder, and you're going to replace the cast wheels, the 2014 Canadian standard had what you're after, black centers with silver rims. Expensive option though.

i've seen those. It was where the idea originally came from for others i think. I'm actually interested in taking it a little bit farther and stripping the very edges of the cast wheel spokes, so that it looks a bit more like the original.

rest assured, if i'm going to buy new wheels, they're going to be magnesium and a pretty gold anodized finish. i'm just exploring this as a low/no cost possible undertaking. If i can't hammer out all the details to the point where i'm sure i can't mess it up, then i won't do it.

How very interesting. He still checks into the forum. Obviously doesn't want to talk to us.

By the way, I wondered whether standard 2013 rims would meet your specs.

lol see above. i'm thinking about spending money on new wheels someday but they're going to be about 1/3 the stock weight if i do.