Ducati Monster Forum

I want to update the wheels on my Monster.   My local dealer recommends Carrozzeria wheels.  These are forged aluminum wheels.  They less expensive than Marchesini wheels.  My question has to do with the anodizing.  I want to get black wheels, but I do not like the slight purple look that black anodizing gives off under the right lighting.  Will these wheels look purple since these are anodized.  Does anyone have experience with these wheels?  I think Marchesini wheels are powdercoated.  I may have to go with these.

http://www.forged-wheel.com/Vstar.htm (http://www.forged-wheel.com/Vstar.htm)
(http://www.forged-wheel.com/bikes/DUCGallery45.jpg)
(http://www.forged-wheel.com/bikes/DUCGallery21.jpg)

i have no FHE, but i think it has to do with the TYPE of anodizing.
hard anodizing is normally pretty safe in UV light, and won't purple up or fade.
soft anodizing WILL.

these wheels in these pics looks sick.

They are the least expensive forged AL wheels on the market, also the best looking in my opinion. Weight seems to be on par with the Marchesini forged product. Confirm that they are hard anodized to be sure they won't turn purple. I think anything but hard anodizing will turn purple not only with UV but with time as well. I'm pretty sure the Carrozzerias are hard ano. I'm probably going to buy a set too, they are fine wheels.

What I'm afraid of is that hard anodized products just take longer to turn purple, but still turn purple over time.  I have a pair of black Cycle Cat rearsets on my Monster and could have sworn these were hard anodized, but sometimes from a certain angle & with the right lighting these rearsets look slightly purple.   Also my black Evoluzione slave is very purple looking (not sure if this was hard or soft anodized).

Purple slave, purple rearsets, purple wheels.  Sounds like a match to me!

Well if the Evo slave is purple, then all black ano whether hard or otherwise will be purple too, eventually. I know the Evo is hard ano. I have one too. How old is yours? Guess mine will be purple someday. It's been on the bike a year now and still looks very black to me. Also have some CRG levers & mirrors that I know are hard ano. I suppose they too will be purple in time.
One way to solve it would be to get a set in the fantastic gold ano, or grey, or clear. The optional polished is nice but too much bling. Or when they do turn purple, get them powdercoated.

if anodizing turns purple, why not powdercoat? is it because weight?

The dynamic physics provide that every ounce you shave off the wheels at 0mph is equal to about 24-25lbs at 100mph. That's a lot of weight! In light of this, anodizing would be the best method of adding color to lightweight forged aluminum wheels to prevent adding weight. I'm sure the total mass of the powdercoat is very minute, but even 10lbs. @ 100mph is a big difference.

Minor threadjack...Marchesini's are powdercoated?  What are some nice gold anodized forged wheels.

Already found my answer.

I'm not sure that all or any of the Marchesini's are powdercoated so don't take my word for it.  They could be painted.  However, on Moto Wheels website they do mention this under Marchesini Forged Aluminum wheels:
"Powder coated finish is very durable, colors available Black, White and Gold."

http://www.motowheels.com/italian/myproducts.cfm?parentcategoryid=91%7CDucati%20Wheels&productID=3079&showDetail=1&categoryID=530|ST%2CS4%2CMonster%20%2702%2B%20Wheels&vendoridtodisplay=0&filterFor=&collection=168%7CEuropean%20Motorcycle%20Parts (http://www.motowheels.com/italian/myproducts.cfm?parentcategoryid=91%7CDucati%20Wheels&productID=3079&showDetail=1&categoryID=530|ST%2CS4%2CMonster%20%2702%2B%20Wheels&vendoridtodisplay=0&filterFor=&collection=168%7CEuropean%20Motorcycle%20Parts)

Carrozzeria forged aluminum wheels are available in gold.

The shop I work for sends stuff out for anodize all the time.  If you are that concerned about it, find out who is making the wheels, who is anodizing them, and talk directly to the anodizers.   I  know, it might be in Italy, or China or wherever, but those guys would know.   You could always get them stripped and re-anodized by someone you know would give you the results you want. 

IIRC those wheels are not much lighter then stock. I'd check the weight. If you are going to spend the dough might as well get lighter wheels at the same time.

BTW: That first pic is oneducs bike. Mr. banned from every forum.

Get BSTs, problem solved.   ;D

Here is the weight of the Carrozzerria wheels according to Moto Wheels:
"Super Light Weight 7.8 lbs (front), 13.4 lbs (rear) Approved DOT (USA), TUV (Europe) & JWL (Japan)" 

Also from the Moto Wheels website, here is the weight for comparable Marchesini & Ducati OEM wheels:
"NEW Marchesini Alum Forged 10 spoke (748-998): Front: 7.64 pounds; Rear: 9.98

Original Marchesini 5 spoke magnesium (748-998): Front - 6.80 lbs, Rear - 8.70lbs

NEW 10 spoke forged magnesium wheels (748-998) : Front: 6.04lbs, Rear: 7.76lbs

Ducati OEM aluminum 3-spokes (748-996), 11.5 lbs front, 13 lbs rear

Ducati OEM aluminum 5-spokes (996/998), 9.25 lbs front, 12 lbs rear"

So if these figures are correct and comparable then the front rim Carrozzeria is very close to the 10 spoke forged aluminum Marchesini for signifcantly less money.  However, the rear Carrozeria is actually heavier than the Ducati OEM cast aluminum wheels????  That doesn't sound right?

Hmm yeah what's with that? I think the weight savings may only be realized with the SSSA bikes. I'd email Carrozzeria about it and explain. You might have to get the Marchis if you can't get a decent weight reduction from the Carrozzerias.

Ive done the Carrozzeria wheels on several customer bikes over the years. the rear wheels are quite heavy, alot because of the (very good) cush drive setup they use. They use huge steel bolts, and the rotor adapter bolts are steel, etc. You can fit Ti bolts, but by the time you buy the bolts, any weight savings is gone.

The deal with the anodize is that Type II anodize isnt very UV resistant, and sunlight quickly degrades any dark colors quickly. Hard anodize is a muddled brown in color, and although there are few colors they can add to it, it then is no longer hard ano.

The marchesini wheel isnt really powder, but is an oven baked paint, wet applied. Powder is dry applied. I would get the wheels you want and have them powdercoated. There is NO way you, nor anyone else on this board will ever, EVER be able to tell the difference in the wieght of the powder on the wheels. I doubt Mladin or Spies could tell. Get what you want and the color you want. If you have the money, the BST or the GaleSpeed CF wheels are by FAR the best. otherwise, a set of forged mag or aluminum wheels are awesome. You WILL be able to tell the difference between the mag and the aluminum wheels tho, even on the street.

Will

The weight of the rear would be a deal killer for me. 1 pound or even 1/2 pound makes a huge differance.

My local dealer recently weighed a set of Marchesini forged aluminum wheels and a set of the Carrozzeria forged aluminum wheels on the same scale.  They said the set of Carrozzerias was 1 pound lighter than the set of Marchesinis.  Also, compared to a set of stock 3 spoke cast aluminum wheels from one of their customer's ST3, the Carrozeria set was 17 lbs lighter.

That's kind of a mixed bag. Front wheel weights are hugely noticeable, rear... not nearly as much.

as a previous poster said a couple of pounds or even a few ounces is not going to make a huge difference.This is a Ducati Monster forum,Monsters are not racebikes.I doubt if there are 10 registered users on this forum that would be able to tell the difference between a powdercoated rim at speed and an anodized rim at speed.
As far as anodizing is concerned , once aluminum has been anodized it cannot be stripped and re done.I was going to do that to my handlebars a couple years ago and was told by the anodizer its not possible as anodizing changes the molecular make up of the alloy. Once done its done.
Have a happy day people. [beer]

Scroll down to the sprocket.

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html (http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html)

We put a set on Mrs. sno_duc's 620, the front is lighter the rear about the same, of course the rear is now a 180  [evil].

They still make paint in black too.

Ah crap! Why didn't you guys tell me that sooner? [bang]

(http://i41.tinypic.com/15rlitt.jpg)

^^^ [thumbsup]  ;D

I did as you said and went and looked at that web site.
The anodizer I spoke to does commercial work only maybe its the difference between the hard and soft anodizing? I don't know.
I only know what I am told and am not going to argue about it. That is pointless.
If I am wrong I apologise.

I went with the Carrozzerias.  I'll post pictures with the wheels on the bike soon.

(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%202005%20Monster%201000s/20090808_Carrozzerias2.jpg?t=1254190303)
The wheel was light enough that I could have held it out like this for 10 minutes.

Here they are on the bike.
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%202005%20Monster%201000s/20090925_10.jpg?t=1254246457)
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%202005%20Monster%201000s/20090925_05.jpg?t=1254246504)
(http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm21/JonTravisKing/Ducati%202005%20Monster%201000s/20090925_01.jpg?t=1254246525)

hard, soft, weight savings or not, that's a very nice bike...

your bike look great [thumbsup]

Quick, grab that bike before it falls over!!

[laugh] That's just the camera angle.  I was low to the ground when taking those pictures. 

Travman - your bike looks great!!  I love the wheels!!   [thumbsup]   [moto]   [beer]

+1 [thumbsup]

Great looking bike.
Can you notice any difference w/ the lighter wheels?

Nope.  Light wheels are completely over rated.   ;)

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. 

I think I can notice the difference w/ the lighter wheels, but it may be just in my head.  It is very subtle, but I notice it mostly when accelerating in the lowest gears.  There is a little less snatchiness and a little more acceleration.  I've only ridden it about 10 times since the new wheels and about half of those times I had a passenger.  So now it has been almost a month and it is almost impossible for me to remember how the bike felt before. 

can you paint over anodizing?

Maybe I missed it, but did you happen to weigh these vs the stock wheels?  ;)

I painted over my black (turned purple) anodized sprocket cover about a month ago.  It seems to be holding up fine.  It was a simple rattle can job.

Yes, we did the stock wheels versus the new wheels.  The stock front wheel was approximately 10.2 lbs.  The Carrozzeria front wheel was 7.9 lbs.  The stock rear wheel was 18.8 lbs.  The Carrozzeria rear wheel was 13.4lbs.  I'm pretty sure that adds up to a total of 7.7 lbs. 

Ive got a set of Carrozzeria's on this bike.  The ones on hear appear to be powder coated as they have a small chip in the black coating.

(http://i35.tinypic.com/2dwckme.jpg)

What kind of frankenbike is this?!?

1989 gsxr 750. Triumph 955i swingarm. Honda 929 forks. fancy wheels.  Highly modified 2007 gsxr 750 tank.

Lots of different parts to build a streetfighter.

do you plan on attaching a seat?

of course

What kind of triple trees are on your streetfighter?  Those things are massive.

Handmade. They are boltless. Locking rings in the inside.  Thats why the diameter has to be so Big. I didnt make them and I dont really loke them, although the workmanship is great.

i have a seat request. i think a banana seat from a 70's Schwinn would be freakin' schweet!!!

8 lbs on a set of wheels is a huge difference [bacon]