Ducati Monster Forum

hi guys

i have a red s2r with white wheels and i would like them to be black because they look more aggressive. which route would you recommend? i know that powdercoating would be ideal, but i would like something more affordable as i would have to pay to remove the tires and valves off the wheel, have it powdercoated and then have a shop re-assamble the wheel, valves, have it balanced, etc since i don't have those kind of tools. i can get the wheels off and on the bike easy but is there a way to remove the tire and valves from the wheel with some regular tools without damaging the lips?

do you think that painting with duplicolor wheel paint and primer would work fine? how resistant are those paints? and lastly, when the time to change the tire comes, will the tire removal machine damage the paint around the lips?

thanks so much!

There is a lot of talk that the wheels may be damaged by the powdercoating process specifically if they heat the wheels to remove the existing finish. I would go with paint but would suggest that you get them professionally done which would mean removing tires stems etc.

Better white than flaking off black paint

those wheels are made of aluminum, aren't they?

what if the wheel is sand blasted? this is a difficult topic, i'm really thinking about just painting with duplicolor wheel paint. i read a lot about it and seems that the results are good. what worries me is when the tires have to be removed... the lips may be damaged.

anyone else: can you give me some opinions??  [thumbsup]

I'm not an expert in the field, but I don't worry about powder coating wheels.  Thousands of wheels have been powder-coated without any problems.

No matter what method you use, it can get scratched when the tires are changed.  DIY spray paint is the least durable option that you mention, but it would be easy to do touch-ups.

Wow, you have white and I want white. I have black and you want black. Maybe we should look into this? And you live in Rio D. where all the georgous babes are. I think you may be lucky.

where are you located at? maybe we can figure something out. my rims are 99% new!

Trade them out. Thats your best bet, unless you want an even glossier finish like the black fog magnus has.

I think sand blasting is too harsh on the wheels and could lead to deformities like pitting. But it would also depend on the type of sand and pressure used. Soda blasting it is safer but a bit more expensive.

you can defintely remove your tires with a few tire irons. provided you can find a way to break the bead. Or even with the harbor freight tool that costs $100 bucks. the valve stem takes 2 seconds to remove.

I PCed my wheels with a home setup and they are holding up nicely, i dont think spray paint is a good idea. Wheels take way to much abuse for spray paint to not scratch off.

Just checked with a few places here in town, and it costs $175 per wheel to paint in a specialized wheel paint shop. That does not include mounting, dismounting and balancing the tires. They do a nice work but it's a little over priced. http://www.skipswheelwerks.com/ (http://www.skipswheelwerks.com/)

also checked on powder coating. $85 per wheel with the chemical strip. does not include mounting, dismounting and balancing which i can get for $20 per wheel at a bike shop here in town. total = $105 per wheel. much better and more durable for sure.

depending on how this turns out, i will also powdercoat my forks light gold or bronze.

He Man, you gave me some cool ideas for my bike. yours looks pretty cool.  [thumbsup]

i'm actually in the US now... i lived most of my life in rio where i was born. the babes are really nice there! are you in the US? maybe we can work something out with the wheels

thats pretty cheap for chemical strip. id do it. I chem striped mine too...wasnt fun. but they have industrial strength shit that could get it done a hole lot faster.

being that its local to you, its super cheap. Dont knock paint out.  Liquid Paint looks better, and its probably very close if not just as durable as powder. But youd have to be pretty anal about it.


Good luck and post up pics.

will post pictures soon. i don't know when i'll get them done though  :)

early research if you know what i mean... i actually just bought the bike 3 days ago  [thumbsup]

i will probably get on it in the winter since it rains so much here and i can't ride! summers here are precious, can't  be without the bike :)

I'm outside of Milwaukee Wi. So the end of the riding season is still a couple of months away. I dont think I want to shorten it any. However, I am interested, so if in a couple of months you are ready to make a swap, look me up.

I've recently had the wheels off my retard powder coated red by a guy over here in the UK, he did a flawless job on them and the cost was £75 per wheel.
I know its not much use to you over your side of the pond but powder coating is considered the way to go over here, so good luck and don't worry, just get it done [thumbsup]

 [coffee]

What about bearings and cush drive rubbers?

I don't think they like stripper.

i was about to ask that. if i remove the bearings and the drive rubbers, can i reuse them or will they have to be replaced for new ones?

Nate when i had my wheels powder coated i removed the bearings and rubber seals before they were PCed and then installed new bearings +seals as the extra cost to my mind was worth it.

 [coffee]

I would def. go the P.Coating route vs. paint.
I plan to strip and powdercoat mine sometime this winter (not sure what color/finish yet-need to spend some time on Photoshop ;D).
Plan is to remove from bike - tear down - blast the old/stock paint off and then powdercoat..

i'll probably go the PC route since it is cheaper and more durable. can anyone tell me if i need to replace the bearings and such or can i just use the old ones?
 [coffee]

To remove the bearings, you have to push (or pull) on the inner race, which can damage the bearing.  Most people replace them for that reason.  I've replaced some and reused others.  You'll just have to see what condition they are in when they come out.

That was the point of my post. ;)

When people compare costs of pc vs. liquid coatings they often fail to include all the variables.

Personally I wouldn't re-use bearings after removal because as others have said they must be driven out and the possibility of damage is high.

in the end it will probably be the same thing. i may now just have it painted so i don't have to go through the hassle of remove the bearings, etc.

i'm going to try to get a better price from the painter :)

i will post images soon  8)

My rear wheel had no bearings, but my front wheel does, i just left them in. Ive got about 3 or 4k on them since i PCed them. they feel fine, had them running at 90-120mph for 4 hours straight superslab with no issues.