Re chrome v alloy wheels

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Scout63

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I have stock chromed steel,wheels on my 72 Interstate which will require re-chroming before lacing. I plan on sending my hubs to cNw for hub service and was going to have them laced to Excel shouldered alloy wheels. Now I'm waffling and thinking refinish the stock rims since this is a restoration back to a stock as possible. Cost-wise it will probably be about the same. Probably easier to just send the hubs west and write a (pretty big but worth it) check.

I'm interested in thoughts.

Thanks. Ben
 
I dismantled my wheels and sent just the hubs to Don P. ( madass ) .... he built me very nice alloy wheels with SS spokes etc. with the SS axles complete with bearings spacers etc. I am very pleased with the results .... I said good bye to strict originality 15 years ago though ....
Craig
 
My thought is that you have pretty much answered the issue for yourself. Wanna go stock, gotta be steel.
Here in California, chrome plating is practically extinct, and thus ridiculously expensive.
IMO, the chromed steel is better anyway; not much (if any) heavier, easier to keep clean, and stronger. Doesn't get dinged up changing tires, either.
If I were gonna do this, I'd find a good plater for the rims first, then send them, and the re-worked hubs to Buchanan's in Azusa CA. Pick out the type of spokes and nipples you want, and pay them to build the wheels for you.
Good Luck
 
I shipped out one Dunlop rim to be re-chromed. It is quite beautiful. Alas the depth of the chrome resulted in the embossed identifying marks becoming all but illegible. I then sent the rim and hub to Buchanan's to be re-laced with new SS spokes. After shipping, It would have been cheaper to just send them the hub and buy a new replica rim from them with unbelievably deep chrome. Finding a quality plating business is becoming very difficult. I can't imagine what shipping to and from the Phillipines might be, but I expect Don would do good work.
 
I bought a set of rims and spokes from Don and had them laced and trued locally..Can't beat the price or the look....My wheel guy did say the front was the hardest he had ever done...
 
Shipping to and from Madass was not expensive .... I followed Don's instructions to a T and received 2 brand new alloy wheels , SS spokes ,nipples , SS solid rear axle , SS front axle , new bearings , and all fixings for less than $1000 CAD all in including ship costs .... all I had to do was mount up new tubes/tires and install on bike .... this was about this time last year , so prices may have changed
Craig
 
Layzeeye, Your chrome plate is only microns thick. The reason your embossed lettering has gone is that it has been polished out prior to plating. This means that the rim is very thin in that area. One of the NOC Stafford Branch members had such a rim split, purely by the tyre pressure, luckily at low speed. it went with a hell of a bang. The steel is not particularly thick but aggressive polishing to remove blemishes prior to plating takes it to danger level.
 
I agree with Gripper. Years ago I had the rims on my P11A rechromed. I told the chrome shop to save as much of the original printing as possible since it was a restoration. They said thanks for the instruction, they would have polished everything as smooth as possible and eliminated all traces of original printing because that's the look most of their custom Harley customers want. Considering how deep the lettering is compared to the overall thickness of the rim, it would liekly amount to a fair pit less meat on the wheel.

B
 
Get WM4 ( 2.5 inch) x 19 non shouldered alloy rims. They look almost standard, except for the width, and will give you handling and weight saving benefits you will find hard to beat.
100/90 z 19 Avon Roadriders and you are good to go.
 
Fullauto said:
Get WM4 ( 2.5 inch) x 19 non shouldered alloy rims. They look almost standard, except for the width, and will give you handling and weight saving benefits you will find hard to beat.
Click to expand...

As a matter of fact I did find such a combination: Get WM2 (1.85 inch) x 19 non shouldered alloy rims for even better handling/faster cornering and more weight saving benefits (Avon Roadrider 90/90 front, 100/90 rear) :D
 
Despite the subject line: chrome vs alloy, you might want to consider stainless steel rims. They look very similar to stock chrome rims, they are a heck of lot cheaper than alloy rims, and usually cheaper than rechroming original rims. And when you spoke them with stainless spokes, they stay looking good forever.

Stephen Hill
 
nortonspeed said:
Fullauto said:
Get WM4 ( 2.5 inch) x 19 non shouldered alloy rims. They look almost standard, except for the width, and will give you handling and weight saving benefits you will find hard to beat.
Click to expand...

As a matter of fact I did find such a combination: Get WM2 (1.85 inch) x 19 non shouldered alloy rims for even better handling/faster cornering and more weight saving benefits (Avon Roadrider 90/90 front, 100/90 rear) :D
Click to expand...

You're dreaming.
 
All good thoughts borne of experience. Now I am even more unsure. Leaning towards chroming the original rims. There are good platers only a couple of hours away in Providence. Thanks to all. Ben
 
Fullauto said:
nortonspeed said:
Fullauto said:
Get WM4 ( 2.5 inch) x 19 non shouldered alloy rims. They look almost standard, except for the width, and will give you handling and weight saving benefits you will find hard to beat.
Click to expand...

As a matter of fact I did find such a combination: Get WM2 (1.85 inch) x 19 non shouldered alloy rims for even better handling/faster cornering and more weight saving benefits (Avon Roadrider 90/90 front, 100/90 rear) :D
Click to expand...

You're dreaming.
Click to expand...

No I am RIDING :!:
 
Scout63 said:
All good thoughts borne of experience. Now I am even more unsure. Leaning towards chroming the original rims. There are good platers only a couple of hours away in Providence. Thanks to all. Ben
Click to expand...

If you're going for bone stock, chrome is the only way. But you really should ride one with alloys back-to-back with one without. There is significant handling advantages in reducing unsprung weight, and lighter wheels is the first place to do it.
 
Danno said:
Scout63 said:
All good thoughts borne of experience. Now I am even more unsure. Leaning towards chroming the original rims. There are good platers only a couple of hours away in Providence. Thanks to all. Ben
Click to expand...

If you're going for bone stock, chrome is the only way. But you really should ride one with alloys back-to-back with one without. There is significant handling advantages in reducing unsprung weight, and lighter wheels is the first place to do it.
Click to expand...

That would be a great thing to do. Alloy rims have always seemed 'the right thing' to do for me, but I've always been kinda under the assumption that they wouldn't make much, if any, discernible difference.
 
I took a good look at my rims out in the sunlight today. The front could be chromed but the rear is so rusted that it is not worth it. Seems like new rims are in my future. I do love the look of the shouldered alloy rims.
 
Scout63 said:
....... Seems like new rims are in my future. I do love the look of the shouldered alloy rims.
Click to expand...
Well then my friend you gotta "go for it", as we used to say back when I was in High School. Hell you only live once, right. If you get them and hate them, later then you can always change them out, but if you don't get them, you might find yourself regretting that you didn't. They are a thing of beauty that's for sure, maybe a little bit of extra up keep, but real pretty. I would follow Fullauto's advise on the size too, but that's just me. :D
 
Consider a set of stainless steel rims, a bit lighter than chrome, won't rust or peel, has the OE look and are easy to clean. I do agree that re-plating chrome rims is very expensive, about $300 each, and as mentioned the EPA has chased many chromers out of business, I used to use Browns in Kentucky until they went under, great quality, fast turn around, but not an option. I wasn't aware that such re-chromed rims were weaker, but after reading some of the responses 'am now a believer.

I found a new local chromer who does excellent work, but very expensive. I had them do a left side rider foot rest for a pre- Mk3 and it was barely less then a new part. I had them do a BSA 441 header, muffler and a set of cable stand-offs, $700. The real issue is the de-chroming, it creates some real toxic primordial soup.

I believe that stainless is the new chrome.

Buchanans has been my friend and offers many quality options. The Norton front wheel with disk brake in un-arguably the hardest wheel (motorcycle) to lace and true with 4 different spokes and an offset that in-experienced lacers/truers should farm out.
 
RoadScholar - where do you source stainless rims? I am definitely sending my hubs to Buchanans for lacing and would like to purchase rims from them. I'd like to get the stock look and know the wheels are good for my (hopefully rather long) lifetime. Polished non-shouldered Excel rims ( thanks Fullauto) are also in the running.
 
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