Opinions on wheel color?

So this is my first post on here and I am in the process in purchasing an 05 vfr. I am not completely sold on the color of the bike but the price makes the deal too good to pass up. I was wondering if anybody had fooled with the rim color as a cool way to augment the look of the bike without removing the "stock" tag from the bike itself. I dont wanna pay to make the bike worth less on the resale market, but I like to add a little flare to my ride. Pics and opinions please!

RB

 

Pictures? I got news for you probie. You first. What colour is your prospective bike? White wheels like nice but they are an absolute pain in the goddam ass to keep clean. Even the bug guts gets on them. Probably the easiest colour to maintain is tbe dark charcol grey on the 07 RWB. Nothing showes up on those.

 

sorry, prospective bike is the silver 05 with about 9k on it. I was thinking burnt orange, dark blue, metallic black, or chrome. I love white, but my buddy has the 07 anniversary edition with white wheels but like you said, they are an every day cleaning project. I dont necessarily care about how often I will need to clean them as I do pretty decent upkeep on my bike. Any idea on the ballpark for the paint job on wheels would run me? Not that I would let aesthetics make my decision for me, especially at this price.

Thanks,
RB

 

From my CBR days I agree, avoid white unless you don't actually intend to ride the thing on real roads. Not sure what schemes you had over there but a friend of mine here in UK has a silver 05 with the gold wheels from a later year, looks great and didn't cost him huge amounts second-hand.

 

I love the anniversary edition with the white rims but maintenance aside I feel as if white on silver isn't that great of a look. My first thoughts without looking at them next to the bike were burnt orange, metallic black, chrome, or some sort of royal blue with flakes in it. No idea, pictures to sway my opinions are welcome. Thanks

Also, any problems that are well known on the 05 that might dissuade me from buying are welcome as well.

RB

 

Both paint and powdercoating are options for wheels. Paint can be done without dismounting the tires. Forget using rattlecans on wheels. The paint ain't all that good and does not stand up to wheel cleaning products that are aggressive.

Colors, even accent colors are personal choices and very subjective. There are websites up the wazoo that have pages of both analogous and complimentary colors. Maybe start with the "rules" of the color wheel to begin with.

The next thing is hue. This one will drive ya nuts if decision making is even minimally difficult. No shit? Yes, no shit. For example. Access any paint company website or go to an automotive paint supplier and look at just the variety found in one hue even off whites. Most places have a NAPA store that has auto type paint catalogs if no specific auto paint store is not extent.

Silver goes with a shitload of accent colors presenting even more of a sort of problem. Also wading through a list of "even though my bike is green, your wheels ought to be________. "

Best bet on that bike is get that R/R up to snuff first.

 

The burnt orange sounds great to me. The silver bike needs some color and it needs some contrast.

Many people make wheels as bright as possible and I think that detracts from the bike. The lightness of the color should be on par or slightly darker than the silver of the bike. So one's eyes go to the bike, then they move down to the wheels. The wheels should not stick out where one's eyes go to the wheels first.

Once the paint has completely cured, wax the wheels. Keep the wax routine up yearly, and periodically wipe the grime off using an automotive soap if need be. Car wash soap will not take off wax. I merely mention this because of complaints about maintenance. Some diligence here can help reduce effort dramatically.

 

Personally. I would powxer coat them rather than paint. I believe powder is thicker, more scratch resistant and all around more durable than paint. On the 06, the silver colour is actually the raw aluminum colour of the wheel with a clear powder coat. You can get the wheels media blaster with something like wlanut shells to bring ou the natual colour. Pri e wise. The net is your friend. You will find more there than what I can offer from this side of the 49th parallel.

 

There are so many types and varieties of both paint and the materials used in powdercoating that one over the other on anything is not predictable.

Also, thicker is better does not apply to SOW either..So there!

 

Check out Carrozzeria Forged Wheels Facebook page for color ideas. Every color looks great with the sliver paint, but I like gold.


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I like the idea of an orange - sounds interesting. I personally don't like the idea of chrome.

What about a dark gray or graphite? You could also try to spruce the wheels up with something as simple as a pinstripes. Cheap, easy, and if you don't like it, try another.

What to be concerned with on the 2005 model:
As BadBilly said, check you R/R (regulator rectifier if you're not familiar). There are 1 billion posts and counting on this subject. And the most common one is known as "The Drill" which I've posted the link to below. Pay specific attention to post #9.

The other thing is that all 2002 through 2005 models had a recall for a wiring harness. Somewhere in the front of the bike. You can find out if this was done by calling any Honda dealer and running your VIN, or contact Honda directly. Its free to have fixed, and no time table on it.


The Drill:
http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/39277-How-to-fix-common-regulator-Stator-failures

 

Silver white and black are considered by some to be neutrals when combined with any type color. In the case the really getting tired of argument as to whether black is really black or white is the opposite is moot.

So almost any color, hue or chroma can "go" with the three. Again a matter of color favorites and subjectivity. For more graphic illustrations just on bikes see Google images of custom and factory paint jobs on both cars and bikes. This until your eyeballs ache with the possible combos..

We ain't done with the top coats either. Consider anodizing or plating or flame spraying where one or more molten metals are applied depending on the substrate as single coating or multiples according to the type metal in the substrate.

There ain't no rules on painting wheels either. Two and even three colors or hue can be applied. For one example the stick on stuff that comes in several basic colors..

As good or even great as a few of the chain lube products oot there in motorcycle land, one thin film or a few drops of crud off the chain is a magnet for grime and yep it really shows up on white wheels. BB uses a 50-50 mix of tap water and "Purple Power" I get at Wallymart mixed in an atomizer bottle. My wheels are all painted with automotive grade paint.. saturate the wheels and let the stuff sit for a minute of two depending on the ambient temp, then hit it again. A really good tool for getting into these recesses is a good quality real paint brush with flag tips a 1.5 or 2" with synthetic bristles will cost you maybe ten bucks or your can ask the guy in the paint store if he has any seconds. The dollar store stuff is crap for this purpose. Good for some things but not for really getting that wheel clean. Squirt some of the 50-50 mix on the brush, work fast and hose off the wheel. The job is easier if the bike is on the center stand and the rear wheel is off the deck. Even drying the wheel is easier. Fire up the bike and put it in gear and the water goes bye-bye with centripetal force. (Oh shit, threre I go again trying to be sciencey and not posting aboot credentials, college degrees and riding for 643 years or more.. Sorry bout that.

The Purple Power is aboot 7 pesos a gallon. The RTFM is on the label. Great stuff.. Justifying the cost to the missus or in the case of dudes like SOW's non gender specific SO's the stuff is great also for removing that thin residue of cooking oil that adheres to those non stick coatings on kitchen ware that go by several names. Don't use it on cast iron.. Not a good thing.

 

alright guys thanks for all the detailed responses!!

I just replaced the R/R in my SV650 so I am aware of how to do that, on the basic level. I will use the "The Drill" post to piece through it when I go to look at the bike.

I have plenty of time to decide on a wheel color now that the season in MN is winding down, but I will absolutely look at some of the suggestions on here. I would really like to spruce up the bike without having to say that its not stock. Wheel color doesnt count, right?

Anyhow I will post pictures on here to get some opinions from people who know what to look at as I go through the process.

Thanks for all your help, especially from a new guy

Thanks again,
RB