Powder coating vs Chrome plating...

This winter I think I'll going to have the wheels of my metallic granite '92 (had it for 10 years) either powder coated (gloss metallic silver) or chrome plated. I would just like a little info of the advantages (besides cost) and disadvantages of both.
P.S. Not a big fan of chrome plating (seen one pair, seen them all), but on the VFR/Interceptor it's hot. Thanks.

 

I dont believe its possible to chrome alloy wheels (I think the chemical process gives off fumes that are illegal in the EU or something like that).

I think two other options would suit, either have them powder coated and lacquered, you can get very reflective silver finish from powder coating now - no where near chrome though, or you can have them polished and lacquered ,that gives a reflective surface similar to that of chrome, although it will probably need re-doing every five years or so (second hand information, never had polished/lacquered wheels for more than a year). The polishing will probably be more expensive, although I would say its worth it.

*EDIT*

Disregard legality of chroming alloy, didnt see you were in the states.

 

Chrome works on show bikes but will flake when changing tires. If you are anywhere near Fayetteville, check out Roger's work at Final Touch Powdercoating in Spring Lake. Here's the link: http://www.finaltouchpowdercoating.com

 

You could chrome any metal. The problem is rust, peeling, added weight. You can Powdercoat any metal. Problem adds thickness to places you may not want it to, chips and hard to touch up, not great to paint over if you want a different color later (or the color you choose sucks). I myself like a high quality paint job !!!!!

 

Hi there, chrome on the interceppie sounds really nice, hope u get fixed up there mate.

 

Thanks for the info, folks. Waldrm, I'm in Raleigh and originally from Fayetteville. Thanks for the link and I'll stop by there the next time I'm in town. P.S. Has anyone done anything to the chipped finish on their forks (if yours has chipped)?

 

Rhu5,

Did you ever get your wheels done? I'm in Chapel Hill and looking to have mine done. Wanted to check with you and see how it worked out. Any pics of the final results if you went through with it?

 

I've had both polishing +lacquering and silver (the guy called the powder colour chrome) powdercoating +lacquering - they both came up very nice, some pictures at the below link, my Zephyr 550 has powdercoat and lacquer, my 750 has polished rims and lacquer. 12 moonths later the polishing has started to degrade a little under the lacquer (2pack), but still cleans up lovely and looks nice.

BikePics - Mike's Member Page on BikePics.Com

 

A couple of tips on all three ways on those wheels.

Depending on where one lives, many times the larger companies who do coatings and plating ect., are the best deal. Just my experience. I use a company in Seattle that does all the coating and plating for Kenworth. These guys do all sorts of electroplating including gold. The powdercoating shop has stuff that goes on and on. Prices are great.

I found these guys years ago. I took a set of Honda 400 bars that I wanted to put on my SR500 in to a place near my house to be rechromed. This outfit did work for the car guys doing restorations. This dude quoted me a price that for a second I thought I was going to have to take out a second mortgate. The second place I visited was a chrome shop that catered to the Harleydoods. Same deal only this time I would have had to throw in one of my kids a collateral.

I found this big outfit by searching around and asking dumb questions. Guess where I take my stuff?

In my ever growing and huge photo gallery my ol trusty has painted wheels. This is paint job #3. The wheels are removed. The tires stay on the wheels. Any chips are feathered and for about ten bucks a pop there is a rattlecan primer available at auto paint stores to prime any places where the feathering burns though to the aluminum alloy. Standard paint procedure from that point on. Careful masking, thorough cleaning and sanding and using a paint made for vehicles.

For the guys in the US, the paint on my bike is from NAPA and is made by Martin-Senour.

 

I think you should powercoat them in white and then ship to me. :biggrin:

I personally would stay away from chrome since it is harder to keep clean and is more likely to flake off.

Regards,
Rollin

 

Anything is better than polishing. I tried to polish my rims and it looks good till my first rain storm. After that, is was hell trying to keep them clean. I am waiting on them to come back from powdercoating. Red baby really red!!! Funny thing is, there is a guy on here that did his wheels red and I liked it alot. I'm copying him lol.

 

My personal experience and opinion would be to avoid both Chrome and Powdercoat for the same reasons listed by others here. Both are brittle and prone to chipping and peeling. I prefer paint because it is more forgiving and looks less mechanical. You can achieve a much better finish with a little patience and care.

You can get any color of Dupont automotive paint loaded into rattlecans. Then get a good Dupont clearcoat. Did mine (no compressor right now, just cans) and they came out excellent. Prep work is critical as is dust control.

Scroll down a ways on my blog below to see some closeups of my wheels.

Paulo

 

To muddy the waters even more, electroless nickel plating might be an option. It has more of a yellowish appearance compared to chrome, but it doesn't rust. The only drawback I am aware of is cleaning it, but my experience is limited and ancient with regard to that. I just remember that oily fingerprints were difficult to remove.

 

Some of the Sherwin-Williams paints stores have the equipment to fill and pressurize rattlecans. I have found that most "automotive" paints are of the two component type ie.,one component fraction is a catalyst. Might what you are talking about be an enamel or a lacquer?

Combining two fractions of catalytics in a sealed vessel might be a little iffy since in volume there exists that possibility of an exothermic reaction.

Another bit might be if the paint is an enamel or a lacquer and is loaded into the rattlecans, try to get the type can with the flat fan spray nozzle and if the can isn't used up and sits for any length of time, really shake the dickens out of that puppy. In "regular" rattlecans many times, one of the fractions along with the various solvents that act as propellents is a chemical compound called methylene chloride. Nasty stuff to start with. It is added in with some of the rattlecan paints to prevent caking. Paint pigments settle in rattlecans just as they do in cans from the paint store. The big deal here is that methylene chloride is the major fraction in solvent type paint removers.

I don't think anyone is gonna turn up thier heels and croak but if a rattlecan has meth in it, be careful using it on your bike. A repaint on a bike by a pro is gonna set you back about a grand minimum if the guy is any good at all.


One other coating that hasn't been mentioned is flamespraying. Kind of exotic and for the rich guys. The rig works much like a wirewelder but sprays on molten metal. Kind of tecchy stuff. On wheels that are aluminum alloy the first step is sand or media blasting followed by a coat of nickel then a coat of copper, bronze, brass ect then a clearcoat. Seen some bitsas on custom bikes but never wheels. My guess is that they might be a tad heavy when all done.

Great for Harley's where weight counts..

 

Badbilly,

It indeed is Dupont lacquer in Duplicolor rattlecans that I used. Those cans have a decent fan spray nozzle and the paint goes on easily. Mistakes are easily corrected. I'm not a professional painter by any means, but I have done a lot of small stuff that turned out well. I did a VW bus using enamel once and it was difficult (for me anyway), but did come out well. Using lacquer is simple enough that most people (except maybe a certain 10% around here) could handle easily, and your result is useable more quickly.

I believe you're right about adding a catalyst in a rattlecan. I don't think it would work.

Dichloromethane or Methylene Chloride is nothing to mess with in high volume. Because of it's volatility, it's used pretty widely in most aerosols (but like Billy said, only in a very fractional amount). Use a mask or respirator anyway. You risk settling in with a drool cup prematurely if you play with it like a kid.

Billy's recommendation is good regarding caution, particularly if you apply rattlecan paint directly to plastic, it could cause the ABS to melt somewhat and screw up the surface. Buy GOOD paint, use compatable solvents and prep, prep, prep.

Some shots of my wheels:









I almost have a complete second set of plastics for my '94 gathered now and I plan to do them in the factory R158P Pearl Red. Someday the bike will look normal again, probably only if or when I sell it. This job will be done properly with a compressor, gun and a makeshift booth, so I'll post up what it looks like when I get finished.

Paulo

 

Good work!! Nice prep too. It shows.

I did my bike all at once so the wheels were done in the same paint as the fairing. Thanks for the tip on the DuPont lacquer. Some of the automotive lacquers can be topcoated with catalyzed clear. Read that "some". This old crap about Moses on the mount with the rules set in stone just don't work with paint.

Painted some plastic bits on my bike that were starting to oxidize. Best example is the chainguard. Scuffed it with 400, primed it with Krylon's "Fusion" and painted it with Hammerite. Holding up really well.

Right on about the meth and drooling in one's soup. I equate the use of many of the common volatile solvents with riding in the mountains with no helmet. Not real smart IMO..

Heres the kicker. Before I went to orange and black, My wheels were painted yellow along with the lower triangle area of the fairing. The rest was Honda red sans decals.

Got a Beemer that is yellow and black and a SR500 that is painted up like a circus wagon.

Can't beat those hotrod colors..

 

Hum , does that mean your selling off the black and yellow scheme ?

 

Hey Rollins, the previous owner on the 97 put chrome wheels on and other do-dads. The best way to clean chrome is 2 maybe three times a year and no more!

If I had a dollar for every turd that has said "You need to shine up your chrome man" I'd have enough money to chrome a whole bike!

The Harley guys hate dirty chrome, trust me I know:biggrin:

BZ

 

If it don't go, chrome it.

Been seeing some aftermarket stuff that has that chrome like vacuum deposited reflective material ya see on some cars and on those bogus 1X1' buck apiece "mirrors" ya see at Homer's.

I am glad now I didn't do my ceiling with them.

Oh yeah, I know those with dirty minds will think I am talking about a bedroom.