Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

I have a number of DID rims ranging in condition from like new, to the average
30+ year old well used. I want to restore any that are not out-of-round because
they are becoming much harder to come by thus much more expensive when you
can find them. Some have cracks at the factory weld that will need to be rewelded
while others are just chewed up cosmetically.

If I knew or could figure out how the original satin finish was created, I would do the
work myself. My question is, has anybody found a shop that restores these? Or, does
anybody know how to recreate the original finish? If so, I'm all ears.

I know many advocate replacing with new, stronger rims but that is not acceptable
when doing a faithful restoration (just like you would never put radial tires on a 100
point 60s muscle car).

By the way, my standing offer of $1000 is still in effect for anybody offering a pair of
pristine NOS rims for my '79 CR250.

Any and all input is appreciated.

dogger

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R

I've always wondered about restoring rims, especially since they seem to be one of the least likely items to survive in perfect condition even in a low-hours bike.

I did a bit of Web photo searching to see if the '79 CR250 DID rims were similar to the ones on my '74 CR125, and it appears that they are - identical style and color, just wider. My MR175 and MR250 rims are identical in color, but have a small lip at the outer edge of the rim wall, at the tire bead. I've always thought these early DID rims were painted, as I've never seen this color on any other anodized part - but I'm sure I'm wrong. I imagine a rim with a perfect center could have the edges smoothed and then color-matched, or the entire rim re-painted, but it would probably not result in an absolutely-NOS look unless the wheel was stripped, the finish was perfect, and great care was taken mounting the tires (a baked epoxy finish can be pretty tough, though).

I found this place, which re-anodizes car trim: http://www.gregdonahue.com/REANODIZ.html. Apparently the original anodizing is removed using a sodium hydroxide solution, then the part is repaired/worked as bare aluminum and re-anodized. If the parts were presented in repaired condition ready for anodizing, it might not be too expensive, especially in a batch. I've had some plating done locally here in CT, and it came out absolutely perfect; they do anodizing too. There also appears to be a huge automotive rim-repair industry I was unaware of; I woudn't be surprised if a shop that catered to the Lamborghini and/or vintage crowd could do just about anything you wanted, albeit at a price.

It was interesting checking out my rims. The Takasago ('82 RM) and Excel ('08 YZ) were polished Al w/clearcoat, while the newer DID's on an '00 KX look to me like they're painted w/aluminum spray paint (all these rims are in original condition). I've always liked the look of my CR's rims the best, though.

I really don't know how helpful any of this is. I think if they were my rims and I had given up hope of finding NOS replacements, I would strip and repair them, then send them out for re-anodizing, for what that's worth. And don't forget - if you go to all this trouble, a NOS set will show up on eBay within a week. ;>)

Ray

_________________
'74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric

Ray,

I've done a lot of what you said myself.

When I compared my 381 rims (73-77) to the 430 rims (78-80),
the spoke count, holes and angles are all the same but the rim is
shaped differently. The 381 has a taller and wider tunnel where the
spoke holes are. Also the 430 rim has DOT info engraved as well
as rotation direction arrows. Subtle but noticeable differences. I
also have a set of 385 rims that supercede the 381s which have
the DOT info but have the same shape tunnel as the 381. The
tunnel shape causes the OE spokes to be too long.

As for the finish, I'm also guessing it is clear anodized over a brushed
finish. The problem is how to duplicate it consistently. I'm sure the
original finish was applied using some kind of machine and rotational
device. The stripper used to remove anodization is the same used
to remove cad plating. I guess I could strip the finish off of a wheel,
weld the cracks and try to blend the repaired area and also finesse
the rest of the scratches etc., then have it clear anodized just to
see how it turns out. You never know, could work.

I could lace up my wheels using the 385s and cut off the excess from
all the spokes I spent weeks restoring, or I can hold out for a pair of
good 430s. For now, this is a show stopper for this restoration.

The rims that came with this bike were bent and cracked and not worth
restoring. They are now being used to make beer cans.

I know somebody out there is sitting on a stockpile of these rims, they
can't be all gone.

dogger

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R

dogger,

I didn't realize the differences between the 70's DID rims - as usual, I take more from the table than I brought. :>)

You've probably already checked with these folks, but just in case:

http://amsracing.com/wheels.html

The CR250 at the top looked promising, and maybe they might have some 430's to trade for some 381/385 rims.

Are your restorations tied to some kind of a time frame, or could you just throw a bike on a stand for a year or two waiting on rims or other parts?

Ray

_________________
'74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric

Ray,

As soon as I saw your post I called AMS. They don't have any 430 rims new or used,
and weren't interested in offering any help or advise on where to locate some. They
WOULD however, be glad to sell me a pair of their Sun rims instead.

I don't have a specific timetable to complete this resto other than my own impatience.
It sucks having everything restored and ready to assemble except for a pair of rims.
That comes with the territory though, and is to be expected.

I think I will up the ante on my standing offer to $1000 AND a pair of NOS 381 rims to
anybody with a pristine pair of NOS 430 rims.

If nothing happens on this front, I am going to order spokes from VI and lace up my 385s.
That way, when and if the correct rims become available, I'll still have the OE spokes to
use.

Don

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R

Don,

Sorry about AMS - I guess it's all about the immediate sale, and never about scrawling down a quick note for later use. I forget which of these places I called checking for steel rear sprockets, and was told "good luck finding those things - EVERYBODY asks for 'em!" Then when I found an excellent source and called back to let them know, the reply was "so what?" It's too bad, so much info must pass through those shops, most of it wasted.

The $1,000 + NOS 381 offer sounds incredibly generous - I hope you get a taker. With an offer like that, I wonder if it might be a good idea to try eBay's 'Want It Now' feature? I've never used it myself, so I don't really know much about it.

Lacing up the 385's seems like a great idea; you get the complete bike to have around and take pride in now, and when the right wheels roll along, it will be a labor of love to make it perfect.

Ray

_________________
'74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric

Hey Dogger, Im curious as to what you did to the rims on your CR-250? They look pristine. Were they NOS or restored. If they were restored, how was it done? I know that another forum member does some nice Elsinore restorstions and the rims on his bikes always look great. I know I have a two rims for 74 CR-125's that are almost perfect. Appear to have the original tires as the are very worn original Bridgestones and no evidence whatsoever of a tire ever being removed or installed. I was pretty stoked until I discovered a major gouge inbetween two of the spokes. Like I said, almost perfect.

I got lucky with the rims on my '73. I had been getting a lot of my parts from
CMS at the time and was checking their website daily. One day I noticed they
had complete rear wheels available for $250! I'm talking rim, spokes, hub,
bearings, bearing retainers and seals all laced and trued and ready to install.
You can't buy NOS spokes for that. What was really funny, is they had NOS
rims for sale for $350 at the same time. I figured it was a mistake and placed
the order along with an order for additional front and rear rims. I expected an
email telling me the rear wheel assembly was no longer available, instead, it
along with the additional rims showed up at my house a week later, I was stoked!
In hindsight, I should have ordered a bunch more because they were gone a few
days later.

To make a long story short, both rims on my '73 are pristine NOS. I even mounted
the tires using Motion Pro rim protectors.

To answer your question about how to restore these rims; Right now, I'm not sure,
but I have some extras I am going to attempt to restore. If I get it right, I will
post the procedure. There has to be a way to remove scratches and weld cracks
then restore the original finish again. I am going to take one of the rims to a local
anodizer and see if he can shed any light on the subject. I'll keep you posted.

On a different subject, an individual responded to all of my "whining" about 430 rims
and is going to hook me up with a NOS pair. Let the restoration continue.

dogger

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R