Aluminum wheel swap. EN500A to EN500C

[Triangles]

Very nice! did you end up putting any sort of coating on the wheels?

[Jablonsky]

...did you end up putting any sort of coating on the wheels?

No. I got really fed up with all kinds of problems the man was inventing. So I said: as long as I have some elbow grease left and as long as polishing relaxes me, I'll just leave the rims as they are.

KawboyCAFE: black powder coat was also an option, but then I decided to keep some shiny accents on the bike.

[kawboyCAFE]

good looking bike there JABLONSKY.

[Triangles]

Jablonsky, I need your help. I picked up a set of wheels from fleabay for $120. They need some serious help. I'm assuming I'll have to use some sort of solvent to get the old clear coat off. Then what? I have no clue clue on how to polish aluminum. Would you be so kind as to provide some instruction on how you got those wheels looking so immaculate? If I can get mine looking half as good as yours, I'd be ecstatic!

[Jablonsky]

Triangles, I cannot tell you much about polishing the rims. I took them to a professional who has some serious machinery and almost everybody who wants to have something polished properly, takes his junk to this man's shop.
There are also some films regarding DIY rims polishing on youtube: CLICK and CLICK and CLICK

On the brake drum, which is more or less the same material, I used first different grit sandpapers to get clear coat off and to eliminate scratches and other defects. Then I used a drill and experimented with various polishing compounds and different buffing wheels to do the rest. Made some mistakes, corrected them, and learned. It takes some time to learn what to use and how much pressure to apply to get the result. Then again, what does a biker do during winter?

Polishing the brake lever was much more simple. It's iron, it's harder and requires less skill, while on aluminum every little scratch shows. I also had the lever chromed afterwards.

HERE and HERE you can find info on buffing wheels, compounds etc.

Hope I helped a little.

[Jablonsky]

P.S.: also read THIS

[Triangles]

Jablonsky,
I found some info on "sealants" for polished aluminum. Thought you might be interested as an alternative to powder coating. ZoopSeal which appears to be some sort of 2 part epoxy http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/zoop-seal-coating-polished-aluminum-results-30516.html
http://www.zoopseal.com/

Also a company called Everbright makes a product called Protectaclear. Apparently it's popular with the goldwing crowd as the goldwings come with wheels that have no coating to protect the wheels. see the goldwing forum here and http://www.everbritecoatings.com/index.html The Protectaclear seems to be some sort of polymer resin that is probably similar to an acrylic clear coat. I may try the Protectaclear as it is somewhat more reasonable at $17 per 4oz or $37 per 16 oz.

I've been experimenting with various polishing methods. So far it seems that aluminum is far easier to polish than I had envisioned.

[Jablonsky]

Jablonsky,
I found some info on "sealants" for polished aluminum...

Excellent! I will study these carefully during lunch break on the galley. And also wait to read your report, if you decide to try these sealants. (take your time, I will definitely not try any new tricks on my bike before next winter )

...
I've been experimenting with various polishing methods. So far it seems that aluminum is far easier to polish than I had envisioned.

Glad for you. I usually polish the bloody thing (whatever it is I'm polishing) and when I think "That's it! " and lean back to admire, I notice a little scratch somewhere. I can hardly see it, but knowing it's there really bugs me. So I decide to polish some more, using a different buffing wheel and a different compound and after a while the little biatch is gone. Finally! Then I take the bloody thing out of the garage to proudly show to my wife or a friend what a maestro polisher I am. And under a different light and a different angle I admire a zillion little sisters of the scratch, all over the bloody thing. Obviously, I used the wrong compound. Then I teach the bloody thing to fly. They learn fast.

[CAFE]

Hi so anyone know if the wheels from a 454ltd will work on the 500c ?

[Triangles]

Sorry I don't know if it would be a drop in swap. I think there's a good likelihood that it would. The axel spacer is the same as the vulcan 500's so tere's a good possibility it would work for the rear wheel. I don't know about the front. might have to get a speedo drive from the 454ltd too. You could check the parts x-ref to see if the speedo drive is the same as the EN500A's. Let us know if you try it.

[Triangles]

Excellent! I will study these carefully during lunch break on the galley. And also wait to read your report, if you decide to try these sealants. (take your time, I will definitely not try any new tricks on my bike before next winter )

It's been a few years and I don't remember if I ever discussed this elsewhere so here's my opinion after a few years with the Everbrite product. The everbrite protectaclear does not hold up well to the salt they put down on the roads here in the winter. If you don't ride on salty roads this stuff should hold up 2-3 years before you have to do a touch up or reapply depending on how picky you are. Sadly after one winter's worth of salty roads the protectaclear is in need of being removed and then a fresh coat applied. There are small "cracks" where the aluminum is starting to corrode all over. Minimal polishing would have been required once stripped. I was too lazy and have as yet to re-apply this. At least this stuff is easy to apply and remove (readily dissolves with xylene)!

[CAFE]

Hi again.
Yes the 454 LTD wheels work on the Vulcan 500
You do however need the 454 LTD speedo drive
I will look in to posting a pic soon.
Thanks guys for all the AWESOME info on this site.
Cafe

[Triangles]

Great I look forward to seeing the pictures!