[Sumran]

It is only a two wheel machine. It will be double darkside with black powder coating on wheels.

I spent a lot of time and some money getting my tire machine ready.

The spool plates I fabricated worked great.

The demount / mount tools was a complete bust thus far.

The rear tire is a bear to remove. It is off, but let’s just say that a sawzall was involved!

 

[Sumran]

Wheel bearings are not interested in coming out. I have tried and failed with two internal bearing pullers. Will weld a rod to the inner race later today and see how that goes. I will put a heat gun on the rim before I attempt to remove it. The bearings are original so they have many years to get attached.

 

[Sumran]

Okay. That was the easy way to do it. Welded a large lag bolt to the inner race of the bearing closest to the center. Had to grind off the points of head to get it to slide into place. Welded it at three points. Flipped it over and tapped it with a baby sledge. It was out in less than five minutes. Of course the second side was easy. Been fighting with it for two days doing it the “right” way.

 

[Sumran]

Bearing surfaces are undamaged. Bearings still turned freely, even after welding.

 

[Sumran]

Wheels, saddle bag guards and timing cover are loaded in the truck for delivery to the powder coating guy tomorrow. Will eventually do the engine guards as well but I put it on the lift before I realized I needed to remove the lower cover to access the bolts. Will likely do the valve covers also. Another time. I have a lot more to do on the BMW that is under restoration.

 

[Sumran]

Sorry to report that my wheels need to be done again. Like most aluminum, Honda wheels are subject to off-gassing during the powder coat process. The guy doing mine took steps to avoid issues but they were not enough. He has to remove the powder coat he just applied and lay down primer.

If you get your wheels done, you may want to share this tale with the person doing the work. I think the aluminum Honda uses is more susceptible to both corrosion and off-gassing. Worth the extra trouble and expense to use the pretreatment before applying the powder coat.

 

[Sumran]

Will try to post pictures tonight when I get home. Had events yesterday so I couldn’t do anything. Got the wheels back. Oh my! They look good.

 

[Sumran]

 

[Sumran]

Anything not smooth and shiny is either a reflection or dust.

 

[Sumran]

As much as I want to get the wheels and tires mounted, I have numerous things that need to be done first. The steering head bearings and forks need to be done before I can mount the front wheel. There is a separate thread on that work. I suspect (though I don’t know) that the trailer hitch and wiring harness will be an easier job with the rear wheel off. And I am so happy with the powder coating that the valve covers must be done. Factory finish is not in great shape.

Patience is not one of my virtues. Oddly, every hobby or project I am involved in seems to require a large dollop of it.

 

[Sumran]

Upon further review, those valve covers can get done with the next batch of powder coating. If I don’t get this thing back on the road soon I am going to start twitching. Soon is a relative term. I haven’t even finished disassembly. Point is, I don’t want to add any more variables to the equation. Especially because I have been told the valve covers can be a difficult job to powder coat well, due to the heavy clear coat applied by Honda.