anyone with newer model bikes with cast mixed rims, beware of powder coating your rims. it may cause warping and weaken your rims.

the heat from the oven warps the cast material, causing the stock bearings not to fit correct. your rims will also bend or crack very easy if you hit a pothole or something you normally would be ok going over.

it seems as if the older (heavier) rims were made from 6061, and the newer year bikes have a cast mixture which is much weaker.

much like the subframes on the newer bikes, it seems as if they are now doing the same with rims.

does anyone know the years/ models of bikes this material is used on for rims?


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thats some good info.

 

arent all bike rims powdercoated right from the factory

 

WOuldnt the oven be like heat treatment for the rims making them stronger?

But either way F4/F4i Rims are good Right?

 

I powder coat all my rim on my f4i and i never had them get weak and i ride the street let crazy

 

thanks for the info..
never heard of this happenin before

 

Had three bikes powered coated never had that happen at all and all my boys got there stuff done to and nothing happen

 

never heard of this being a problem since they are powdercoated from the get go. i did run into a problem with my bearings not fitting well bc there is over spray in the bearing housings. once i removed it i had no issues. Kinda sounds like but who knows im no genius. i did my entire bike so should i be nervous? is my frame going to snap now? more hard proof would be much appreciated.

 

Ive been hearing this for like 10 years now


What bike has rims that arent cast?

 

I just wrote up a whole long answer to this but it got lost for some reason.
basically the temper on the material is precip. heat treated at 350 typically. Pass that and the material will starten to weaken. Ask your powdercoater what temp and how long they bake it for. I had a guy bake them for a while at 400 or 425.. dont remember... i asked after my rims were ruined. The bearings were able to be pulled out by hand after a few hundred miles, even had an older rim where the races just opened up by like 1/8" all around! did a test and dropped a factory and posdercoated wheel from the same height. no ding on the factory. powdercoated sandwiched right over.

be careful who you go to for powdercoating. Ask them what their process is and if they are going to bake them too long at too high a temperature, go somewhere else.

This material is like butter without the temper. Ruin the temper of the material and you're SOL>

 

not at all...

 

I cracked my main frame on both sides of my 01 ZX6r. Had it welded up by pro aluminun welder, and the dude did an awesome job. You couldn't even tell after it was grinded down. I had the frame powdercoated blue, and after a week or so of wheelies the cracked started again at the same place on both sides. Do you guys think the frame would have been alright if it wasn't powdercoated, or was that frame fucked from the get-go?

 

probably got weak from the powdercoating and it probably was not welded correctly. i'd be surprised to see if there was any penetration with the weld honestly.. usually they wont break in the same place twice if its been welded.

 

older bikes were pure aluminum 6061. the new bikes use a mixture of cast to save weight. so yes they are fragile from the start, but after powder coating them at 400 degrees they do warp. i have had a few problems with them. the last set i did, the bearings were tight as hell getting out, but fell in without any pressure during reinstallation.

now, give me a set of 99 f4i rims, and there is no problem. what i would like to know is what bikes have the cast rims and which ones don't. i would like a list of DO NOT POWDER COAT RIMS, to avoid any future problems.

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How do you know the old wheels are 6061? all bike wheels are cast. If the rims were warped the guy over cooked them and clearly has no clue what hes doing. The Temperature of the rim should never exceed 400F at any time, not even in a pre-bake. Best way is to cure the powder at 355F-360F for 25 minutes (depending on mfg's specs) but most have similar cure parameters.

 

ya, maybe it is the powdercoater, but i'm pretty sure the newer rims are a different material also. i have sent plenty of rims out to him, and never had a problem, except with the newer modeled bikes.

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Almost all the strength of a weld is in the material of the bead . Did you grind out to much?
Either way that sux and mad dangerous.

 

find a good painter and just paint them...problem solved

 

problem solving... i like it.

 

6061 is the alloy. It does not indicate the processing of the material to form the part (cast, forged, machined, etc.) All it tells you is the alloy materials and amounts. All factory rims I have seen are cast, but many aftermarket rims are forged or machined.