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  #1  
Unread 03-14-2008, 10:43 PM
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A simple task with simple tools...
Quote:
Wiegh as defined by Merriam Webster - intransitive verb1 a: to have a certain heaviness : experience a specific force due to gravity b: to register a weight (as on a scales) —used with in or out — compare weigh in
Upgrading a motorcycle with lightweight wheels has been known as the very best upgrade you can make. Removing one lb or rotating mass is said to be comparable to dropping 4 lbs of regular weight from the vehicle. This is a big change and part of the reason why wheels and tires are so very important to race teams around the world. Companies are currently producing tubeless systems for dirtbike tires to drop weight from the lack of a full inner tube. Dropping even a couple ounces of rotating mass is a huge advantage. Many race teams use super light weight wheels benefiting from improved handling BUT risking a bent wheel from contact with other cars or even the curbs on the insides of the turns!!

So what's my point? The weight lost in the wheels is expensive but should be well worth the cost if you are looking for a better handling bike. Sure if you just ride like a normal person who just wants to enjoy the scenery than forking over some big bucks on wheels isn't really wise. But the more expensive wheels usually are the better looking ones as well. I definitely look forward to both.

Let's get on with this already, sheesh!
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Unread 03-14-2008, 11:02 PM
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I used a very high tech scale that has been used with great and consistent results for decades. They don't make em like they used to and my scale is a classic! As long as I'm using the scale as a common denominator to measure every wheel then I will get consistent numbers which is all I care about.

I took a handful of pictures of the wheels on the scale in different positions to check the accuracy. The scale gets the same number as long as the tires contact patch is somewhat centered on the scale and not hanging off the side. I held the camera just over the subject and removed my hand right when the picture was taken in each instance. The tire was always steady and I double checked the pictures with notes I took of the weights as well. I didn't have time to take the tires off all the rims and weigh them but I took the tires off the old rims and installed them on the new ones. I tried to look around on some forums for how much each different wheel brand weighs but I didn't find anything. Maybe I could have looked more? Oh well here are the pictures.








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Unread 03-14-2008, 11:47 PM
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There you go. Draw your own number from that if you want. I know the scale is a little less than desirable but that's life. Someday I might have one that breaks it down into grams, oh well.

In an effort to organize and combine the threads here on the forum below I'm adding on some thought about my OZ wheels as well as what I did to clean them up just like new. It wasn't easy!
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Unread 05-12-2008, 06:21 AM
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The other week when my friends were installing the new tires they pointed out that the front rim was bent in a couple of places. It seems the previous owner must have been running over curbs or speed bumps with under inflated tires. Hearing this news I was sort of relieved as I thought the vibrations I was feeling were from the rotors. I wanted to upgrade to some OZ wheels anyways so I was glad I could upgrade and fix my problem. I've been getting more work than ever so I knew it was time to bite the bullet.

**A short story about my experience buying used wheels from a crashed bike** Skip to pictures below if you desire.

I eventually found a person that had been trying to sell his wheels for a month. He saw my post when I was fishing around on some forums for a set. I had talked to him before but I just concluded that they were so dirty that I wasn't comfortable buying them. Well now he threw in the shipping for free so I just send him the money to save me the time of waiting for another set. There seems to be a new set of OZ wheels that come up for sale every 2 weeks on the forums. There was a perfect set of OZ's off of a yellow RSVR that was being parted out at AF1 and they sold for $1,500. That's a fair price from a trustworthy retailer who stands behind everything they sell. I couldn't see paying more than $1,200 for a used set from a private party. $1,000 seems to be the low end and $1,300 tends to be the high end from what I have seen in the last 5 months. I don't think used tires are worth anything used from a street ridden motorcycle. People definitely have their preference of tire brand and any tire older than 2 years is trash in my eyes. The rubber is not the same after that much time.

So I ended up buying the wheels that no one seemed to want because the pictures of them were extremely dirty. It's kinda odd for any owner of an Aprilia to let the wheels get THAT dirty so I'm sure no one wanted to bother with them fearing that they were not in good shape. I had to ask the seller a few times about the exact condition of them. He didn't seem to want to answer my question about if they had ANY bends in them. I kept asking because he was parting the bike from a fall he had and he hadn't been showing any pictures of any collateral damage. If they were bent I didn't want them at all. He finally admitted that the front one was bent just slightly and not enough to notice at all. I said I would want my money back if the bend was enough to notice so I made him promise me he was being honest about the subject.
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Unread 05-12-2008, 06:21 AM
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After sweating it out for a week the OZ wheel arrived and to my dismay there weren't in boxes but just taped together! They hubs had been banging against each other for the ride across the country and it wasn't pretty. So next time you negotiate on the purchase of anything make sure and GET DETAILS about what type of packaging is going to be used!!! Wow I didn't think anyone would ship such expensive wheels by just taping a label on them. I took them straight to the wheel shop with no hesitation. The front wheel was bent but just barely. I don't believe that I will be noticing it so I'm trying to forget about this. I don't think I would have the option to send them back if I wanted anyhow. I'm sure I'll be happy with em. I'll also be bitching about how long I had to spend cleaning them. So if you want a lesson in cleaning wheels do read on!

Lets get to the point. This is a picture that I took AFTER I had already washed the wheel off with soap and water.



Of course I took my old wheels and the new tires to have them swapped to the OZ wheels. The seller of the wheels wanted more money because he said the tires were still in great shape. Well, no they weren't. I told him I was taking any tires off of them immediately and putting new ones on so I wouldn't pay for them at all. The rear tire was worn down AND SQUARE. The front tire looked like 1/2 life but they were both 8 years old according to the tire markings!!! What trash. The brand? Oh yes some very nice knock off tires made in Korea. Wonderful.

So those instantly get tossed and the Dunlops mounted.
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Unread 05-12-2008, 06:21 AM
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No more bitching I promise... So lets get to work!



What do you say, make a list.
  • Tools for taking wheels on and off:
  • Allan drive sockets
  • Big wheel nut sockets
  • 10mm socket for brake rotors
  • Hammerite tough spray paint (my bolts needed a dip)
  • Synthetic grease
  • Torque wrench
  • Cleaning TOols:
  • Eagle 1 Chrome & Wire Spray Cleaner (acid)
  • Meguiars Wax (or whatever you use)
  • Toothbrush
  • Acid brush
  • Soft t-shirt to cut up for rags
  • Spray bottle with water in it
Here is a shot of my snazzy new allen drive sockets. They are a MUST when working on Aprilias. Just go buy some because you need them so you can put them on a torque wrench and apply the proper force. I got this small set for $40 off the tool truck.



You can see the bolts for both front and rear rotors that I had already painted with a tough coat of Hammerite. I just run them through the wire wheel to get off any corrosion before hand. Tomorrow they will be nice and dry, ready to install.
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Unread 05-12-2008, 06:22 AM
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Down to the dirty business. First spray all the dirt off. It gets in the way of the degreasers. Now that you have exposed all the chain lube style grease the degreasing chemicals can get to it. I have a floor stripper that works VERY well on oil based grime BUT this grease is special. It also has brake dust in it which makes it very stubborn. The best thing for brake dust also happens to work "ok" on grease and some oil as well. Acid to the rescue!



I prefer Eagle 1 brand wheel cleaners as they have a relatively high amount of acid in them. These great bottles also are very resistant to the acid. Regular spray bottle pumps will fail within a few days under the acid chemical unless you rinse them after using. Eagle 1 sells the Magnesium Etching Cleaner as well as Chrome and Wire Wheel Cleaner. The Mag cleaner is very aggressive and the chrome and wire cleaner is a little less so. How can I tell? Well, when I apply the acid to my fingernails I feel much more comfortable with the Chrome and Wire Wheel cleaner. The amount of Acid in the Mag Etching Cleaner will definitely let you know if you have weak skin.

So just keep the water flowing at a trickle and keep it on hand. I just spray the acid lightly and then go to work with the toothbrush. The acid goes a long way so you don't need to use so much. Just brush it all over and it will start removing grease and oil within 10 seconds. The brake dust and grease will come off so fast that you won't be able to see what is getting clean and what is still dirty... then just rinse with the water and repeat till your done. It works great! If you get it on your skin or in your eyes just splash some water on it and it will dilute super fast. I don't even use gloves because the water will neutralize the acid upon contact. You will be done quickly. Once you have it clean just put the wheel up on a workbench and use a towel to get any residue off.
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Unread 05-12-2008, 06:22 AM
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Remember that nasty wheel above? Well feast your eyes on the new style:



And the front:



Once I got the wheels on the bench I buffed out the residue and then got in close to remove any blotches of grease that might have been left. Then I REALLY got in with the acid brush and some more Eagle 1 wheel cleaner. This little brush gets all the brake dust etc out of the grooves. I made sure to get EVERY tiny bit of contaminate removed because I wanted to get a good coat of wax on them. Wax? Yeap! Once you get anything really clean then it's easy to keep it that way!

Cut up some pieces of the t-shirt and go to work like the Karate Kid. Wax goes a long ways once the rag is saturated so just put a lot on it and get it over with quickly. It makes a HUGE difference. Now you can only imagine how easy the wheels will be to clean because it's so slippery. Plus they smell nice too. :lol:

I never had any problems using the acid. You never really just leave it on there long enough to hurt the surface anyways. If you put some 100% acid in one spot and left it for a long time you might get some hard water style crust but what you buy off the shelf is probably 6-9% at the moST. You won't hurt anything. Plus you are always putting water on it to rinse the grease away and once you do that the acid is instantly safe enough to drink since it mixes very fast with water.

Once you find the right chemical for any job it just makes life so easy. Acid is your friend.
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Unread 05-12-2008, 06:26 AM
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Get those brushes ready! The toothbrush will really reach around the back of the flanges to allow cleaning of parts you see only from looking through a wheel from the other side. Then the acid brush really gets the acid in the tiny grooves and cleans the machining crevices much easier then you think. Look at all the details! Exciting.



Now I can tell everyone that I bought them brand new.
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