Rear wheel cleaning

[jriling3]

Okay I give up. Rear tire still on bike. Right side cleaned up okay but the left is pitted with black spots bad. Tried 2500 wet/dry, 1500 same, and now do I go to 1000? Did the mini ball with the polish with the jeweler's rouge. Do I just give up because no one will see that side because of the bags. I can't take off the wheel do to a time limit. All the tins have to be back on by wednesday to go back to the painter for graphics refit on the trunk. Thanks in advance for any help. John VRCC#9214

[Joe Hummer]

Hey John,

I used some steel wool on mine to take care of most of the crude.  I haven't put a mirror finish on mine...just try to keep them clean(er) looking. 

It is definitely easier to do this with the wheel off the bike...but you can still do it with the bike on a lift. 

Joe

[JimC]

JR
If you did your wheel in the order you posted, you did it backword. You should use the heavier sand paper first.

I just did mine and started with 400, then went to 600, then to 1000, then 1500, then I hand polished them with Meguires billet polish, turned out well. But it is a pain in the hand, my wrists and fingers ached for a week after doing it.

JIm

[Red Diamond]

I used a method from another post suggested for me, fine steel wool or copper wool with WD-40. Use medium to start with if you want to, but the fine wool works great. The wool leaves no scratches, just polish or wax finish.

[PAVALKER]

Kitchen scrub sponge with Soft Scrub w/bleach to clean em off.  Brillo to clean it a little more, and smooth it up then hose it off wipe it down and finally Mothers Mini Power Ball with polish (I prefer White Diamond).  Wheels can stay on the bike, the Mini Power Ball will fit behind the rotor and such.  Once you clean em off and polish em up good, you can do it by hand to touch up as needed.  Put a coat of wax on em so you can hose em when you wash the bike to help keep them looking that way.

[DFragn]

My rear was pitted pretty good from road salt.

I spent several hours wet sanding them out. I got 'em, but they bled my finger tips. The I used a polishing wheel and 3 compounds.

It was a lot of work but it's practically chrome like now.

My tire was off for a new one. It can be done with rubber mounted.

[John U.]

This link to a Youtube video has been posted several times. It takes some rigging to get it to work. I used a spare rear axle through a couple of drilled 2x6's. 2x8's would work better. A piece of thin, hard plastic gives the wheel a slippery surface to slide on. Doing it this way still takes time and a lot of wet sandpaper but it is easier on the hands.
How to Polish a Valkyrie Wheel

[Oyeaa]

CHROME!




Makes clean up much easier.

[eric in md]

ok ok ok   this is what i do for my back wheel.. put it on lift tie it down start it up put throttle lock on sos pad it first,  then put just about any polish on a rag on a stick .. hear that rag on a stick ... crank up the speed a little polish it good . look great . try it just becareful.

[DFragn]

ok ok ok   this is what i do for my back wheel.. put it on lift tie it down start it up put throttle lock on sos pad it first,  then put just about any polish on a rag on a stick .. hear that rag on a stick ... crank up the speed a little polish it good . look great . try it just becareful.

Reeeally? 

[Garland]

ok ok ok   this is what i do for my back wheel.. put it on lift tie it down start it up put throttle lock on sos pad it first,  then put just about any polish on a rag on a stick .. hear that rag on a stick ... crank up the speed a little polish it good . look great . try it just becareful.

I would end up with broken fingers, a mangled hand, and probably a dented-up bike if I tried that. Get a few Sam Adams' in me though and it might sound like a great idea!

[Madmike]

Has anybody tried the 3M scrubbers for starting this??

[DFragn]

Has anybody tried the 3M scrubbers for starting this??

Not if they're pitted.

[daytona]

A rag spun around a drill bit (etc) on A drill of course, will buff anything with cheap turtle wax chrome polish or buffing compound. Wheel off the floor where it can be turned helps alot. I then used duplicolor clear to keep it lookin good. Works 4 me!