powder coating wheels 4 times, a disaster to come?

[motopokep1]

gen 2 white/silver, always wanted white wheels, took them to a powder coating shop, they said they do something to them at 350 F (off casting or off gassing?) and then bake them at 300F. they didn't have the white color samples, had me order the white coat mix from a website, which had misleading photos, they ended up being powder coated a dull yellowish off-white color. during the process one of the wheels was tipped over and they had to redo it. so at that stage, the rear wheel was baked twice. After I wasn't happy with the color, I ordered samples, chose a bright metallic white that matches the bike paint and took the wheels back in, they had to be chemically stripped, subjected to 350F then 300F to bake, I come to get them only to see that it's a poor job where the spokes meet the rims, can still see a bit of original silver. the shop says they'll have to redo them yet again. so that's 3 times powdercoating the front one and 4 times the rear one. At this point I'm on the fence whether to just leave the wheels to the shop, buy new wheels and have them painted. I do triple digits once in a while, sometimes close to top speed runs and I don't want to die because a wheel cracks under me. Has anyone had their wheels powder coated a few times and had them crack? 350F is generally a safe temperature for aluminum, but baking a wheel 4 times seems extreme. I'd take the chances on a car but on a bike, my gut feeling is telling me to go with new wheels and paint them.

[pcs]

i’ve coated wheels for cars, motocycles, and atv multiple times to go with various colors. ive had no issue with any cracking. sounds like either the shop you are using isnt very good at coating or they have an issue with the powder. bad prep work will show on the finished product.

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

Welcome to the forum @motopokep1. Feel free to introduce yourself, detailing your experience and showing your bike.

I am sorry to hear about this experience. I have come to outright expect disappointment from vendors. I feel worse for others and want to punch my monitor with every bad story that I read.

I am very into aesthetics and an advantage of paint is the ability to match the color along with the gloss and the overall appearance. Done correctly it can look like a factory part of the bike. That is a great premium over a close color that distracts the eyes away from the fairings instead of blending into them.

[Gen3lover]

I hope you aren’t paying for all the redos.

[motopokep1]

i’ve coated wheels for cars, motocycles, and atv multiple times to go with various colors. ive had no issue with any cracking. sounds like either the shop you are using isnt very good at coating or they have an issue with the powder. bad prep work will show on the finished product.

me choosing a bad color the 1st time is not their fault, the vendor website had misleading photos, but as a coating shop they should have had swatches a customer can see in person, not on a computer screen. the first time they did the wheels in the bad color I chose, they were flawless, except for tipping one over, which they had to redo. after I got the right color, they did a lousy job with original silver showing at the joints of spokes and rim.

I came on here not to rant about the shop, but to find out if anyone had theirs coated multiple times and then crack while riding. I take the Busa on long distance trips and close to its straight line limits, having a wheel crack because it was prematurely aged due to baking 4 times means certain death at those speeds. Waiting to hear from others who've been riding coated wheels for years.

[Bumblebee]

me choosing a bad color the 1st time is not their fault, the vendor website had misleading photos, but as a coating shop they should have had swatches a customer can see in person, not on a computer screen. the first time they did the wheels in the bad color I chose, they were flawless, except for tipping one over, which they had to redo. after I got the right color, they did a lousy job with original silver showing at the joints of spokes and rim.

I came on here not to rant about the shop, but to find out if anyone had theirs coated multiple times and then crack while riding. I take the Busa on long distance trips and close to its straight line limits, having a wheel crack because it was prematurely aged due to baking 4 times means certain death at those speeds. Waiting to hear from others who've been riding coated wheels for years.

I can't see baking causing any issues.....350' isn't hot enough to change the shape of the metal......but I'm not not a metal expert either....

[michael parris heuberger]

gen 2 white/silver, always wanted white wheels, took them to a powder coating shop, they said they do something to them at 350 F (off casting or off gassing?) and then bake them at 300F. they didn't have the white color samples, had me order the white coat mix from a website, which had misleading photos, they ended up being powder coated a dull yellowish off-white color. during the process one of the wheels was tipped over and they had to redo it. so at that stage, the rear wheel was baked twice. After I wasn't happy with the color, I ordered samples, chose a bright metallic white that matches the bike paint and took the wheels back in, they had to be chemically stripped, subjected to 350F then 300F to bake, I come to get them only to see that it's a poor job where the spokes meet the rims, can still see a bit of original silver. the shop says they'll have to redo them yet again. so that's 3 times powdercoating the front one and 4 times the rear one. At this point I'm on the fence whether to just leave the wheels to the shop, buy new wheels and have them painted. I do triple digits once in a while, sometimes close to top speed runs and I don't want to die because a wheel cracks under me. Has anyone had their wheels powder coated a few times and had them crack? 350F is generally a safe temperature for aluminum, but baking a wheel 4 times seems extreme. I'd take the chances on a car but on a bike, my gut feeling is telling me to go with new wheels and paint them.

Hi. I always just paint them and prep them myself. I have Marvic front and back 17x3 and 17x 6 3/4.

[CBXRider]

I can't see baking causing any issues.....350' isn't hot enough to change the shape of the metal......but I'm not not a metal expert either....

Did you play one on TV? If it were me I’d find another set of wheels and another shop.

[CBXRider]

me choosing a bad color the 1st time is not their fault, the vendor website had misleading photos, but as a coating shop they should have had swatches a customer can see in person, not on a computer screen. the first time they did the wheels in the bad color I chose, they were flawless, except for tipping one over, which they had to redo. after I got the right color, they did a lousy job with original silver showing at the joints of spokes and rim.

I came on here not to rant about the shop, but to find out if anyone had theirs coated multiple times and then crack while riding. I take the Busa on long distance trips and close to its straight line limits, having a wheel crack because it was prematurely aged due to baking 4 times means certain death at those speeds. Waiting to hear from others who've been riding coated wheels for years.

‘Long distance trips’? If all goes well I’m planning on leaving for Yellowstone Tuesday morning. Where are you located?

[Berteric.]

Is it truly that bad? Show some pictures.

This is what AI says ‘A motorcycle rim can be powder coated as often as the wheel can handle the process, though it's typically limited to 2-3 times due to the physical stress on the wheel during stripping and recoating.’
But who am I to judge AI.
If it doesn’t sit right in your head, it never truly comes together.
Even if someone says, ‘I did mine five times with no problem,’ that doesn’t prove there’s no risk.

I wish you good luck.