Restoring Motorcycle Wheels | FZR1000 Restoration - EP8

[@garyb931]

Really enjoying this restoration, Ken. Don't you love the metric system, don't know why your southern neighbours can't get with the plan, it makes life so easy. Cheers from Australia.

[@KensWorldRestorations]

My wife immigrated from the US and now finds anything other than metric ridiculous...but having said that, I just mounted my metric tires on 18" rims...Cheers and thanks for the nice comment! Engine stuff is next.

[@seanylewl]

Can't wait for the next episode, I assume it will be restoring the mirror stalks

[@KensWorldRestorations]

Gonna be the front forks, my friend...just finishing the work up now and might have a video ready in a week or so.

[@mmotorcycles9497]

Thank god they are still making them. I remember getting Bridgestone tires for my 93 fzr600 and when it was new there wasn’t much choices back then.

[@KensWorldRestorations]

I'd like to think that one of the few things keeping the manufacturers of these oddball sized tires going is the number of restorations happening now that they're 30+ years old. So far I've found Bridgestone, Pirelli & Metzler who still make a matching set (18/17").

[@ChrisSofos]

Good you mentioned the 4-digit number representing the manufacturing date. It still amazes me the fact that in Australia car/motorcycle owners never check the manufacturing date prior to the purchase of their tires. The shops will keep it hush-hush and I've seen them installing tires being manufactured in 2013, claiming the them as brand new!!!

[@KensWorldRestorations]

It's something I've been painfully aware of since getting burned with a decade-old set of tires a while back. The tire that came off the front when I started the restoration only had 3 digits indicating it was pre-2000 when the 4 digit codes came about. I'm pretty sure it was original...

[@uhtred7860]

When I had my FZR wheels powder coated, and I was putting them on, the rear wheel gave me problems. I couldn't get the rear caliper hanger in, there just wasn't enough clearance, it need another 4/5 mm. I thought maybe the new bearings hadn't seated all the way in, but it turned out it was the brand new damper rubbers in the wheel. I took the wheel out and put the axle back in with a long spacer made from some ally tube, tightened the axle nut so the rubbers were compressed a bit like they would be with the wheel fitted, and left it over night. Got it together the next day no issues.😄

[@KensWorldRestorations]

Funny how things work out when you think it's one problem but it turns out to be something completely different...funny story.

[@yarekk]

It's a pleasure to watch you work! and those sweet, sweet white rims... yum. Would you consider putting white wall tires on them? :)

[@KensWorldRestorations]

Hahaha!!! Just for you I will....

[@jh-tech5546]

They are looking fantastic! That all went easy with the bearings. Couple of questions: Did the degreasing solution work well? What is the color, is that a RAL color? I would like to repaint the wheels on my YZF they are a different kind of white between front and rear. Nice trick with the washers, I assume it is to prevent damage to the bearing seals and the bushing? Got to be careful for your fingers with that big hammer :) Cheers

[@KensWorldRestorations]

The bearings were the biggest surprise to me - I totally forgot them in the freezer for 4 days. When I was ready to do the video, I went all around the garage looking for them. My wife laughed at me when she reminded me they were in the freezer. I brought them out one at a time and was really surprised to see how easy they went into the races. Although the inner race is set back from the outer races on all those bearings, I just wanted to use the large washer since I didn't have a socket to cover the entire surface of the outer race. It definitely helped with the setting of all the bearings. I opted for powder coating this time around - for durability mostly. It was done by Powderworks Calgary and the product they use is Prismatic Powders. The colour is Clean White (PSS-4950). It looks amazing. The rims were completely chemically stripped, blasted and then powder coated. It wasn't cheap - $300 CAD for the set but I'm so happy with the results and when it comes to high-end stuff, I don't mind spending extra $$$. So happy to find the Pirelli's too - with the fresh rims and tires, I'm really pleased.

[@jh-tech5546]

@@KensWorldRestorations I also always put the bearings in the freezer. Most of the time I still know where I left them. You got lucky your wife didn't serve them as diner :). Maybe I will also go for powder coat in the wheels in the future. More durable surely. I just got to find a good company that does it with care like your did. Lots of these company say they can do it but results are not always satisfying.

[@KensWorldRestorations]

@@jh-tech5546 Looks like we're having bearing pasta for dinner tonight...:o)

[@uhtred7860]

The wheels must have been re-painted red by the N American importer, as A: North America was the only market to get them on this model FZR1000, and B: There is no Yamaha part number for red wheels, only white, for the Red/white & Blue/White colours, and Grey (or Hi Tech Silver as Yamaha call it) for the Black ones. I assume it was a marketing move, to connect them to the YZR500 GP bikes that were winning with American rider Eddie Lawson at the time.

[@KensWorldRestorations]

Definitely a marketing thing...only saw red rims here in Canada & the US. These rims were all red too - there was no white under the red when I had them stripped - which I was kind of expecting to see. Always been a fan of the white rims on this bike...can't wait to see it all together and finished now!!

[@ciogon]

if i were you,i would use those all balls crap....its made in china and very very cheap quality.....if used them rebuild kits on my fzr 1000 1993,all the gaskets inside just swollen,rubish....they supossed to be gas resistant...chinesse shit...now i have to buy tourmax ..made in japan....i hope you wont have problems with your bearings,but in the future,take my advice,as an ex motorcycle mechanic,dont buy all balls stuf,because it will hurt your balls...:))