Brooklands Bentley

Picked up the wheels today, very stoked with how they have come out. I had the rims blasted and powder-coated in satin black and then had some new tyres fitted. The wheels have been the most expensive part of the build so far, but then there are four of them and I had refurbishment costs on top of the purchase cost of the rims and tyres. I'm not entirely sure if I have ended up saving money by going down the path that I have, which was my original goal, but none-the-less, I'm very happy with the final outcome, as to me they look more 'vintage' than new or shiny wheels would have.

For anyone else sourcing rims, I think that the cheapest option is probably to start off by purchasing better condition rims with good usable tyres to avoid the refurb and tyre replacement costs but it might take a while to find two pairs for a reasonable price, and then there's always the risk that you are going to end up with miss-matched tyres. I could have probably shopped around and got some cheaper tyres or ordered some online and got them fitted locally, but it was convenient to use Don and such convenience has a cost.

New 17" rims with knobbly tyres are about AU$180 on ebay, but those are moto-x fronts and not postie bike rims and so have knobbly tyres and a bit more of a modern look to them. It does look like some of the fellas in the US are using these however so they are another option.

So if you're just getting into collecting parts for your build, wheels are going to be the big ticket item so it is worthwhile keeping in eye on Gumtree ads or finding someone who parts out postie bikes.

So what was the cost? Here's the final tally (excluding my machining work)

$50 - Initial purchase price (Gumtree)
$80 - Blasting and powder coating (Aluminium hubs were wet blasted)
$125 - Supply and fit tyre (including valve / rim tape + spoke repairs)

In total this has worked out at $255 per rim.

I used Associated Gritblasters in Edwardstown for the blasting and powder coating. 83741979. They came under recommendation and I was not disappointed. I'll definitely get the chassis and suspension parts done there when I'm ready. It's worth noting that they have a surcharge for EFTpos so cash is king with these fellas.

Don at DC Motorcycles sourced and fitted the tyres as well as fixed some broken spokes. He's in Marion. 83775566