HRC 17X3.5 magnesium front wheel value

Any opinion on the value of a 17 x 3.5 magnesium HRC factory wheel? Straight in very good condition and it has the spacers?

 

If you figure out a price,PM me.

 

I love old Magnesium wheels, that said they do have their well documented drawbacks.

I would say $300-$350 is a fair price for a loose front in the condition shown.


I arrived at this by:
You can see wheels listed at $500, but they are usually worth more in a matched set, and that may not be a “quick sale” price (not sure if they sell for that). That said, it looks pretty nice, with no damage or corrosion, so if it were me, I wouldn’t accept less than $200-250.

If you can provide some details about its history of use and storage situation (indoor/garage/on bike) that might also influence the value.

 

Wheel has been stored as wall art in an office in southern California

 

did you decide on a price and sell it?

 

It's not mine, it belongs to a buddy in southern California. He wants 500 for it

 

Tell him old magnesium doesn't appreciate,, it deteriorates...looks like a stock RS250,,,,@$300

 

I get scared when I pull a tire off of an old magnesium or carbon wheel, and there are flakes inside the tire.

 

Just info, mostly for Bob (yamaha fan) and Stick, but I am set up for liquid penetrant inspection (dye check), and have done magnesium wheels....Last ones I did were for Bowies F1......I'm not offering it as a public service (liabilities), or looking to get rich. I can do fluorescent (the green glow) or visible (red on white).....I can also do x-ray, but would rather not, but would if something caught my eye during dye check.

The prepwork on the wheel, such as removal of powdercoat or paint is critical to the dye-check process.......NO SANDBLAST / media blast / wire wheel.....chemical stripping is the best. If blasted, they must be acid etched to remove actual metal, removing the "smear". Magnesium is a "soft" metal, and will "Smear" under abrasive cleaning, "surface sealing" and hiding cracks.

Its been awhile since I've done it, but Ex-USN and retired Lockheed guy here, worked for Boeing and several other major defense contractors doing this my whole life.

I did Bowies cuz, oddly enough, I didnt want him to die.

Flakes don't sound good......especially when seen by someone flaky.

Even tho I understand the concern, its real, like speedwerks is saying.....I havent had or seen negative results (cracks).

If anyone has a KNOWN BAD WHEEL, I would be VERY interested in it for use as a "reference standard" for my process.

 

My AHRMA motocross bike has a magnesium Rickman front hub. Now I'm scared to ride it. All things considered, I'll probably fall down either with or without an exploding brake drum.

 

That's the spirit

 

Do you know anybody reputable that does chemical stripping of powder coat on magnesium? I have a set on my RS125 that I would like to have stripped, checked, and redone eventually, but like you are saying, magnesium is not something to mess with so I wouldn't trust just anyone to do it.

 

Oh, if you need sticker ideas, you can use this guy
https://www.google.com/search?q=nig...g&ei=DSCYZZarCc6wptQP4LuJuA0&bih=923&biw=1680

Or this guy, depending on which represents you best these days
https://www.google.com/search?sca_e...kFHcdFDRMQ0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1680&bih=923&dpr=1

 

No sir, not off the top of my head.

Most times, to do the crack inspection correctly...strip, etc then inspect, then recoat or paint.....you are into it for more than the wheel is worth, even if the inspection turns up nothing.

If I (or whomever) DOES find something, you are still in it for the $ of the prep, but have a junk wheel.

Thats part of the reason I have never charged anything more than beer or dinner.....If someone is willing to go thru the expense to strip it correctly, and it comes out no cracks or damage, I feel good about helping keep a "nice piece" active....thats enough for me.

 

Magnesium wheels have a use life and this inspection offer is exactly what we on beeb needed, please pin it someone.

 

One tip Ive heard is to use a razor blade and score the powder coat surface, then chemically strip.....better penetration.

Reading up, submersion DIY is doable in a tub or something, but I think I'd try brushing stripper on first.

Also read about Laser stripping...I dont THINK that would affect my inspection process, but I would have to do some homework before I came to an opinion. The best "homework" would involve a known cracked part.

I'm willing to help, again no liability implied......Bowie has been running his wheels with no issues.

Altho, even in the "perfect" environment and prep, no inspection process if perfect or flawless....the fluorescent (yellow glow, blacklight) is more sensitive than the red on white visible....but both fall into a Probabality of Detection of 90/95 POD......which generally means:

90% of the defects (cracks in the wheel), will be detected 95% of the time, IF your process is "compliant" to industry standards.....Prep is critical to the process.

Anyway, I digress, but willing to help where I can.

 

^^^ I love it. I will definitely keep this thread in mind. I still have a few magnesium wheels in my collection. I am just attracted to them for some weird reason.

Keep in mind, not all ‘magnesium’ wheels are the same. Some wheels, like the old Honda Magteks are basically cast aluminum wheels with a little magnesium in the mix. Other wheels, like old Marvics are like pure magnesium. They feel like they’re made of styrofoam when you pick them up. The greater the magnesium content, typically the more prone to issues they are. This is usually consistent with weight (vs. an equivalent aluminum rim).

For the OP, I have never had an HRC wheel, how much does that one weigh?

I will also add that some very light (highly optimized) aluminum wheels can be prone to fatigue cracking, which might be wise to have dye tested as well.

 

You can buy aircraft stripper at the hardware store and do it yourself, I've done a few wheels like that.

 

I didn't realize aircraft stripper worked on powder coat. I tried it once on a mountain bike frame that had been powder coated and it didn't touch it.

 

My reading comprehension failed.