Modern Vespa

What do we think about painting rims? Replace?

sand, prime, paint.

if you don't like your work, you can always buy new ones.

(imho, i'd keep the rims it came with.)
i've pained rims, it's soooo easy.

yep . . . like auntie said.
make sure you do the inside too.
or get them blasted & powder coated which is what i prefer.

Those are good for another 50 years. Have them blasted and then powder coated. Don't fall for any of that tubeless nonsense. They are a pain in the arse and not worth the returns IMHO. I'll take a good old fashion tube, rim with a modern compound tire every time. I'm cool with modern carbs, expansion pipes, modern ignitions and other trick shit though.

blasting and powder coating will cost twice the price of brand new.

depends where you go & if you allow yourself to be ripped off.
theres a local company here who does good work for a decent price.
the thing with powder coating is that it'll last longer than paint & is tougher so is more durable & less easy to damage.
powder coating for me all the way.
with the amount of time it'll take the OP to strip & sand and the cost of the materials to prime & paint (not to mention rust treatment), powder coating wont seem overly expensive giving that it'll last a lot longer.

Check Scooter Mercato. Running deals on tires/tubes/rims combo.

Under $120, might qualify for the %25 discount he is running over the weekend.

And the finish on most of the new ones will still look dull and crummy. The powder coating will give you a finish that outlasts the finish on the new wheels.

After spliting the rims.. The rust on the inside was very bad... I expect one will make a good spare.... I order two from Scooter Mercato..... Thanks for all input

Nah. You could get both of those done for $65 bucks.

And by the way, that is mostly surface rust. But go ahead and waste your money if you want.

Could we see pics of the inside of the rims?

You should get tubeless rims man.

To be more precise, buy a wire brush wheel for your electric drill, spend 20 minutes going after the outside of those rims with the wheel, and they will look new.

Next: spend even more time knocking the rust off of what will surely be a mess of corrosion on the inside of the wheels with the same wire attachment.

Prime. Paint.

Works every time. You'll be set, all for about $12 bucks worth of supplies.

Those combos never qualify for any discounts.

Considering you can get new rims for about $20 a piece? Who's wasting time and money in the end?

did once ..... long story .... dont use turps

I sanded mine down, primed and painted them with Rustoleum. It's not as durable as the original finish or powder-coat, but I can do touch ups in a jiffy.
They are pretty.

I sanded down the rims in this vid
Keep your rims, and paint them.

Rob

Too bad they won't fit my bike...............they're a perfect match the way they are.

Fun video Rob, thanks.

20 bucks for out-of-true crap metal nammer rims with shitty paint that will need to be repainted anyway vs original ones that could be simply powdercoated does not sound like a good deal to me. But hey that's just me.

I've never had an issue with a repop rim that I've purchased personally.

Guess you got lucky.

Maybe it's karma?

looks okay. it's just my PEE. from now on, i paint the nuts also.

the rims I got new were Piaggio stamped, and were $25 each. And they replaced the original rims that i used the wire wheel, sandpaper, rust treatment, primer, and paint. that just ended up rusting again anyway.

the knowledge that my new rims were safe and looked good certainly justified the cost and time saved. for me anyway. I dont fault anyone going one way or the other. but Speed_Kills, I guess you feel differently huh?

No it's cool. I guess I just don't get why anyone would trash a perfectly good item.

BTW, just because they are stamped Piaggio does not mean your rims are made in Italy by Piaggio and that they are safe. Maybe they are fine, maybe they are not. I can not vouch for either. But hey we are not really talking about your rims here are we? Im just giving the OP my opinion on his rims. Maybe we should start a new thread on your Piaggio stamped rims?

I dont think that would be necessary considering I have been using them for the past year without incident. well, other that the occasional compliment. thanks though. and I agree that they look like its just surface rust on the exterior of the rim. but usually the real trouble is the inside (which we cannot see). right?

Quite frankly I have never seen a set of rims fail. So who cares really.

Personally I would rather spend the $20-25 extra dollars and have a better, longer lasting product in the end. Can anyone here dig that?

To avoid making tough decisions like this, when my rims get rusty I just pour gasoline over the entire scooter and light it on fire.

I think Jackson did that

well done rufi! Please don't try this at home.. Dublin calling!

If you paint them, they will scratch to shit. Powdercoat works best.y guy in town does great work and only charges 20.00 for color of your choice and blasting

Seriously, I rattle canned mine and they look good and they have held up well.

In a couple hours I am taking three sets of rims and other small parts to get powder coated. There is no denying that it is more costly than simply replacing these parts but, in the long run, I think it is a better solution.

(The parts are all for a Rally and a Lambretta.)

whoop I'm famous.

Hi All,
I recently dropped off my OEM rims and center stand w/brkts. at my local Powder coater. I'll followup with before and after pics and costs.
Films at eleven......

Funny, I've tried, but, I just don't get this vid?

I wire brushed the original piaggio rims on my scoots. primed+painted (rattlecan). stainless washers and nuts.

new rims that I've purchased have had the chrome or paint chip off within a year and tend to bend easily.