Guys,

I am still planning for possible winter uogrades, with the main project being my brakes.

There is something else that is bugging me, but is more having to do with appearance instead of functionality.

The OEM spoke wheels are a pain to keep clean, but what my real problem is I think the spokes are cadmium plated which is very difficult to keep looking good.

I usually don't like fancy wheels on a traditional looking bike like a Heritage, but I kind of like these because they still sort of approximate the look of spokes. I don't like the so called fat spokes. I detest the current fad of big wheels.

So, I was looking for an easy to care for stock sized wheels that would look good and maybe be tubeless. This is a screen capture from performance machine's website of chrome Heathen wheels. BTW, I ride a 95 Heritage Softail Classic.

This is also the same wheel as Roland Sands Design Del Mar

What do guys think?

 

Have you checked out the custom wheels that you can get through the Dealership?
They are about $600 a piece.


As for my opinion about those wheels, I wouldn't put them on my bike.

 

I wasn't sure if the dealer would mess with wheels for these old bikes.

Maybe I can find replacement chrome spokes and have them redone?

 

I have twisted spoke wheels on my '97 electra glide. they are getting pretty crappy, I an going to have me original wheels powder coated silver and put them back on.

 

You can have the wheels re-laced with chrome spokes, but what you have to look out for is how bad your rims are rusted on the inside,
almost every tire I mount on laced wheels have rusted spots on the inside, many to the point of rusting through.

I think that's mostly due to the mounting the tire using the wrong bead lube.(soap and water)

I always brush the rust spots and use loctite rust converting spray.

I can bet the dealer does not address cleaning the rim bead areas and knocking out the rust spots.

They got winters in Lafayette? I'm 100 miles east of you.

 

Not many but there are a few.
It was one of the options I looked at when I decided to get rid of my spoke wheels and go to mag wheels.


In the end I just got some stock bagger wagon wheels.
I had them powder coated a gloss black and gloss silver and they looked great to me.

 

If you like the looks of laced wheels but do not want the hassle of chrome or cad then order stainless ones from thses folks.

http://www.buchananspokes.com

 

Had a friend insist that he got bad chrome on his spokes, even had the dealer tell him it was his fault for not keeping the spokes waxed. Yep, Buchanan is the place, although twice I broke a few of their SS spokes on my rear wheel. Second time, I went to a mag on the back, problem solved.

 

Is that available in a 32" front???

JK.

Personally, those don't work for me, but then for me, unless it's a show bike, all I really like is the plain old factory cast wheels.

 

If I am not mistaken, the newer Heritages have chrome laced wheels instead of the stupid cadmium plus they are tubeless. I wonder how much trouble it would be to retrofit them to this older bike due to the axle size?

I am just kind of thinking since I will have it down anyway due to brake upgrades, it might be a good time to address this problem that has bugged me ever since I bought this bike around eight years ago.