I recently bought a '99 GSX600F Katana wheel off eBay for an exceptionally low price. $25 for the wheel, $18 for shipping. When the wheel arrived I noticed that someone had taken what seemed like a screwdriver and hammer to it in an attempt to change their own tire, I'd assume.

Here's what I started with:



See all the barbs and scratches? It's right near where the bead seats, and it looks like someone did a real number on it. I e-mailed the guy and he sent me $20 back for the bad description on his eBay auction (he described it as being "very useable", which after some work I think it is).

After 20-30 minutes with a Dremel rotary sander and a square file I got it to look like this:



Is that smooth enough? Will there be any complications when the tire bead seats into that area? I think I took care of most of the stuff that would cause issues when I tire was rubbed along there. Think it's safe enough, or should I take it to a wheel repair shop? Think I should scrap it?

I hope this is good enough, because I'll have gotten a useable Kat wheel for $23 shipped. Effing sweet.

scrap it.

send it to me.

I'm the only person with a trash can big enough...



Anyways, the only thing I would be seriously watching is how the "lip" of the rim would grab onto the tire.  If its too shallow of a lip, you might pop a bead.... unlikely... but possible?

only suggestion I have....

I think it's going to leak air quickly, but there's no reason why you can't try.

Quote from: scratch on May 18, 2006, 07:49:05 PM
I think it's going to leak air quickly, but there's no reason why you can't try.

Any reason why? Am I mistaken where the bead seats? Doesn't it seat against the outer wall of the wheel in that crevice?

Not really.  The actual bead is a metal wound cord on the inside diameter of the tire, that is elastic enough to expand around the seat of the rim and constrict to help maintain the rubber seal of the air in.  "Breaking the bead" is usually where you stretch the bead too far for it to seal again.

On the first and third pictures, where it looks like you can see the inner wall of the rim.

Try to get it as smooth as possible so that your tire can make a nice good seal so you won't get any problems... Better to get it as perfect as possible than to have to have your tire installed, then removed to repair it again and install again. If you want, use some alluminum dent filler and just sand the excess smooth ( I figure it would be better than JB weld because it'll avoid dissimilar metal corrosion).

In that lip near the edge it's actually pretty smooth. The scratches are just paint-deep.

Oh ok, Its hard to get good perspective of how deep the scratches are...


Then you should be fine as it is