At first, the Benelli’s Bridgestone front wheel and Yamaha YM2C rear wheel seemed to have similar amounts of rust. However, after soaking in rust remover, the pitting and corrosion on the rear went much deeper and was more severe. The wheel must have sat in the same orientation for a long time, as there is one part of the rim that is in significantly worse condition. I switched to a stronger phosphoric acid rust treatment, but it didn’t improve the situation much. The rim also has some pretty big gouges on the outside.
If this wheel was destined for a running motorcycle, I would be considering a new rim. As it is, since this is only going to be a non-running display piece, I went ahead and put the new rear tire on as is. This tire made up for the relative ease of mounting the front tire; this one really fought me. It’s holding air, though, so I’m 2-for-2!
