I started cleaning up the Bridgestone front wheel I bought for the Benelli/ATC250R. Since it’s not going to be a running bike, I can’t justify new rims, and I doubt I would be able to use all the same spoke nipples if I were to disassemble them. I can only submerge about 10% of the rim at a time in the rust remover, so the process takes several days for each rim. Rust Relase (similar to Evaporust) is amazing stuff. It’s not caustic. Non-ferrous metals and plastic pretty much ignore it. It also doesn’t have any hazardous fumes.
Before and after:
One down, one to go.
I had already purchased two new Duro HF319 tires, inner tubes and rim strips in OE sizes: 2.75×18 for the Bridgestone 175/200 front and 3.25×18 for the Yamaha YDS3 rear. The tread pattern is a copy of the old Pirelli MT53, which perfectly captures the period I want this bike to capture. The front tire went on pretty easily, and unlike most of my attempts, I didn’t pinch the tube the first time!
While the rear rim continued its de-rust treatment, I took the opportunity to do one of those “visualization exercises” that is so crucial to maintaining enthusiasm for a project. Yes, I like!
