Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Folks

I have chrome rims fitted front and rear. The central convex section and the side of the rims are fine, but the flattish bits each side of the central section - around 15mm or so - are badly pitted. The chrome has come away and the metal underneath has corroded to a dark rust colour. I am in the midst of restoring the bike and it seems a shame that the rims may let the whole thing down.

Apart from the obvious re-chroming, does anyone have any ideas how to repair the rims so they don't let the side down? I have tried painting - a hopeless colour match despite several different topcoats - and 10mm wide adhesive chrome tape around the whole circumference each side. The latter looks and works surprisingly well but does come away after a short period of time - especially in the wet!

Further ideas appreciated.

Hi

Paint the rims like they did in the 50's if that is commensurate with the bikes age. Powder coated 'chrome' resembles 'argenising' which was done in the post war period to AMC machines. I think anything else will be blindingly obvious so would bite the bullet and go for stainless rims, if you lace them yourself the outlay should be bearable.

Regards Mick

I'll second that. The stainless rims I just put on the FH are lovely and lace up very easily.

I should have mentioned the chrome paint was rubbish not only from a colour match perspective, but also from an adhesion one. I think if I painted the whole it would not be a good result - being a chrome plated substrate and even if it were keyed somewhat.

Yes stainless rims/powder coat would be nice, but it is much work - and cost. I may have to bite the bullet as you say......

What are you doing to
a) kill the rust
b) etch the remaining chrome

(This reads like the problem is the preparation rather than what's being used as a finish. I've fairly successfully touched up a couple of very small areas on my chrome rims although as much to prevent further corrosion than to provide a finish.)

SG

The corrosion is much more than a couple of wee spots. It is quite severe on the rear rim - strangely perhaps only on the flat areas mentioned. I have previously prepared the area well, but the subsequent topcoat - and I have tried several - is a very poor match to the rest of the chrome. I believe obtaining a match is difficult with paint.

The chrome tape was a far better match - especially with a thin black pinstripe on the inner side masking the chrome tape boundary. It think that is what I will try, maybe with some additional contact adhesive of sorts.

I s the corrosion deep enough to have compromised the rim?

An inflated tyre puts quite a significant load on the rim without
the wheel even turning.

will_curry wrote: Wed Dec 10, 2025 3:55 pm I s the corrosion deep enough to have compromised the rim?

An inflated tyre puts quite a significant load on the rim without
the wheel even turning.

No - surface only.

I wouldn't try rechroming it. It's unlikely to ever be good enough to justify the cost and they can rust where you can't see.. If they run TRUE you could paint them BLACK or an Aluminium finish. Nev

The problem I have previously encountered in painting over chrome is obtaining a decent key for the paint. By it's nature, chrome offers a hard surface finish - though clearly not a rust free one - but after 70 years I can forgive that. It is not simply a case of scuffing it with wire wool or a scotch pad.

If my tape looks rubbish, I think new S/S rims would be the way to go.