PERFORMANCE MACHINE VILLAIN
Not too long ago, if you asked who made billet wheels for cruisers, about the only answer you'd get was Performance Machine (PM). Because of this long-term involvement in the wheel aftermarket, almost all of PM's wheels have matching rotors and pulleys. Rooted heavily in the Harley market, PM only manufactures wheels for belt-driven cruisers.
Price: Front: $795 polished, $995 chromed; rear: $895 polished, $1095 chromed
Weight: Front: 18.8 lb., rear: 20.3 lb.
Sizes shown: Front: 18 x 3.5 in., rear: 18 x 5.5 in.
Sizes available in this style: Front: 16 x 3.0, 3.5 in.; 17 x 3.5 in.; 18 x 3.0, 3.5 in.; 19 x 2.125 in.; 21 x 2.125 in.; rear: 16 x 3.0, 3.5, 5.0, 6.0 in.; 17 x 5.5, 6.0 in.; 18 x 3.0, 3.5, 4.25, 5.5 in.
Number of styles: 13 (12 Spoke, Nine Spoke, Player, Rage, Scream, Solid, Tempest, Trespasser, Tribal, Twister, Villain, Vintage and Viper)
Cruiser model fitted: All Harley-Davidsons and Yamaha Road Stars
Special notes: All wheels can be used with OE brakes and discs, but if PM matching discs are desired, PM calipers and pulleys will also be required. Pulleys and discs styled to match wheels are available for most models. PM does not manufacture wheels for shaft-driven motorcycles.
Contact: 6892 Marlin Circle, La Palma, CA 90623, (714) 523-3000, (800) 479-4037, www.performancemachine.com
RC COMPONENTS STINGRAY
Starting 11 years ago from one set of wheels that owner Rick Ball built for his drag bike, RC Components has grown to feature an impressive line of wheels, discs and brakes.
Price: Front: $825 polished, $1075 chromed; rear: $875 polished, $1125 chromed
Weight: Front: 18.6 lb., rear: 23.5 lb.
Sizes shown: Front: 18 x 3.5 in., rear: 18 x 5.5 in.
Sizes available in this style: Front: 16 x 3.5 in., 17 x 3.5 in., 18 x 3.5 in., 19 x 2.15 in., 21 x 2.15 in.; rear: 16 x 3.5, 4.25, 5.5 in.; 17 x 5.5 in.; 18 x 3.5, 4.25, 5.5 in.
Number of styles: 10 Billet (Chaos, Dagger, Fluid, RC Comp, Regal, Slash, Stealth, Stingray, Wicked and Wizard)
Cruiser models fitted: Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic, Drifter 1500and Nomad; Yamaha Road Star and Royal Star; Suzuki 1400 Intruder and 1500 Intruder LC; and most Harley-Davidsons.
Special notes: All wheels utilize stock brakes and pulley. Matching brake systems for several wheel models are available. Unique Pulley Rotor combines separate caliper, discs and pulley into one slick unit. Six less expensive, polished cast wheel models are available (Sabre, Smoothie, Spectra, Spokester, Starfighter and Talon), starting at $529.
Contact: 140 Hunters Court, Bowling Green, KY 42103, (270) 842-6000, www.rccomponents.com
ALTERNATE SOLUTIONS: If you don't have have enough bills for billet
Cruisers who can't bring themselves to pay a couple thousand dollars to supplant perfectly functional parts--no matter how pretty the billet replacements are--still have a few options . Owners of bikes with cast wheels can have them either polished or powdercoated, or both. Spoked wheel owners can have them re-laced with fancy spokes and add oversized rims.
The polishing of metal traces its roots to the time before there were motorcycles. When polishing metal, the heat generated by friction seals the metal's pores, adding lustre to the surface. Polishing is, in its most basic sense, the progressive elimination of scratches through the use of increasingly finer abrasives. The sheen comes from making the scratches in the metal so fine that they are invisible to the naked eye. In the final stages of polishing, rouges (compounds of grits, lubricants and metals which help to bring out the metal's natural color highlights), not sandpapers, provide the ultra fine abrasives. Although brute force plays the primary role in polishing, the finesse of the detailed work separates the professional polishers from the garage metal buffs.
Powdercoating is a dry finishing process in which a powder, consisting of finely ground particles of pigment and resin, is given an electrostatic charge and sprayed on the part to be coated. The charge holds the powder to the part until a curing oven melts and fuses the powder into a uniform coating. Since the powdered paint doesn't contain the volatile organic compounds (VOC) found in most liquid paints, powdercoating is an environmentally friendly process that provides a durable finish. Although good powdercoaters can come close to matching almost any paint color including candy colors, powdercoating is slightly less flexible in color choice than paint, though much more durable.
Our project Valkyrie, featured in the December 1997 issue, shows how interesting a combination of polishing and powdercoating can look. Distinctive Metal Polishing (818/344-2160) polished all of the wheels' flat surfaces to a high sheen, while Andrews Powder Coating (818/700-1030, www.powdercoater.com) provided the candy color to all of the cut-out sections of the wheels--and even the holes of the brake discs! The result was a striking visual statement. For less than the price of one billet wheel, the Valkyrie's stock equipment took on a decidedly custom appearance.
Owners of bikes with spoked wheels can dress them up with a set of Buchanan's (626/969-4655) stylish spokes. Throw in a set of Sun Rims (626/969-4655), and you have basically a new set of wheels! We had a set of wire wheels built for a Vulcan Classic (December 1997). We've logged many miles on these pretty wheels and received numerous compliments in our travels--all for approximately $300 per wheel.
So, customizers who want a distinctive look for their bikes on a budget not built for billet don't need to be left out. Just give these folks a call to get things rolling.
For additional evaluations of, comparisons of, and shopping advice for motorcycle gear and accessories, see the Accessories and Gear section of MotorcycleCruiser.com.