2009 R1200GS Rear Wheel Corrosion

[tegel]

I was doing some spring cleaning on my GS and noticed there was quite a bit of corrosion on the rear (alloy) wheel. At least a dozen or so spots of varying size. I've attached a couple of photos. I purchased the bike new and only ride it occasionally (22k). I ride about 50/50 paved/dirt roads, and can count the number of time in the rain on one hand. The front wheel shows no signs of any corrosion.

I'm trying to determine best course of action:

1. Stop riding the bike and get a new wheel.
2. Keep riding and don't worry about it as it's only cosmetic.
3. It's okay to ride, but find a place to have the wheel refurbished.
4. Replace the alloy wheels with spoked wheels (or do these have their own set of issues?)

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Tom

Ann Arbor, MI

 

[PGlaves]

Perchance does Michigan use a lot of road salt during the winter, which lingers in the spring? I can't be sure but your photo IMG 1308 appears to show that the corrosion is not just on the surface but has penetrated into the wheel somewhat. If so I would be concerned about the structural integrity of the wheel.

 

[tegel]

Thanks for your reply and concern. Yes, they do use a lot of salt here in the winter. I'm thinking I should try scraping it to see if I can better assess how deep it goes. I'm not really concerned with how it looks (it's a GS after all , so I'm hoping I can just get it sealed with something.

--Tom

 

[tegel]

I found some YT videos and talked to a neighbor and concluded that it was just the powder coating coming off. Nothing structural going on. I assume it got chipped by a rock and water got underneath. I'm not the most diligent when it comes to cleaning/washing my bike, so I can see how it would worsen over time if left alone.

I took a scraper and hard bristle brush to it to remove the loose pieces, hit it with some sand paper and found a dark grey metallic spray paint/coating for wheels at the local auto parts store. It's not the most professional job (the overspray on the tire should wear off , but at least it's sealed better than it was. The weights came off as they were on top of the powder coating, so I used JB Weld to apply directly to the exposed metal and just sprayed over the top of everything. Should be able to ride to tomorrow! Will definitely keep an eye on it.

Still trying to decide if I want to get spoked wheels. From what I've read they are better for off road (which I like to do), harder to keep clean (which I've demonstrated I do not like to do). I think they make tubeless ones now, but I assume they also require a bit of maintenance to keep true. I'm not sure how difficult that is. Will probably just leave things as is unless I convince myself I can't live without them.

--Tom