Magnesium wheels suffer from embrittlement. Magnesium is very hygroscopic {edit see below} and suffers badly from oxidation. Which is why wheels aren't 100% magnesium. They are made of different amounts of magnesium and alloy. The more magnesium the lighter the wheel. If there is too much magnesium the wheels can even combust, proven on some early F1 cars. Most magnesium parts are surface treated, usually zinc dichromate solution which is what gives them a yellow colour. Similar to aircraft parts, however as chromium is dangerous, ala Erin Brokovich, not many places can do this treatment any more. If not correctly surface protected, white rust will create cracks in the mag wheels and they will most likely fail. This is a big problem for some campagnolo and early marvic mag wheels. I am not sure what percentage magnesium the magteks are.
Last edited by shmokica on Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
Definetely true, in fact most Magteks will have exceded their safe use life by now!
Because of the chromate surface finish disposal of these wheels is very tricky, I suggest everyone send their old Magteks to me and I will dispose of them in the correct manner
From what has been said on here in the past, apparently the magnesium content isn't that great in the NSR magtek wheels. They're certainly not that much lighter than standard R wheels.
I think if you are worried about the condition of magnesium wheels, get them checked by a specialist. They should be able to crack test, etc......
All these years and i never knew! Everyone I've ever heard talk about brake fluid having a finite lifespan have used the (apparently none-existent) word: 'hydroscopic' to help describe what it does when exposed to moisture. Even the spell checker on here tries to correct you by offering 'hygroscopic' as the top choice in its list of correct words you might have spelled wrong! Well, they do say you learn something new every day.
Thanks man. _________________ After years of moaning about immigrants now i am one...
I can't imagine that Honda would allow wheels that require yearly checks and a limited life span to be used on a road bike. The Magtek wheels along with the dry clutch was only ever a marketing gimick on the part of Honda top sell more bikes...... and it worked. I have 3 SP's!!
racer38 wrote:I can't imagine that Honda would allow wheels that require yearly checks and a limited life span to be used on a road bike. The Magtek wheels along with the dry clutch was only ever a marketing gimick on the part of Honda top sell more bikes...... and it worked. I have 3 SP's!!
Tom, strip the paint of a magtek and leave it outside for a winter, throw a bit of salt on for good measure, then have a look at it. Ive had magnesium wheels erupt from the inside and end up all furry. Not a pretty sight. _________________ Proud Father of , 05 ktm 400exc supermoto 2018 honda crf rx supermoto
racer38 wrote:I can't imagine that Honda would allow wheels that require yearly checks and a limited life span to be used on a road bike. The Magtek wheels along with the dry clutch was only ever a marketing gimick on the part of Honda top sell more bikes...... and it worked. I have 3 SP's!!
I am inclined to agree, and the weight difference quote above probably adds credence to the fact that they are probably low magnesium content.
That said I have seen and read some stories about RC30 wheels. Was it Joey Dunlop that had a mag wheel failure?
I sent my Marchesini magnesium rims off to a specialist that deals with magnesium components in the aviation industry.
Well, as they commented, there isnt a hell of a lot of magnesium in them compared to 'true' magnesium aircraft rims. The cost of NDT, corrosion cleanup and paint prep was very little and well worth it.
The magnesium content in the Magteks is even lower than the Marchesinis - hence them being sold for use on a roadbike where it is unlikely that the owners will strip and NDT them every year as well as subject them to all sorts of road conditions.
Comments on them seem to vary from the ignorant 'they will be ok' to the paranoid 'send them to Marchesini for no one else on the planet can fathom what to do with them'. The aviation industry is very familiar with dealing with magnesium.
I think that it was Robert Dunlop that had a Marvic rim separate from the spokes of his RC30 while riding at the Isle of Man...
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