not really it could be that they placed aluminium wheels in the bike from a monster S4R.
they have flush spokes as well and fit a 996 to.
can you take a pic of the inside of the back wheel.

henk!!!

 

Hi,

Cos i was looking for a replacement for my rear and came across a aluminium flush spoke marchesini. Could you advise what is the different by the backside of the wheel?

 

If you look at the mounting face that fits to the hub it will be unpainted and you should be able to tell if it is aluminium or magnesium from the colour of the bare metal, IIRC magnesium should have a goldish coating.

 

On a somewhat related note, does anyone have a sure fire way of telling me whether the 10 spoke marchesinis are aluminium or magnesium as well?

Same method as the post mentions above me? Or is there another way

 

On a somewhat related note, does anyone have a sure fire way of telling me whether the 10 spoke marchesinis are aluminium or magnesium as well?

Same method as the post mentions above me? Or is there another way

Use a blow torch, if they burn with a fierce white flame they're magnesium...

 

Now that was funny, "white flame".

 

wheels

Here are pics of some of the above mentioned wheels
The White one is an Aluminum off an s4r
The Black is Magnesium powder coated
The Gold is Magnesium Cromated.
By looks the Mags have a little wing where the spoke meets the hub.
Pics didnt come out as well as they looked on the phone. PM me and I can take more as needed.
Hope this helps. Brad.

 

Here are pics of some of the above mentioned wheels
The White one is an Aluminum off an s4r
The Black is Magnesium powder coated
The Gold is Magnesium Cromated.
By looks the Mags have a little wing where the spoke meets the hub.
Pics didnt come out as well as they looked on the phone. PM me and I can take more as needed.
Hope this helps. Brad.

Hi Brad,
Thank you for the photo. So as long as the spoke is flush and does have the little wings around the hub it must be a magnesium right?

I can't see the hub colour at it was being spray over too.

 

Hi Rock, I cannot tell you all the different varaitions in spokes that Marchesini made, but this will be a good start for that era wheel. The best way to make sure is to weigh them. Brad

 

Actual Weights with spacers and bearings:

NEW Marchesini Alum Forged 10 spoke: Front: 7.64 pounds; Rear: 9.98

Original Marchesini 5 spoke magnesium: Front - 6.80 lbs, Rear - 8.70lbs

NEW 10 spoke forged magnesium wheels : Front: 6.04lbs, Rear: 7.76lbs

Ducati OEM aluminum 3-spokes, 11.5 lbs front, 13 lbs rear

Ducati OEM aluminum 5-spokes (996/998), 9.25 lbs front, 12 lbs rear

This is what I found from .ms search. Let hope the seller i found will help me to weight the wheel. :sign:

 

Btw, anyone could advise on the width of the rim advantages and disadvantages?

6" vs 5.5"? I think 5.5" can only fit up to 180 size tires?

 

Ive got 190's on my 5.5's at the moment (on a 996) no problem there. tyre size choice is probably best determined by 'handling' rather than 'how big can i go'. 190's look good from the rear, but i gather 180 is the preferred choice for improved handling, can't comment on the 6's for rim size

 

Hi,
Thank you for the information. Looks like 5.5 is able to go up to 190 while the 6 can go to 200? Dont get it wrong that i am thing the bigger the tire the better it will be. I am just puzzle why they are 2 different specification which are so close.

 

Nice to see you here too rockoil.

Anyone have any serious answers? There is a used gold 10 spoke marchesini (confirmed aftermarket version) lying in my usual workshop for sale and no one knows if its alum or mag. And i really need to know which it is because I don't want mag!

 

Anyone have any serious answers?

Yeah the flame test, whilst accurate, is tad too final (unless you can get just a sliver)

But I believe you can test with acid? (not sure which, poss battery acid or vinegar?) If applied to bare magnesium it will react by foaming and/or turning black where as the same test on aluminium does nothing?

Hopefully a Chemist will be along soon...

 

More advise needed.

I just being advise that Magnesium is not very advisable to use for street use.
As water will cause reaction on the wheel hence damaging the wheel on long run.

Would like to know how you guys cope on this limitation? Meaning we cant even wash the wheels?

Advises please. Thank you

 

Meaning we cant even wash the wheels?

No, you cannot wash magnesium wheels with water, because OH- hydroxide ions from the water bond with magnesium, forming Mg(OH)2 magnesium hydroxide e.g. laxative powder, and free hydrogen H2 that even a cigarette can light on fire. Boom, and let me tell you that s**t burns - talk about a blow-out! You can however use regular household cleaners like simple green.

 

Hi there,
Anyone can share how you take care of the magnesium wheel?
Sure sound weird that the wheel cant meet water even after painted.
Anyway, these wheels are magnesium alloy right?

sorry i am a noob here.

 

best thing you can do is put Zinc Chromate on it,to seal them of from the air so they can not oxidate.
you can drive them in the rain if the water can not come in contact with the magnesium you shoul be fine.
but magnesium is a strang metal that you have to check now and then.
i have magnesium marvic wheels as well wich are powder coated and still looks fine.
but i should never drive magnesium wheels on the street myself.
i don't even use mine at the moment until i found somebody who can check them for me.

henk!!!

 

Hi,

The wheels are well painted hence i get no direct contact with water.
You mention no using of the mag wheel on street and need to be check. could you advise me more on that?

Cos i intend to fit up the mag wheel as my bike is a weekend bike. Any i do 50/50 street and track. It will be troublesome to keep changing the wheel. Thought may as well keep it with mag.

 

If you use the search function i think you wil find plenty about magnesium wheels and different opinions about them.
So this is just my opinion and what i heard.
Paint alone wil not protect them enough against corrosion as paint does still breath and let air thru,wich doesn't happen with zinc-cromate.
Zinc-cromate is also what they use on aircraft wheels and parts.
Why i would not really use them on the street is because magnesium wheels don't like holes and kerbs that much and will brake faster then magnesium.
This is also why you should check them on hair cracks.

henk!!!

 

Anyone can share if this is magnesium?
I don't have a good weighting machine around.

 

Yes, that's a magnesium rear.

 

Thank you for the confirmation.
I am new to these rims. Read around, powder coating seem to protect them better than spray right? Do I need some crush drive for the rims? Cos i saw machersini actually need the crush drive. Where do you guys get the bearings for the wheel or I actually could use back the original stuff?

 

Stay away from CRUSH drives. Use CUSHION drives instead--much easier on the drivetrain. Also, they fit into the rear sprocket, not the wheel itself. Same with the bearings, which are in the eccentric hub and not the rear wheel itself.

 

Right, thanks for the info.
So I guess I can use back the stock cushion drive? Or there good aftermarket replacement?
I think I still need a new set of bearing for the front wheel though.

 

On the rear wheel make sure the area that the taper/cone part of the wheel nut
mates to is clean from any paint or powder coating.
Your wheel nut might come loose if you leave the finish on as it will
be a soft finish.

brian.

 

Hi Brian,

Er, having the cone part bare and expose the magnesium won't cos any problem? Cos I read around and understand we need to protect the magnesium from being expose.

 

is there a noticeable difference in performance when you're riding?