DIY Painting Motorcycle Rims on the Cheap

I'll confess, I'm sort of cheap. And impatient to ride. Last weekend I finally painted my motorcycle rims black. I've been photoshopping it for years and finally got around to it. I'm fully aware that powdercoating is the way to go when painting your bike rims, but, here's a quick way to paint your rims yourself using Appliance Epoxy Paint, without even having to remove the tires. This works for car rims as well.

Step 1. Prep.
Thoroughly clean the rims with a degreaser.
Wet sand the chrome and rinse. Allow to dry.
Mask off the rim using playing cards. (Much better than masking tape). They create a very precise mask and it only takes about 5 minutes.

Step 2. Prep some more.
Flip over the wheel and place on a bucket. Use another deck of cards to mask off the other side of the rim to prevent overspray onto the tire.

Step 3. Primer.
Use a self-etching primer. I used Duplicolor - available at auto parts shops. Let dry, lightly sand, add another coat of primer.

Step 4. Paint.
Use Appliance Epoxy paint by Rust-oleum. I recommend painting one side and flipping it over to paint the other side before the first side dries. To keep from marring the wet paint, I propped the rim up on a small bowl, on top of the bucket. The small bowl fits inside the area I'm not painting.

Step 5. Mount Wheels and Ride.