What are these?

[AKMac]

Well, I'm almost ready to get my wheels chromed, but I was just wondering what these things circled in red are called, and how do I remove them without destroying them?

[skids]

Hmmm, I don't know. I never noticed them before. I'll tell you something however, you had better worry about those needle bearings as they are impossible(?) to find.

[John]

It looks like some type of shock absorbing bushing. Is that the front or rear wheel? Ah ha! That is the rear wheel. and those holes are where the clutch hub bolts go through the wheel. There should be some way to remove them. Somebody put them in, somebody can get them out. You may have to make a puller out of a piece of pipe, and threaded rod, and some nuts.

[John]

Skids

Originally posted by skids
Hmmm, I don't know. I never noticed them before. I'll tell you something however, you had better worry about those needle bearings as they are impossible(?) to find.

The availibility of the wheel bearing was discussed here a few weeks ago. and it seems they are still available from Yamamama, and Bikebandit.

[randy]

Those isolators are not removeable. If I were you, I'd take the rim to the plater and get his advice. He may be able to mask or plug them prior to plating. I've seen other XS's with chromed rims, so it's not impossible!

[strom]

John is right... they absorb some of the jerkiness of the shaft drive, the wheel splined hub thingie goes thru there where it connects to the final drive.

LP

[John]

The part that attaches there can be seen by looking at Ken Talbot's avatar. That is the clutch hub.

[AKMac]

Well crap, I'm suppose to go to the plater tomorrow. So are these absolutely needed for safe operation? I'm hoping they can somehow salvage them.

[DiverRay]

They are rubber. It may be that the plating operation will not hurt them. If it's a "cold plating", it probably will be OK. If they need to heat the part up, you may be in trouble.
The reason for the rubber is to take some of the driveline shock out of the system. If they were solid, the clutch system would probably wear much faster.
Ray

[Ken Talbot]

I had a set of wheels powdercoated with the rubbers still in place and that amount of heat did not bother them at all. I can't see chroming being any worse unless the peroxide(??) cleaning aolution they dip stuff into for cleaning can eat rubber.