Wheels; need tires

The wheels could have been tackled at any time, really.  Truth is, it entailed so much effort in cleaning and polishing that I really didn't want to tackle this job until I had to.   These two wheels took more than a day's work to complete.  But the project is now ready to roll on its own two wheels and get off the engine stand finally, so this has been left near to the end.

The left above (front) had seen a little effort prior to this photo, so it is not as 'before' looking as when I purchased the motorcycle.  The right (rear) has now been cleaned and degreased, followed by soda blasting of the hub to get rid of some of the more crusty residue.  Steel wool and paint thinner ate through my gloves three times, so I ended up soaking in chemicals most of the day.  Oh, and Aluminum dust too.  Cleaning was followed with both red and white polishing compounds on a cloth wheel, then metal polish (Blue Magic).  The polish looks decent from more than a few feet away, although it is not the finish I'd hoped for.  The surface oxidation is deeper in some places and the effort required to really smooth out the finish is more than I want to exert.  Also, the middle rim area where the spokes attach is brutally hard and time-consuming to get at effectively; this area really lets down the effort.  Oh well.  Time to get rubber on these things and get them mounted to the bike!  Restored and drilled front disc also mounted to front wheel, along with new wheel bearings.