[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The wheel is anodized at the factory--not painted.

Anodizing is a way of coating aluminum with a specific type of coating--I think it's a specific type of aluminum "rust", even!! It's an electrochemical process, in that they hook a wire to the wheel and dunk the wheel in a solution which has another wire going into it to electrically charge it. ("Anode" and "cathode" being old terms for positive and negative electrical connections--or do I have it backwards?) The solution can have a dye in it, which can color the material in a number of different ways.

DIY anodizing is, umm, not very common. (Let's leave it at that.) You'll likely want to keep the factory anodizing on the wheel. If you're going for a "stock but better" look, you might consider having the raised areas polished up real shiny and then having the whole wheel powdercoated clear. Or just leave it raw and clean and wax it regularly.

--DD