So I can't seem to find wheels anywhere except from Taiwan on the internet.  Surely there's a source for decent quality steel replacement wheels somewhere.  I'd get a set re chromed but don't want to have several bikes scattered for several months waiting on a chrome shop.

Good original wheels are hard to find. Be careful on rechroming. They tend to rust from the inside out. The process of removing the chrome will remove rust and possibly some metal. I had 3 wheels become unuseable after going through the acid bath. When I buy used wheels I look for ones that have had the tires removed so they can be inspected. If you see a wheel that has the chrome flaking and peeling between the spoke holes it is likely rusted through,

I wonder if the wheels, fenders, tanks, seat pans, etc. were made from compressed rust. Also the same for fenders and hoods from Datsun cars.

It's just hard to believe that with the interest in vintage bikes there's no source for quality replacement wheels.  I bought some imports for my Triumph Bonneville resto 5 or 6 years ago and within a year they were showing rust even though they'd always been in my warehouse and never wet.

I picked up a nice rear rim with no dents for $63 with shipping on eBay. It had no tire so I was able to see the inside. It looked pretty good.

It does have the rust in the usual places but not too deep. You can see some pitting where I used coarse sandpaper. I'm having it rechromed.

 

 
 

Buchanan's has replacement chrome rims. You're not going to be anal retentive 100% OE without NOS or cleaning up the orig's but Buchanan's is a good replacement source.

www.buchananspokes.com/categories/rims.asp

Has anyone used the chrome plated steel rims from Buchanan?

Yes and certainly here in the UK,re chroming on rims is a joke to say the least. It's thiner than flys wing and costs a fortune. By far the best people here to have chrome work done is Allen chrome. Guess what though.They arn't taking anymore orders as theyre booked up till March next year.

This is what I'm looking for... My RT2 has an aluminum rim on the back... I'll assume its a MX..
But lacing the hub back in isn't in my abilities... 
I'll need to block up the old gray mule.. pull the rear wheel off and see what it is... MAYBE  there is some parts number so I could figure outfitting a smaller sprocket... 
Sneezles61

Just layer some JB weld in there to smooth er out! 

I have the same issue, wondering how you got the majority of the rusty shtuff off of the rim?