I'm changing my rear wheel on my 2000 roadie. The wheel is 16" Should I stick with the same diameter or is there any benefit going to a 17". I have changed the front from a 16" to an 18". I love the front rim. The fellas at Hogpro are awesome. I have 4" stretched bags and fender. Can't really see the rear wheel, but the inner hub on the old wheel is shot, so can either go with a stock harley wheel or go for a matched set. Any reason to go to a bigger diameter rear tire??

 

depending on the size tire that your new wheel uses, there may not be much difference in the size anyway.

my cvo uses an 18'' rear wheel. compared to the stock 16'' Harley wheel, with the stock tires on and it has a 3/4'' greater overall diameter, which raises the rear end by 3/8''.

I would go for the matched set, but then my ocd would always bug me if my wheels didn't match, or at least compliment each other (ie. solid rear disk, spoke front, etc). but be sure that you don't go too wide where you have rubbing issues. I would think hogpro could hook you up with suggestions.

 

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcyc.../tire-data.htm

 

Id stick to original size.

 

not me. with a bigger rear wheel you should feel less bumps and lines in the road. id go with the larger wheel.

 

not necessarily. if you go with a larger wheel, but a lower profile tire, you'll feel more of the bumps and road imperfections.

 

Be careful, you might cause side wear on your drive belt if you go too wide. You can't tell at first by looking at the belt, but you can by looking at the tire after a few miles down the road. A tire replacement is a lot easier than a drive belt replacement because of improper tire sizing.
Hoss

 

With your 2000 bike you are limited on tyre width and clearance with your drive belt, which in turn limits what you can do in the way of a custom application. You may well find that the widest tyre of any diameter you can get in is a 140, assuming you currently have a 130/MT. With later bikes and a narrower belt a 150 will fit with ease, which opens up the choices with larger diameter rims and tyres.

As soon as you go to a larger diameter rim, 17" or larger, the rim width is significantly increased from 3" to 4.5", or there about, which gets us into low profile tyres. A typical 17" tyre is a 160, which while it can be made to fit with a lot of effort is not a bolt-in.

Which is a long-winded way of suggesting you stay with a stock size rim and tyre!

 

Thanks for all the replays, suggestions and concerns. I have decided to stick with the original size wheel. Ordered from HogPro. So I will have a matched set of wheels. Only down side is the waiting of the wheel. Not HogPro's fault, just waiting on production of the wheel, they didn't have my style in stock. If any one is considering HogPro for purchasing wheels, I highly recommend them. Both times I have ordered Paul has been very helpful.
Cheers