When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My Indie has some new mag wheels that may fit my 2018 Heritage Classic. But he asked if it has "Cush Drive". Anyone know if the rear wheel is cush drive? He said its common on touring but hadnt seen a new softail so wasnt sure.
I didn't know any bikes with belt final had cush drives. Common on Japanese chain drive street bikes (like e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. o.n.e. going back to my 1968 Honda CB450)
Can't see any reason why a cush drive wouldn't work on a belt drive bike if you can get all the alignments correct, but not at all needed on a belt drive bike. The belt provides the cushion.
--------------------------
EDIT - "The belt provides the cushion" may be the wrong answer. Now that I think about it, I think Harley uses a compensator on the crank instead of the cush drive on the rear wheel.
Thanks. I read that the touring bikes have the cush drive. Question was whether the new softails did. Which I gather, they do not.
I can now go forward on installing mags. Although I like the looks of spokes, I really need the ease of running tubeless mags given the road conditions where I live and the number of flats we incur. Plugging a tubeless is simple compared to pulling the wheel to get to the tube.
Cush drive came out in 2008 to counteract the torque pulse complaint when they went to the 96 inch motor and lightened the flywheels. My 2007 was ruff and jerky till I installed the '08 cush drive. It would be nice on a softail if you could make it work with the torque of the M8.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Cush Drive
