Hello Folks, I'm in the middle of my dream build of a lifetime. I'm putting a 124" S&S on my '97 RK, rebuilding it from the ground up. There won't be much HD left when I'm done. That said, I DESPERATELY want to put a 180 on the rear. Is there ANY way to make that happen??? I've got a 150 on her now (or did, before she was torn down) and the builder said the 150 is as large as I can go. I'm afraid this tire isn't going to be enough for the HP and torque my new motor is going to be putting out. I'm looking for ideas on how to make a 180 work. Everything, including the frame, goes out for powder coat and paint on Monday, so time is of the essence. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you, Folks!

 

Well, for starters you would need to get rid of the belt and go chain. Then new sprockets, then new rim and tire. It might fit up to a 160. I don't know about the 180

 

Well, I'm already going to a chain and I don't mind paying for a new rim or tire, IF it'll fit. I went with a chain b/c I didn't want to be stuck having to pull the primary to change broken belts. I'd do that in a heart beat for the extra 10mm. My builder thinks the 150 is as wide as I can fit. I don't think I'm going to have enough rubber on the road.

 

I'd buy a wider fender if there's one available AND it would fit inside the frame. I'm putting a LOT of $$$ in this thing...and would love to get her perfect. That tire is the only thing bugging me with the build.

 

A 150 Avon the back will hold along with a Screamin Eagle side car belt. If you look up in your fender there is no more room with the 150, I had to grind my mounts down to pull the rear fender out, your going to do serious work along with most likely a swing arm change plus weld on upper strut replacement.

Assuming you already have a Rivera Pro clutch or something similar, the 5 speed input shaft will twist with bike weight to hole shot ratio, the trans output drive pulley is the weight of a bowling ball (8 lb) time to lighten it up or chain conversion or a chromemoly @ 3lbs and SE side car belt.

Note to yourself: if you take a 800-900 lb Harley with 140 hp and thrash it, you are going to break chit, I twisted stuff with a 100hp engine and now have a big cube in a bagger for several years being very dependable staying away from clutch dumps, hole shots and only do throttle rolls while moving, weight per power isn't on a baggers side. Will admit did some rolling 5 mph full throttle launches to see what would happen, nothing broke but not much steering.

Crazy azz Jasper on the Evo Forum has more broken parts laying around with a 124" in a RK treating it like a rented pack mule, he is a poster child for *** it, let's send it and see what happens.

 

This question has an easy answer. Go out to your bike and measure all the clearances around the tire. Then you'll know if a 180 will fit. Fender, swingarm, belt, etc... If you can get 15mm on each side everywhere, then you're good. Might need to change the wheel though.

 

150 is all that will fit in the stock fender, know this for a fact, you can remove the mounting spacers and pull it to the upper struts to get more room but the fender will crack or look like hammered dog chit.

 

The only thing stock that will be left on this bike when it's done is the frame, tank, fenders (perhaps), primary and bags. Everything else is getting rebuilt with aftermarket/performance products. I'll have to check Jasper's posts out. Thanks!

 

I don't mind switching the fender out. I'm looking into wide rear tire kits right now, as the swing arm and saddlebag mounts will need to be powder coated to match. I'd like to get at least a 180 on her...and I'm wondering how a 200 would affect the handling.?.?.? I think the 180 would be a good compromise, if I can make it work. One of these kits is going to add at least $2k to the build though...

 

How wide can I go with the rear tire on a Road King without adversely affecting the handling of the bike??? I'm putting a 124" S&S in her and I'd like to get a little more rubber on the road. This is a '97 RK, so I'm looking into wide rear tire kits, which include a fender. Everything on this bike is getting replaced with high performance products. The only thing HD left will be the frame, fenders (perhaps), primary, and tank.

Just wondering at what point you start to lose handling performance with these wider tires??? I'll be doing a lot of riding in mountainous area...so she'll be leaning a lot. I appreciate any input I can get!