some pictures the first picture is my street race bike I built in 1970

 

update - lapped the pin and tapers - draws down to .014 now for the end gap in the wheels but it always pulls high on the pin side - dont matter how much I shim and re-torque - always goes high at the pin - low opposite - always about .002-.004 - real odd - almost every wheel set I've done as you tighten the pin nuts - it goes high opposite - my guess is the nuts are not square to the pin - may try the original pin

 

update 2 - got it to .0008 pinion .0010 sprocket - .017 end play at rods (which is okay by me for rod big end side side)

 

its something we deal with all the time now - I would be happy with what you ended up with

don't believe the mooks who tell you it all has to be zero or they would not let it go in a motor - I have invited every one to my shop to show me with a money offer - still waiting

 

I have actually loaded the rods on a down stroke and measured the deflection of the wheels - you get nearly .002 deflection when the rods load with down-force - second - once those wheels get up in the 200F range - and cool - I would bet the tolerance will change again - sporty wheels are much more flexible - in fact - you can dial them in with a little force after assembly - I was tempted to throw these wheels on the lather and shave off a few pounds - I did notice that the pinion side wheel is actually about .002 smaller than the sprocket side wheel - WTF

 

I get swap meet wheels with the young guys building bobbers from scratch, and engine cases even different years - ( that is another cluster **** ) so what I end up with is pieces some times 10 years apart from the original mates, made with different people different machines at different financial periods is HD history, this was acceptable at one time and this was not out in the mix - we just do the best we can with what we were given

at .002 you have a dream set, I use a 6 inch monster vice to square the wheels some use a press at the start of truing some the u channel tool, shimming with long feeler gages is all part of it

I get what your trying to do and all of us would like to strive for that end game - but its a tractor engine and the abuse it gets and the wheel barrel effect is in place, you do the best you can with what you have and know, if the stuff was better you can in some cases make it perfect, whats scary is the difference between them - almost nothing

 

Think I've gotten one set under .0005" and that was 3 day battle. Anything .001" and under is gold.