wondering how much rear wheel drag is normal on a shovel, I have a 1979 flh that had mag wheels and I swapped out the wheels to spokes from a 1975 flh, the bearings seem to be fine, the front wheel spins nice with minimal rub on the the caliper but the rear has lots of drag, any ideas,

 

Tapered roller bearings You might have to add a shim to the internal spacer (keeps the roller bearings from bottoming out on the bearing races ) Those shims are available somewhere

 

Agreed! If the more you tighten the axle, the more drag on the wheel..you need to adjust the inner spacing. ( Make sure your rear caliper isn't affecting anything.)

 

I would agree with what was said above. Take the rear caliper off and see if it still drags. If it still does, loosen up the rear axle nut and see if it frees up then. Also make sure the tire isn't rubbing anything and the drive chain isn't banjo tight. If you still have problems, pull the rear drive chain and see if the tightness is coming from the rear wheel or from the transmission. Process of elimination will get you where you need to go.