I'm going to repaint/respoke/and true a set of spoke wheels I picked up for my shovel. I'm really wanting to put a wider wheel/tire combo on the back though. The rear wheel I have now is a 16x3 40 spoke, what I'm wanting to do is go to a 16x5.5". Now, my question is, can I just get the new spokes and new rim and use the same hub assembly? Also, what would be maximum width tire wise? Also will this wheel fit in my stock 77 fxs swing arm frame? Thank you for the help ahead of time, I'm new to the Harley world and this forum has been a godsend.

 

the problem you end up with is the rear wheel will be off center spoking it as done in the harley book --
a 140 tire usually fits on a shovel with a little feness - be happy with that

 

5.5 is way too wide for a stock setup , best I've been able to squeeze into a stock shovel is a 3.5" with a 150 tire and you better check the through bolts inside the fender for clearance it gets tight that big , even a 1/4" longer can get into the sidewall on the tire and some wheels if not laced correctly can get chain rub too .

 

Alright thanks guys! I figured that it wouldn't fit on the swingarm, but I've seen crazier things work on a stock bike lol. Ill probably jus stick with the stock wheel width then and go with a 140 tire. Thanks also twizted biker, ill be sure to check all of my clearance on the fender. I'm planning on cutting down my rear fender anyway, so ill probably take it of after I get the wheels finished and adjust it according to the wheel setup. Sorry again for the dumb question, google is so clogged with bs nowadays it's hard to get a straight answer