Youll need a long breaker bar,i had to use a 3 foot pipe on it to get the bolt loose.

 

Definitely going to do this while the winter us here

 

I hear ya, I had a heckuva time trying to get that loose and the pulley nut was equally as stubborn.

 

Good time to do it cuz it'll likely be down for a bit. I think you'll be happy with the results.

 

I'm planning on gearing up too. I don't know how many cogs etc, so I suppose I can't contribute informatively to the thread, but yourself doing it has given me the confidence to start.

I prefer a slower engine rpm when cruising, and I can't count the times, I'd pull the clutch in to shift to 5th and find I was already there.

 

You're not alone Red Eye, that's what prompted me into swapping pulleys.

 

The stock front pulley on my 2005 Fat Boy was 32. I swapped up to a 34 tooth. One of the best mods I EVER did to that bike. Not only does it make for the PERFECT highway RPM, it raises the forth gear shift point. Why does that matter you ask???? Because anyone with a 5-Speed Softail can tell you that one of the most annoying features of those bikes if the 50 mph cruise speed. At least for me, I always seem to be between 45 and 55 miles per hour when I'm not on the highway. The stock gearing is such that both forth and fifth gear always seems to be the wrong gear. I seem to always want to shift up to fifth as soon as I go over fifty, and shift back down to forth all to often. That 34 tooth pulley makes forth gear the perfect gear for anywhere between the high 40's and damn near 60 mph. Almost completely eliminates the "wrong gear" 5-Speed issue. At least for me, that 34 tooth pulley was worth its weight in gold.

 

Right on the money bikerlaw. I don't have a tach, but do you know what R's we turn at 60mph now? I also swapped over to the 34t front pulley.

 

What did you guys that did the swap do for the speedometer calibration?

 

I recently sold the bike, so I can't remember what 60 was. QC, I did nothing. You can have the dealer recalibrate the speedo, but I didn't bother. Based on my GPS and extensive monkey testing, I can say that the speedo went from running a stock 2mph fast to 2mph slow. Meaning stock, actual 70 read 72 on the speedo. With the 34 tooth, 70 read 68.