[sweatmachine]

I'm going to buy a set of take-off wheels from a Harley Dyna Low rider, they're mags and setup for a single front disk and the rear has the single disk and the pulley for the belt drive.

Obviously I'll have to yank the pulley for a sprocket, and since the Bonnie is Right Side Drive I may have to either turn the wheel around (and flip the tire) or swap the pulley for the rotor, and the rotor for my sprocket.

other than axle spacers, speedo drive, and possibly having to custom drill/machine my brake rotors and rear sprocket, what other problems could I run into?

The bonnie's wheels are 19'' and 17'', and I think these HD wheels are 19'' and 16''. I'd think a 16'' rear wheel with a tall tire would be the same as a 17'' rear with a shorter tire, basically I think the difference would be negligible. Maybe I'd get a lower ride height by a 1/8'' which would be ok by me, and it may affect my gear ratio a small amount, and that's ok too.

Any experts out there that can sway me one way or the other? I'm getting these wheels in great shape with all the rotors/pulley intact (which I won't need) and with some decent rubber on them.

Thoughts?

I'd just like to have mag wheels to avoid tubes and broken spokes, and it would look cool.

 

[Lone-Rider]

My only question is ...why ?

 

[Normandy]

Because it would look real cool, go for it sweat. If you have to pull the tires you may as well powder em black while they are off. Taking mine to blast and drop for powder black tomorrow. Can't see any situation coming up that you didn't mention, spacing is the most crucial and shimming the rotors or caliper mounts of course. Child's play, have fun.

 

[Guest]

Me, I just wouldn't do it. Partly because I think Harley mags look like something that will appear as "****" on this forum, & partly because I think mixing SAE & metric is another headache on top of the rotor/sprocket problems you already mentioned. I'm sure it could be made to work, but I'd want a 5- or 7-spoke metric mag from an '80s Japanese bike instead of the 29-spoke abominations Harley uses if I was going to go to all that effort. :-D

Hmm, I guess my objections are mostly aesthetic in nature. :razz:

Oh, and I'm pretty sure you will have to flip the wheel. The cush drive side of the wheel is usually pretty different from the rotor side.

Cheers,
-Kit

 

[rodburner]

DO IT !! I`m lonely. :-D

 

[Joe-Dirt]

On 2006-11-17 23:14, KitNYC wrote:


Oh, and I'm pretty sure you will have to flip the wheel. The cush drive side of the wheel is usually pretty different from the rotor side.

Cheers,
-Kit

That brings up a good point. AFAIK, it doesn't have a cush drive, so more driveline shock will be transmitted to the transmission. The belt drive absorbs enough shock, so it isn't needed. Don't know if that would be a problem on the Bonnie. Sportsters have never had a cush drive, even in the chain days. I think the V-rod is the only HD that uses one.

 

[sweatmachine]

what's a cush drive?

 

[SCCTrim]

I seen one on the neighbors ride when he had it apart...if it's what I'm thinking it's a sort of large rubber bush if you will that absorb's drivetrain shock inside the rear sprocket assembly.

Think of it as a damper for the driveline itself.

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Here is my S4 rear wheel. The sprocket bolts to the silver center piece which slips into the rim. It "floats" on rubber spacers, which cushions driveline shock. Does a new Bonnie use something similar?

 

[agogel]

Joe,
Yep, the Bonnie's use the same setup.
As a matter of fact.....all Triumph's of the new-age seem to use this setup.

 

[Mojoinco]

Old Harley's had the cush drive built into the engine sprocket in the primary drive. It was a ramped collar splined onto the crankshaft with a coil spring behind it (between the collar and another spacer on the crank as I recall). The spring pushed the ramped collar against the ramp on the back side of the sprocket. The spring was pretty stout and the nut holding this assembly together required something like 200 or 250#. So any real big pressure pulse would be taken up by the ramps as they slid past each other (I don't think there was enough roo, to actually slip past a tooth of the ramp, and I don't think there was more than two ramps). Unless you had one apart you wouldn'tknow they had any shock absorption in the system. It probably cost more than a rear wheel cush drive.

JimmJ900 has a set of pictures in his album where he used a Dakota set of electronic gauges, using a rear caliper mounted speedo sensor.

I would make it all fit before worrying aobut turning tires around, etc. You will need to have enough room past the tire for the chain. There are standard spline sizes so you cna probalby find the proper sprocket if you need to offset the front to get the clearances. You will have to search for these specs. A chain/sprocket outfit should be able to supply this info -- or match one up for you; there wont be a lot of offset in this area, but the rear may be a lot easier, and they may make one up for you. Especially check the custom or near custom HD suppliers or sports bike shops.

Got money?