background to my question:
im still running a bias front tire on my ultra - the other two are car tires.
basically it appears that to get the needed load rating i need to go smaller to 15" or larger to 17" or 18".
there are dunlop front motorcycle radial tires availiable that will fit under the fender in both 17 &18". the 18 is what is on some factory road kings. & the 17 is on fat boys - both use the same fork geometry so both "should" fit under the fender...
there is a company that will weld onto the cast wheels to go up in size - the unknown is - is there any source of 40 spoke rims in 17" or 18" sizes - all i can find is finished spoke wheels - in the 70's they came as loose parts.
the sidecar has a 40 spoke 16 running a twin tire & i have a spare NEW one to use when that wears out. id like the wheels to match and id like to run a radial front. so i either need to get a cast sidecar tire & weld up the front for 17 or 18 [1k or better] or a front spoke 17 or 18.. [unknown cost]
so the questions are:
1 - which is better & why? a welded cast wheel 17 or 18 or a spoke 17/18????
2 - are there any sources of 40 spoke rims in 17 or 18 i can lace to a factory hub??
to
all those 18's are rears
- front 18's would be 18 x 3.5 dual flange 2003 and later 1' bearings....
used 16" 40 spoke wheels can be gotten for less than the cost of the hub.. add spokes and rim and voila - but bare 3.5 x 18 or 3.5 x 17 rims i have not been able to find.
the harley radial tire market is very very new - 2007 some changed - 2008 many changed - but so far only one model of road king has radials & it uses forged chrome wheels that are 1200 each. [and use special rotors to boot]
to
IMHO a cast wheel is best because of the loads put on the front tire, spoke wheels, unless designed for a sidecar, are much more prone to movement and eventually loosening, with a cast wheel that can't happen. Hope you can find one or have one made.
