Dyna Rear Tire-How Wide?

[Flat Dog]

Is there any way to go 140 or even 150 on a 90's Dyna? I'd like to have a slightly fatter rear tire on my bike, but not if it's going to cause problems. Thought maybe someone had experience with using a slightly wider tire with success here. No, I don't want to spend $2500 or however much they are for the wide tire kits...

Thanks for any experience you can offer!

-John

[Evo160K]

Went to a 160 Avon Venom on my 1990 fxst with the 1-1/2" belt, had about 1/16" clearance between the belt and the tire.  It required a lot of labor, trimming belt guard, trimming fender, grinding fender strut bolt heads, rerouting the wiring harness and covering it with a metal shield, machining caliper carrier, machining wheel hub, making different axle spacers.  My backup position was to use a narrower belt but keep the sprockets. So far not one problem

[fuzznut5197]

The smoked rear tire in my avatar is a Avon AM18 150, which they don't make anymore. Now it has a Dunlop GT501 150, which is slightly narrower. The fender will take a 140 with no issues, and the 150 only required using button-head bolts for the struts. But I can run a 150 because I converted to chain. A friend's Dyna has a Avon 140 with no mods at all, but a 150 will hit the stock belt. So the easy way is just to slap a 140 on there, but beware that the belt is real close to the tire, and will rub when you back up, because there is a slight bias on the trans pulley.

[jsachs1]

John,
Simple,with a little machine work.
You'll probably notice that the average rear wheel is offset to the left.What I do,to install a 140/16 Conti-tour,on all Evo rollers is:
Machine .090" off the swigarm side of the caliper bracket.
Make and install a .090" sprocket spacer.(you'll still have enough register to take stress off sprocket bolts).
Make a new left wheel spacer,.090" wider than stock.
What you're doing is moving the wheel .090" to the right.........leaving the sprocket where it was..........taking up new left side gap wit a wider spacer.
I also find that the Conti is about the widest 140 you can get.Hooks well,and you won't have to do anything with the belt.All clears.
John 

[fuzznut5197]

Hey JS, I thought offsetting the wheel was a no-no, although .090" isn't a lot to throw the front and rear tracks out.

[jsachs1]

Fuzz,
The wheel is offset from the MoCo.
ABSOLUTE NO difference in handling or wear.Release the rear axle nut sometime,and notice how the swingarm gets wider !!!!!!!!!!! The tolerance is very broad.When I was raking frames,I'd put one in the jig,and find the steering head at a crazy angle.Almost hard to find any consistency there.Maybe why trans. mounts and fifth mount have such LONG slots.Precision ?
John 

[ClassicRider2002]

John....

What about an 1999 FXR2?  What's the solution to this one if there is one....I have tried to ask this before on another board and really never got anywhere with any "definitive" answers.....

Regards

"Classic"

[Buddy WMC]

Tim,
Avon Venom 140HBx16 fits on the rear of my 93 with no clearance issues. I like the Avon tire much better than the Metzeler. I have not reinstalled the upper belt guard yet as it may need a little trimming due to the OD of the Progressive shocks.

BTW, the Racetech emulators will not work on a 39mm front end with stock springs as they take up too much space. We had to use the shorter Progressive springs and went with a 1" drop. The tubes are together, but we will not change them out until after the new year.

[jsachs1]

Classic,
You can move the wheel to the right on any stock MoCo swingarm frame,without any hair or problems like I've outlined above.Rubbermounts as well.You also have the advantage,on a rubbermount of balancing things out with the stabilizers.
John 

[CraigArizona85248]

PJ,

I have a '93 FXDWG.  When I got it, it had a 140 tire on it.  It was fine rolling forward, but when you backed up the belt would move slightly inboard (this is normal) and rub on the tire.  This could make it a real bear to back out of some parking spots because the belt was catching on the tread at the edge of the tire.  After I wore out that tire I went back to a 130.

-Craig

[ClassicRider2002]

Hi Guys....

John (jsachs1) & Buddy thanks for your responses as well as everyone else....and thanks Photo John for bringing up the topic to begin with.......I promise to only steal your thread shortly lol.....ok, ok, ok, OK......feels like Joe Pesci well ok, ok, ok for as long as it takes....

So this topic has been one I have had before and never ever truly reached a satisfactory conclusion....but would like to.....I am going to attach a "LINK" to a "THREAD" I found myself involved in this past summer....I have an interest in this THREAD here (HTT) because I would enjoy getting a 150 tire on the rear of my 1999 FXR2 but no one was able to help me get to a "satisfactory" result that presented enough confidence in purchasing a 150 mm tire to make it happen.  In this THREAD you will indeed see a 1999 FXR3 which is successfully running a 150 on the rear but unbeknownst to the Owner through this thread we determined that his FXR3 was actually running an "After Market" rear pulley as well as a narrower belt.......which was in part responsible for him being able to run the 150mm tire......and even then I wasn't able to determine what else was needed to allow for the tire as I said above @ least with any confidence to proceed as the Owner didn't really know, it turns out he had purchased his FXR3 that way and didn't know it wasn't essentially OEM and you will see at one point I found a "chuckle" in that.....this THREAD will provide some photographs and instead of reposting them here into this THREAD, I might as well "LINK" the thread.....also note that from a stand point of the mechanical aspects for the rear axle and rear pulley as well as belt and rear fender that all part numbers are the same for a 1999 FXR2 and a 1999 FXR3 in references to thickness of belts and pulleys that is.

Between the photos as well as the back and forth discussions.....you will see my bike in reply #37 and #38 as I took photos of how much room my tire has underneath.....as you will discover the exact tires are noted with dimensions as well.....

I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO GET A DEFINITIVE answer, John Sachs thank you for your input and any further input would be greatly appreciated.......I REALLY like the beefier "LOOK" of the 150mm tire on the FXR3 and would like the "beefier" look of the 150mm on my FXR2 as well.....

Buddy thanks for your input.....there is such a "slight" difference between the 130mm tire I am using on my bike and a 140mm I didn't see the worth in the hassle to go that direction from a visual benefit....BUTTTTTTTT Getting to a 150mm I would love to do and if I could make the adjustment to a 150mm tire without changing my rear pulley or my belt then that would be something I would definitely consider..........I was running a 150 on my 2003 FXDL and liked the "look" and it handled fine with it........this is one modification "visually" I would enjoy modifying if I could get some "concrete" direction.....

if it turns out I simply need a "spacer" do any of you know where one can actually get such a spacer" or know how to properly "grind" one and how much $$$$ ? ? ? ?

Any help and direction would be greatly appreciated, as you can tell from my photo I have very little room between my sidewall tire, and my rear pulley and belt combination.......

Anyway here is the "LINK" SIMPLY, CLICK, VIEW, & READ:

150mm Tire WILL IT FIT ON AN FXR2, FXR3, & OR FXR4

I happen to be FXR2evo99 within the "attached" THREAD above.... 

Regards,

"Classic"
aka: "FXR2evo99"

[Flat Dog]

Wow-thanks for all of the GREAT info on running a wider than stock tire! Looks like I will be doing a bit of modification now...

[jsachs1]

Classic,
You need to measure some of the 140's that are available.Like other things, they're not all the same size.You might find a 140(Conti-Tour) is actually just as wide as some 150's,maybe even wider.
A Dunlop 140 is narrow,and will go on with no mods whatsoever.
John

[ClassicRider2002]

".........Classic, You need to measure some of the 140's that are available.Like other things,  they're not all the same size.You might find a 140(Conti-Tour) is actually just as wide as some 150's,maybe even wider....."

John (Jsachs1) ok thanks for responding here are a couple of things:

1) you are absolutely right different tire manufactuerers DO provide different widths for their tires and while they label a tire at 140mm it could very well be a range of say, 130mm or 139mm actually....IF YOU wouldn't mind I did do what you suggest here, in the "LINK" above, please look at REPLY #25, you will see I have provided actual numbers for a few tires stating their different widths.....and like Buddy shared previously (he owns a 1993 FXLR) he is running a avon 140 HBx 16 successfully with no clearance issues, I haven't of course listed that particular tire in the "LINK" above, so I would have to figure out exactly how wide that tire is, but as I shared previously, I am after a 150mm "look", which should (although not for sure) be wider than the tire he is running....

Now if you take notice in the "LINK" above, specifically the Owner of the FXR3 states which tire he ACTUALLY is running and in REPLY #20 I provide the details of that tire, it turns out the tire he is ACTUALLY running is a Dunlop 401  150/80B-16 which is labeled as a 150mm tire BUTTTTTTT is actually 156.2 mm in width.....which is of course EVEN wider than 150mm speaking directly to YOUR point of course that different manufactuerer's tires are different than the "stated" classification of 130mm, 140mm, or 150mm etc.  and that one should check the tires as one might find a 140mm tire for example that would be able to be used without ANY Modifications.....<~~~~I get what you are saying.....   BUTTTTTTTTT

2)  I am interested in running a 150mm tire....which brings me back to your comments that you made above, about spacers.....it seems your spacers really only worked for a 140mm tire ( I am not sure exactly how wide that particular tire you mention is since I haven't done the research) even fuzznut speaks to running a 150mm tire but is running a "chain" instead of a belt.....and of course in the "LINK" above the FXR3 Owner noted the changes to his bike being, the strut bolts were flipped, a narrower rear pulley, and a narrower rear belt which allowed for the person who owned the bike prior to him being able to run the stated 150mm tire (which is actually 156.2mm in width).


John P, so in the "end" perhaps if you are willing to:
1) flip the strut bolts around
2) change your rear pulley
3) change the width of your drive belt

and given that I already would assume that the width of your fender is the same as an evo FXR2 or FXR3 fender and you would like to run the specific 156.2mm (stated as a 150mm) Dunlop tire as listed above you could get yourself into that tire width on the rear.....

But the key to all of this is to "PREDETERMINE" which tire manufactuerer you like, then which tire you like, then find out the exact measurement and with any luck not have the manufactuerer in todays climate go belly up or disperse from making the tire you decide upon as was fuznut's experience and then set about the change.....so:

A) with John's (jsachs1) solution you do some "shaving" and get a spacer ground to put up to a 140mm tire that he mentions
B) choose Buddy's 140mm tire with his minor modifcations as he mentions
C) choose the 156.2mm Dunlop (150mm stated tire width) and make the "known" (although not completely known for sure) modifications listed above to accommodate that tire width that is mentioned in the "LINK" above.

As can easily be seen now with three different tires above and three entirely different modifications to accommodate such choices.

So John P, the short answer is choose which tire you like first then choose a width you are willing to modify to then make the needed modifications, and ride......

I suppose I have answered my own questions.....I just got excited when I saw John's post above with what seemed to be a very simple solution but in the end it comes down to how much room you need to run a tire and what you are willing to do to make it happen.....I thought John's idea was the "pixy dust" per say.....

BUTTTTT I am not really interested in changing my rear belt, rear pulley or modifying my rear strut bolts....

DANG IT....LOL   

Thanks everyone.....if anyone else has any better ideas or suggestions I am all eyes and ready to read....now back to our regularly scheduled THREAD, perhaps I have "stolen" the THREAD long enough but in the end John P perhaps you have accomplished the goal of getting some answers to your questions and can better conceptualize what people are doing......

DANG IT........LOL...I just like that tire on the back of that FXR3, but not willing to make those specific modifications.........mumbles to myself.......

Regards,

"Classic"

PS:  I believe the merits of this discussion will help enough people who are contemplating such a modification to their FXR's as well as Dyna's that I am listing this discussion and putting it in the FXR RELATED TOPICAL INDEX so if anyone looses track of this THREAD they can easily find it there.....it's discussions like these that can really help a lot of folks.....hopefully people will continue to contribute their findings which will even make this a better source of help to all.....

[jsachs1]

156.2 mm is 6.14",for your Dunlop 150x80.I think you'll find that 140x90 Conti tour to be a little wider than 6.14",if my memory serves me right.
Kinda like driving 10 miles out of your way to save 4 cents a gallon on gas,when the tank will only take 3 gallons. 
So yes,the dunlop may work,buttttttttttttt now you're dealing with a smaller diameter tire.
John