Well as we promised here at Bikernet, our series on wide-tire installations has finally arrived. Since the craze has become almost business as usual, it stood to reason that we show you what’s available and how to go about getting the job done right. We’ll be showing you two different 150 installations centered around stock Softail chassis, A 170 install on a custom rigid, Chrome Specialties’ 180-conversion kit for factory frames, and of course, a complete custom chassis set-up around Avon’s massive 200-16.
Part One in this series begins with Harley-Davidson’s long-awaited entry into the world of custom hardware, and their 150 kit is right on the money. All the bits and pieces to get you swapped up two sizes larger than stock are included, and you can do the installation yourself or have it done by your dealer. Let’s get to it…
So many of us have been sittin’ around wondering just when Harley-Davidson would throw their tremendous resources into the ring and produce factory-made parts and accessories for customizing a bike. And more than just the chrome goodies, real, hard-core hardware that would allow the owner of a stock sled to trick it out with genuine H-D merchandise.
Well, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in factory involvement in the last year or two which is immediately noticeable when you see billet accessories hanging on the wall at your dealer, all proudly sporting the badge-and-shield logo. ‘Bout time, we all said. And this seems to be a whole new area that promises plenty of options cooked up by the very people that brought us the most customizable motorcycle to begin with.
Well, you can’t look too far without seeing all of the attention that is still being given to the whole wide-tire craze. Hell, there’s more wide tires, huge rims and fat chassis out there than you can count, so it’s pleasant to see that the factory has developed a proven package that is designed to work on their own bikes, and not just for full-on customs. We are of course talking about the H-D 150 conversion kit for the infinitely-popular Softail line. Yep, no more guesswork, chasing part numbers and sifting through everyone’s opinion of what will and won’t work, this kit gets it all done in one shot.
| Most folks with Softails have fiddled around with slipping wider rubber under their rear fenders for a while now, but the fun usually stops at the 140/16. The 150 was always desireable because of it’s even wider stance, but until now, such a conversion took a chain final drive conversion, and a lot of head scratchin’. So let’s get into it, and see how the factory managed to pull this one off. |  Photo 1 |
First of all, what you get with the 150 kit allows the swap to be done all at once, and no torches, hacksaws or voodoo is involved. In this installation, a set of Harley-Davidson chrome shocks was added to the mix as well (photo 1). An option, these shocks are designed to give the Softail a full inch of lowering in the rear. But as for the 150 kit itself, well, this sucker’s absolutely complete. You get a 150 tire, new rim, new wheel pulley for the belt final-drive, and a new belt. See, to get the tire in the frame, the biggest concern is not so much will it fit, but the side clearance for the rear belt. This is why many people swap to chains when doing a wide-tire conversion, because the chain is narrower than the stock belt.
But now, there’s enough clearance for the meaty 150 because the H-D kit uses the narrower width drive belt and accompanying wheel pulley, like those that are found on belt-drive Sporsters. Customizers in the past who wanted to maintain the rear drive belt used to actually cut them to a narrower width, but this was way out of most folks ability, so Harley picked up the ball (or belt?) and took it a step further.
 Photo 2 |
 Photo 3 |
Where ya start is with the bike propped up securely and stripped of the entire primary drive and rear wheel. (photo2). This is necessary to swap out the narrower rear drive belt (photo 3) which, compared to the wide stocker it replaces, really alows you to see just how much more room there is to be gained. Another quick visual comparison between the stock 130 and the beefier 150 shows the big difference between the two (photo 4) and how crucial the side clearance between the belt and tire really are.
 Photo 4 |
| The stock transmission pulley is left just where it is, and gets the new narrower belt slipped over it. At that point, the wheel is slipped back into place, and the bike is re-assembled, no big deal, no prying, no fuss. The last visual check with a tape measure (photo 5) reveals the difference in width. Not bad for an afternoon’s work. Once the primary is buttoned up, there’s even room for some of those slick H-D billet covers to complete the job. Hey, ya gotta splurge every now and then, right? But either way, the swap is complete, and lookin’ bad as ever. From here you’re set to roll. |   Photo 5 |
— Wordman
