Re: Sportster wheel question

Ok lilbill,
Take notes, there will be a test at the end!
The aluminum H-D rims are all made by Borrani and first appeared in 1960. There are several different types, '60-'63 front in 18 or 19, '64-'69 front in 18 or 19, '60 -'69 rear in 18. Any of these interchange with the steel rims for the same type brake. The '60 and '64 types do not interchange with each other, the spoke drilling is different. In '70 the rims changed to a deep drop center type, much stronger but heavier. The spokes on the deep ones are shorter so a pre'70 rear and '70 up rear do not interchange unless spokes are also changed. The front also changed again with the arrival of the disc brakes. Once again they do not interchange with the drum brake type and no rim was made for the '73 style hub, only the '74 and later. All the original equipment rims have the part number stamped in them near the valve stem hole. There are no markings on the outside like normal Borrani rims. There are also several variations that are race bike models (different numbers) and even a few for the US made lightweights (identifiable by having only 36 spokes)! Normal tires fit them all.
Robbie

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

And the Borrani rime take normal tires like the jap bikes / brit bikes, H-D no longer will sell you a tire for them...Roach.

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

ok, so if i wanted to lace up a 18" rim to a big twin mid star hub i can use a 70s (stronger) rim and spokes ? was there a 19" rear ?

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

Rubone is correct in what he writes. There is one other difference between the pre '70 rims and the '70 and newer aluminum rims and that's the bead seat profile. The earlier ones are all WM profile. The '70's ones are CM profile.

The CM profile rims are made for use with Goodyear Taper Bead Base tires. I think it was an attempt on the part of Harley and Goodyear to corner a part of the motorcycle tire market.

It doesn't mean you can't use them. I have an 18" steel CM profile rim on the back of my '96 Sportster, with a Continental SuperTwin 120/90-18 tire. And am about to lace up a 19" disc brake front aluminum rim to a mid star hub to use on the back of my Pan project with a 4.00 x 19 Sears copy of a Pirelli MT53.

The rear Sportster 18" rims as well as both styles of the front 19" rims are 2.50 at the bead seat, so the width is OK to use a front on the rear. You want to use the one for the disc brake though, because it's drilled for a smaller diameter hub. The 18" will be part number 43008-70, and the 19" will be part number 42998-74.

Here's a link to a tech piece that has more details.

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22085

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

ok, say i use a disc brake 19 wheel as a donor. will the spokes lace to the midstar hub or will i need custom spokes ?

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

ok, say i use a disc brake 19 wheel as a donor. will the spokes lace to the midstar hub or will i need custom spokes ?

You will need custom spokes. But you can get chromed steel ones pretty cheap, or buy the good Buchanon's stainless for around $100. It's a common size.

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

not to threadjack, but i thought we could keep all of our sportster wheel questions in one thread. on my 73' ironhead rear drum wheel, the two caged bearings on the drum side slide in and out in a slip fit. should therfe be a press her?. i was thinking somewhere around .002" interferece fit. does anyone know the spec.'s for the ID of the hub so i can measure it with a bore mic to see if it is worn out of spec? thanks, chad.

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

lilbill,
You can lace a 19" disc front to a mid star hub using stock spokes for an early style 18" Sportster rear or any 18" spokes for a star hub to stock drop rims. The extra deep drop is almost exactly the 1/2 " difference in half the diameter difference in the wheels. I have laced the 19" sportster rears to the front of big twin stars with the 18" spokes. Be aware that the deep drop center wheels lace strangely, the spokes are offset in pairs not centered like a normal rim so the spokes cross over some and under others. Look at the rim and you will see the offset pairs. It will take a little fussing but it works and comes out a nice wheel.
Robbie

 

Re: Sportster wheel question

Wow......what a wealth of information, like me and apparently so many others-I am really attracted to the old shouldered Borrani's. I just picked up a pair, separated by one bench at a swap in Kenosha, Wisconsin a month ago. Haven't peeled the perfect old tires off yet-the price paid for both was less than a new Dunlop 402.......At least my hoard of things I like is growing, and is the information to keep me interested- Thanks M.O. for your years of knowing.

Justen
Nipple Twisters Wheelcraft
Genoa City, WI

 

cm rim cornfusion

i got one of those 70s cm sportster aluminum rims to try on my pan project. after reading all i could find on the cm rim details i decided to do a little test. i got one of those profile gauges (the one with all the tiny wires lined up side by side) and took impressions of the bead profile on the cm rim, an old shovelhead wm rim and a new narrowglide tl rim. all the profiles were the same ???
i haven't measured the bead seat diameters yet because i don't have an 18" wm rim handy. but according to the profile gauge all the rims have the exact same cross section at the shoulder . wtf ? over..

 

Re: cm rim cornfusion

Bill, I'm gonna add this onto your earlier thread, cause it had so much detailed info on this rim....get the answers together for benefit of future searchers...

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Maybe this will help a little. The differences aren't much. This is from an Avon tire catalog. They don't show the CM profile because, like it says, they don't recommend...

 

Anyone running a deep drop center rear 18" with lower psi for a hard tail?