sportster wheel spacers...

97 sportster 21" up front that appears to be bent. no, i have not removed it to see, but i plan on installing a mag wheel. i am considering a 16" rear from a sporty and i need to know what axle size to look for, i presume a 5/8? when i do get a rim, what material should i use for the spacers? im sure i wont be so lucky as to be able to reuse the stock ones...also, how do i make the spacers? obviously i will want the ID to be that of my axle, but what of the width? i dont run a front brake, so i have no need to offset the rim correct? what should the OD of the spacers be? thank you for any and all of your help fellas...

Wait.... what bike is this going on. I thought a 97 sporty, but I realize you didn't say.

i am considering a 16" rear from a sporty and i need to know what axle size to look for, i presume a 5/8?
3/4" axle

when i do get a rim, what material should i use for the spacers? im sure i wont be so lucky as to be able to reuse the stock ones...
Steel is fine. Don't use any softer metals. You may be able to reuse the stock ones but it depends entirely on which wheel you're running.

also, how do i make the spacers? obviously i will want the ID to be that of my axle, but what of the width?
You can start with something easier, like PVC. Measure/cut/measure/cut and then when you've got it, chop some real ones the same length. Make sure your wheel/chain/brake is aligned correctly first. Width will vary.... it's based on your wheel being centered, and everything being aligned.

i dont run a front brake, so i have no need to offset the rim correct?
Not sure why you'd offset the rim, but it the wheels should track straight. If your hub is spaced off center, then yes you could offset the rim, but it'd be better to just center everything.

what should the OD of the spacers be?
1-1/8" is fine

it is a 97 sportster, it has a 21" spoke rim in front now, thinkin of installing a 16" mag from the rear on the front.
since there is no brake or chain to align on the front, i simply need to center it in the forks? could i simply measure the overall width of the stock wheel and spacers, subtract the width of the new wheels hub, and make the new spacers the width of the difference?

don't forget many front axles have a larger shouldered side, and this shoulder wil either sit on a spacer on the right sside of the wheel, or directly on the bearing, the left side usually has a speedometer drive housing that acts as the spacer. You will end up with one long spacer on the left (no larger in diameter than your bearing drive surface, you don't want the spacer to touch anything but the bearing inner, NOT the rollers), and you will also need to make it fit inside the grease seal on the wheel. It's best to make them as large as you can where they mount up against the fork to stabilize the whee, much the same size as the speedo drive

electronic speedomametre, so no need for that...

Realized I was totally thrown off by the wording of your question and gave you a bunch of irrelevant info. Haha

so the front axle is a 3/4? i was lookin at an 18" rim with 5/8, this would not work would it...

they probably make 3/4 ID bearings to fit in that wheel?

The front axle is specific to that narrowglide front end, provided that's what you're using. It's tapered on both sides. This is what it looks like:

http://www.debrix.com/ProductDetails...tCode=56247-M1

There are two spacers on it, one small on the right, and one larger on the left, for a stock spoke wheel. The center portion is 3/4", so if you can put 3/4" bearings in your wheel and make your own spacers, it could work.

If you're not running a front brake, then you can run almost anything up there if you space it correctly, and have the right ID bearings for your axle.

Wait, your running a rear 16" mag wheel on the front? Does your bike still have the narrow glide? If so, it won't fit. Also, the rear wheels on sportsters are offset on the sprocket side. The sprocket side is longer than the brake side of the hub.

So if you had a front end wide enough for the wheel, itd be centered at the rim and not the hub.

no, it is a sportster custom, so it has the midglide frontend. i was considering a 10 spoke cast 16" rear wheel, but i found a cool 18" morris wheel in the classifieds, if the guy still has it. it has 5/8 bearings, so i could hopefully swap the bearings, there appears to be enough room for a bigger ID bearing. i have no front brake on it, so i just need to center it, right? if the hub on my stock 21" wire rim is the same width as the cast wheel, i should be able to use the stock spacers, correct? not likely, but who knows...