98 Sportster wide tire pro street chopper build.

[mattymuch]

This is my 98 Sportster 1200 Custom Build Thread

Going from stock to 250/18 8.5 80 spoke wide rear swingarm with 10" licks shocks. 120/21 HHI 3* front with 80 spoke 21 3.5 Nash 14inch gimps, internal throttle, Sik pipes, 80 spoke wheels, lots of black and a bunch more to come. stayed tuned if your interested in this style. If you dont like it well..idc thanks.

[Tattooo]

Hope you enjoy the ride.....
Yep I'll stay tuned....

[Bbqbiker]

I thought the “my back tire is bigger than YOUR back tire” fad was over....now it’s who has the biggest FRONT tire...you gotta get with the times if you want me to stay tuned Holmes.....let me know when you get a 40” wheel on the front.

[mattymuch]

I thought the “my back tire is bigger than YOUR back tire” fad was over....now it’s who has the biggest FRONT tire...you gotta get with the times if you want me to stay tuned Holmes.....let me know when you get a 40” wheel on the front.

So what are the times? Could you explain?

[Tattooo]

What he's saying is the fat back tire craze was in the 90s and 2000s.... But if you like the look so be it.... At least parts are dirt cheap to build a bike that way since it's not that popular these days......

Carry on it's clean so far.....

[Bbqbiker]

What he's saying is the fat back tire craze was in the 90s and 2000s.... But if you like the look so be it.... At least parts are dirt cheap to build a bike that way since it's not that popular these days......

Carry on it's clean so far.....

Yes tattoo is 100% correct sometime in the 90s and 2000’s Harley Davidson’s apparently started making so much more horse power that the 130 size tires that were common werent enough to handle that amount of horsepower, riders were just blowing their tires off the rims all the time so to handle all this additional horse power the tires got bigger and bigger.

I guess if you do the math, a sportster with a 240-300 tire must have 250 hp at the rear wheel and that’s just crazy

Eventually everyone and their sister were riding around on these outrageously powered huge back tired sportys..

Eventually the market became saturated with them and people became bored now I can go on craigslist and get a $60,000 giant tired giant engine Harley for like 200 bucks

Times change the trends change and at some point somebody had the brilliant idea of going “let’s make the front tire taller than anybody else’s”

Well I say it’s about goddamn time you got the horse power to tire ratio all figured out in the back now let’s focus on the front goddamnit. It’s common knowledge that something that’s a little bit bigger is obviously better so let’s be true Americans and take that theory to the next level

And so the front tire war started, gone are the days where everyone pulls their bike into the Starbucks with a back tire facing out and everyone would whip out there tape measures and go from bike to bike and see who was the top dog with the widest tire and obviously the best handling and the most equipped to lay down all that power safely

Now everybody backs in so there superior height front tire is easily seen. I’ve never ridden one (or anything with a giant back tire for that matter either) but supposedly with a 26 or 30 inch front tire and the back end of the bike hanging down so low it looks like a dog dragging its ass on the rug, makes for a superior high-speed highway machine.

So that’s my take on where were at my friend I’m just an observer of fads and trends, I don’t follow them if I jump on the bandwagon it’s already too late I guess I saw a little bit of that with your build but everything started as a fad a trend I guess sometimes even based in solid engineering like handling and getting horse power to the ground safely.

I appreciate the amount of work that it takes to get these bikes built, far far beyond my pathetic abilities.

I’m going to make some popcorn and enjoy your build, as I gaze at my own bike it should probably be condemned because my power to tire ratio is so upside down I shouldn’t even ride it you know “unsafe at any speed” and all that. Fuck me

[KevinN]

I got caught up in the big back tire trend. I'm now killing that idea and going back to a normal swing arm and 130 tire. Takes a lot of extra power to spin the heavy mass a fat tire brings. I'm a cheap bastard too and its about a buck per millimeter to replace a tire. Nice looking project mattymuch, those evo Sportsters are fun hot rods.

[Tattooo]

I got caught up in the big back tire trend.

I guess I was damn lucky.... I thought it was dumb looking back then and I still do.... But I know several people that got rich building them.... So I guess that's a good thing....

To each is own....

[Bbqbiker]

I guess I was damn lucky.... I thought it was dumb looking back then and I still do.... But I know several people that got rich building them.... So I guess that's a good thing....

To each is own....

You got that right...a lot of money was made during the my tire is bigger competitions.. guys were buying 300mm tires then building a bike around it...

Fuck..... ENTIRE COMPANIES started up then went bankrupt building copycat big tire bikes with chinese motors selling for $60,000!!! and people LINED UP to buy them.......I wish i had invested and then quickly got out before the fad crashed....

Hey, at least this guys's going the sleeper route hiding all that power behind a turkey neck intake with the classic K&N with rain protector. I like that.....hide the performance capabilities, yet still look threatening with all that tire just waiting to be unleashed....

And don't take this post as "I dont like it" ....I'm waiting for the next step I can't look away!!!!

[farmall]

What's the plan for a rear fender? A semi-monocoque fender setup a la Crazy Frank could work out nicely and have its support struts hidden inside the fender where they will conflict least. For example they could go at the top center of a fender or tail section leaving the sides of the fender or tail section clean instead of needing external strut covers etc.

as I gaze at my own bike it should probably be condemned because my power to tire ratio is so upside down I shouldn’t even ride it you know “unsafe at any speed” and all that. Fuck me

It's folk art like all customs, and a fat tire is more functional than nearly every other tech downgrade done for folk art. The longer wheelbase on OPs bike will be comfortable too. Spinning that much weight will take a few hp but those are easy to get back.

[Bbqbiker]

If you’re going to theme bike route then you got to go with a current trend which is the “dog dragging its ass on the carpet”



Basically you go source the largest front tire currently in production or wait for the next biggest size and then build the entire bike around that

Hey at least you’re not going the “ I’m a fake club member” Sons of Anarchy route and doing a Dyna with 30 inch T bars and everything spray-painted black... I mean “murdered out”

[Bbqbiker]

Our resident theme bike expert Davestune will be along shortly to lend his input....he’s welded on THOUSANDS of hand grenades and spiderwebs onto all sorts of shit boxes.....he specializes in the finest stick on bullet holes as well...

[Davestune]

Hi there, nice phat tire, May I make you a spiderweb frame thing thats a fender to soak your back in the rain.
If you rush right now, I will weld some theme grenades on for free..............

[mattymuch]

I don't feel the bike is overboard in wheel and tire sizes compared to other bikes of this style. Cause i do want to ride it not just look at it. Hell the new breakout has very similar sizes and is not that long of a bike either. Granted it has a larger engine to turn them, but i dont think mine will be all that bad. The bike stock had a 21inch front, i changed to 21x3.5 to run the 120 front because i felt it would help the bike track eaiser and possibly help with cornering. But i could be completely wrong on that. This bike when its done could ride and turn like complete ass. Thats for me to find out haha. I just always liked a clean somewhat factory style bike with tall bars and a fatty out back so thats what im working on. Lets keep it goin!

[Tattooo]

As long as you like it and even if it tracks like ass which it will it's what you wanted.... And that's all that matters...

[mattymuch]

Our resident theme bike expert Davestune will be along shortly to lend his input....he’s welded on THOUSANDS of hand grenades and spiderwebs onto all sorts of shit boxes.....he specializes in the finest stick on bullet holes as well...

Dont let the skull tank and grips fool you haha. That was on there when i bought the bike, the tank and fender be painted one color no crazy paint schemes, no skulls no weld on spider webs will be part of this build.

[kmanator]

What is involved on getting the chain/belt to the back wheel? 3 inch offset on the front sprocket?...just curious because the wide tire bikes from the past had a built in offset on the motor/trans mounts.

[mattymuch]

What is involved on getting the chain/belt to the back wheel? 3 inch offset on the front sprocket?...just curious because the wide tire bikes from the past had a built in offset on the motor/trans mounts.

I'm running a chain and offset sprocket. do you remember what kits offered a built in offset? Only kit I can recall "back in the day" for sportster would be BrosMfg and I don't believe there kits had a built in offset shaft.

[Davestune]

have no idea on that , i think vulcan may makem still not sure. Build what you like , its yours fuck us old pharts, plus we get tomake fun of it
so bout them spiderwebs
anyway have you googled , you prolly can have some spacers or some shit made i would assume. wonder if nuff shaft to offest it let alone cover

[mattymuch]

have no idea on that , i think vulcan may makem still not sure. Build what you like , its yours fuck us old pharts, plus we get tomake fun of it
so bout them spiderwebs
anyway have you googled , you prolly can have some spacers or some shit made i would assume. wonder if nuff shaft to offest it let alone cover

I have a offset front chain sprocket already. haha I like the criticism. I want to get more people's opinions on how this bike will ride. Obliviously I'm going to get to ride this pig eventually, but can any of you old farts chime in? have you ridden a bike with a 240/250 tire? I understand handling goes out the window, but it is it so bad you cant even ride it or what? did I do myself any favors by going with a 120 front compared to the stock 90