neanderthal
neanderthal
i heard that the iron head drum wheels are 17mm. can anyone confirm this? or maybe it was the amf wheels? id like to run a drum up front and im looking for a hub. if anyone has any advice on this thatd be great. thanks
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harley iron head wheel to a xs650
- Thread starter neanderthal
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smokedyerstang
XS650 Addict
They are 17mm. I'm in the market for one myself...
neanderthal
neanderthal
just any 52-78 iron head sportster? cause they are all over ebay....i know, but some times you have no choice if you want to continue a project. i needs rims, then tires then i can move to the fenders and seat option. these wheels are critical to the style of build. its either that or a 21 mini drum.
smokedyerstang
XS650 Addict
I think mid 60s to early 70s but don't quote me. Ill check if someone doesn't chime in first.
1952-1972 were drum brake front ends on Harley Sportsters and the K model.
1964-72 are the years for the 'full' drum, they are about 17mm but that is not an exact measurement. 1952-63 had tiny 'half' drums. (they were half the width and would hardly slow you down).
These wheels were available with 19'' chrome steel rims, or 18'' aluminum rims. Obviously, the aluminum rim version is lighter, but both are heavy wheels.
These wheels are hard to find, and NOT cheap. As recently as few years ago, everyone was ditching the drum brake front ends on the Sportsters to go with a disc setup (which required changing the forks and trees too). Now that the 1960's era Sportsters are getting rare, collectable, and valuable, Harley restorers are snatching up the old Sportster drum wheels and front ends. The aluminum rim wheels are especially expensive.
ALL REAR Sportster and K model wheels had separate drum brakes that bolted to the right side. These will not be easily adaptable to an xs650.
I have a 1968 and a 1969 Harley sportster XLCH. My -68 has the steel rims, and my 1969 has the aluminum. These drum brakes DO NOT WORK WELL. They are NOT suitable for use on a daily driver bike that will regularly see highway speeds or stop-and-go traffic.
Fore reference, here is a picture of an original set of 1969 wheels with the 18'' aluminum rims:
(this is my all original, except one re-paint, 1969 XLCH)
For a cheaper drum brake alternative, try late 1960's to early 1970's Honda CB. They are all over the scrap yards near where I live, and parts are cheaper. For example, small (450cc and under) Honda CB's used a drum front hub with steel 19'' wheel up until 1972.
1964-72 are the years for the 'full' drum, they are about 17mm but that is not an exact measurement. 1952-63 had tiny 'half' drums. (they were half the width and would hardly slow you down).
These wheels were available with 19'' chrome steel rims, or 18'' aluminum rims. Obviously, the aluminum rim version is lighter, but both are heavy wheels.
These wheels are hard to find, and NOT cheap. As recently as few years ago, everyone was ditching the drum brake front ends on the Sportsters to go with a disc setup (which required changing the forks and trees too). Now that the 1960's era Sportsters are getting rare, collectable, and valuable, Harley restorers are snatching up the old Sportster drum wheels and front ends. The aluminum rim wheels are especially expensive.
ALL REAR Sportster and K model wheels had separate drum brakes that bolted to the right side. These will not be easily adaptable to an xs650.
I have a 1968 and a 1969 Harley sportster XLCH. My -68 has the steel rims, and my 1969 has the aluminum. These drum brakes DO NOT WORK WELL. They are NOT suitable for use on a daily driver bike that will regularly see highway speeds or stop-and-go traffic.
Fore reference, here is a picture of an original set of 1969 wheels with the 18'' aluminum rims:
(this is my all original, except one re-paint, 1969 XLCH)
For a cheaper drum brake alternative, try late 1960's to early 1970's Honda CB. They are all over the scrap yards near where I live, and parts are cheaper. For example, small (450cc and under) Honda CB's used a drum front hub with steel 19'' wheel up until 1972.
neanderthal
neanderthal
thanks for the information. i had a 66 sportster and yeah it wasnt the best braking bike, but i also dont ride like a bat out of hell. i was thinking about a new mini drum set up, have any idea if thatd be worse? keep in mind one is a 900 and the other a 650. what are the problems that you would run into adapting a rear wheel to a xs?
I'm having fond memories of 'Then came Bronson'...
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neanderthal
neanderthal
just looked that up, the intro to that tv show is pretty sweet.
A rear Ironhead wheel does NOT have the drum brake in the hub, like most Jap bikes do. The drum is a separate piece, and is integral with the rear sprocket. It bolts to the right side of the wheel hub, and sticks out past the tire quite a bit (it needs to for chain clearance on a Sportster). You could grind the rear sprocket off of it, but your biggest problem using it on the xs650 is the width. I do not know off hand how wide the rear wheel + drum is (i would estimate about 6-6.5 inches), but you would definitely need wider triple trees to even fit it between the xs650 forks.
The ironhead full drum axle is exactly 17mm, it is not a SAE part, it is metric. (surprise, metric parts on a harley, whoulda thunk lol)
They also work fine when setup correctly, and I have been running mine for years, and braking performace is pretty darn close to yamaha's single disc front brake. My bike is my daily, even in the winter on ice-free days.
They also work fine when setup correctly, and I have been running mine for years, and braking performace is pretty darn close to yamaha's single disc front brake. My bike is my daily, even in the winter on ice-free days.
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neanderthal
neanderthal
So is that when they sold, I think in 73? When they used a metric axle?
Xs79-- I'm confused back wheels too wide to fit through the triples?
Xs79-- I'm confused back wheels too wide to fit through the triples?
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Correct. Once you bolt the drum brake to the wheel (the rear drum brake is a separate piece from the hub... its a weird design) it is too wide to use on any 'normal' front end.
neanderthal
neanderthal
I had a 66 sportster 900. I understand the back wheel's design. My front on that was probably skinnier then my xs, if wider not by much. So I'm confused why this is problematic. Does it make handling hard? It was the stock frontend as well.
neanderthal
neanderthal
Jamesgs4- thanks for the info. Like always you've been very helpful towards me.
A stock 1964-72 Harley Sportster front drum wheel should work just fine on an xs650, after you fabricate a mount for the brake backing plate stay.
On a 900cc XLCH (much faster and slightly heavier bike) it doesn't really cut it (in my opinion) for high speeds or stop-and-go traffic. It should be fine on an xs650 though... sorry for any confusion I caused.
On a 900cc XLCH (much faster and slightly heavier bike) it doesn't really cut it (in my opinion) for high speeds or stop-and-go traffic. It should be fine on an xs650 though... sorry for any confusion I caused.
neanderthal
neanderthal
oh no worries, need to keep the brain going. and i plan on using both wheels in my build, just wanted to know if i should back out, but i think the rear wheel wont be a problem, i guess ill see once i get a motor in it. ive also seen it done before so if there is a will there is a way.
neanderthal
neanderthal
incase anyone was wondering i got my 64-72 harley iron head hub in today. its exactly 17mm. axle fits perfectly. its not off by a hair. thanks again smokedyerstang and jamesgs4.
smokedyerstang
XS650 Addict
Nice. Glad ya found one. Get a good deal on it? What size rim are you planning on running on it?
neanderthal
neanderthal
i paid 100 shipped for a very clean complete hub. i feel like it was a decent deal. i found a place online that sells 21 inch rims for 35 bucks.
