I'm looking to put a spoke wheel on my 1999 FXSTC, but I'm a little confused by the wheels I see on EBay. Are evo era Softail FX rear spoke wheels the same as the Softail FL?

Also, it appears those wheels came stock 3 inches wide. I have seen some 3.5 wheels on Ebay, will 3.5 work?

Thanks

Beary

 

yes the rear wheels are the same all the way back to about 1987. the 3.5 inch wheel are for wider tires.

 

The wheels will work. 3.5 should clear, but you may need to test fit. Most often, the tire is wider than the wheel anyway, so, within reason, your tire width will be the limiting factor.

 

I'm running the Ultima 3.5" x 16" Fat Spoke front & rear wheels on my 97 FLSTS. I'm running stock size tires as well. No problems at all.

 

I agree with the others. You should find that you can use an MU or 140 wide rear tyre, as an alternative to the stock MT/130, if you wish.

 

Thanks all, the flanges on some of the new wheels look different than the flanges on used wheels, so I wanted to be sure.

Thanks for the help.

Beary

 

On my '95 FLSTC I changed from spoke to mags and the rear wheel was a direct bolt in using the same spacers.

 

I have had these ebay special (ultima wheels) on my bike since March 2011. They have been great but here is what I did.

· I had the end play checked at a shop (even though they claim this is set). I also had the bearings and replaced with higher quality as well as the seals.
· I then took each wheel and painted an enamel clear where each spoke meets the rim (yes this took forever). But after many rain storms and washing the bike I have zero rust and the wheels run great. They also polish up great.

I know this may seem like a bit much BUT the wheels are cheap and all this was very easy to do. Also I had to get the tires mounted anyway so checking the endplay and getting bearings was no big deal.

 

[QUOTE=2006FLST;I know this may seem like a bit much BUT the wheels are cheap and all this was very easy to do. Also I had to get the tires mounted anyway so checking the endplay and getting bearings was no big deal.[/QUOTE]

Great response, thanks. I keep seeing these cheap Ultima wheels and wonder how good they really are. I will keep your suggestions in mind as I look for a wheel. I would have never thought about painting with enamel clear.

One reason I'm kind of considering Ultima is I'm thinking about an 18 inch wheel to show off more wheel. Not sure I will go that way as your bike looks really good.

Beary

 

Careful of the change. The radius difference is only 1" but the profile of the tire from 16-18 also changes, adding to an overall increase in diameter and width as well..