My 1980 HD Sportster

[cheesy]

Nice start. I'd like to see how it turns out

I don't know enough about Harleys to be right, wrong, or indifferent. But I know improvising and like your work stand.

I know what b!t?h getting a tire off a rusty rim can be. This may, or may not, have worked in your case but was taught to me by another improviser in Maine. You need a 5 gallon bucket, two large c-clamps, and two 1x4 boards about a foot long. Place the wheel on the bucket and squeeze the tire between the two boards and c-clamps. Spraying the rim with PB Blaster MAY speed things up a bit. Anyway, clamp everything together as tight as you can, it may break right away or you may need to sit through a double feature but it will pop that bead.

If they were solid rims, I'd tell you to park your truck on the tire and go have a cup of coffee.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by cheesy

Nice start. I'd like to see how it turns out

I don't know enough about Harleys to be right, wrong, or indifferent. But I know improvising and like your work stand.

I know what b!t?h getting a tire off a rusty rim can be. This may, or may not, have worked in your case but was taught to me by another improviser in Maine. You need a 5 gallon bucket, two large c-clamps, and two 1x4 boards about a foot long. Place the wheel on the bucket and squeeze the tire between the two boards and c-clamps. Spraying the rim with PB Blaster MAY speed things up a bit. Anyway, clamp everything together as tight as you can, it may break right away or you may need to sit through a double feature but it will pop that bead.

If they were solid rims, I'd tell you to park your truck on the tire and go have a cup of coffee.

I wish I had known these tips on Friday, when I would have passed them on to my illegal Son. He was trying to remove the tires from his old Honda 750, and they've been on there for more than 20 years. He ended up using a reciprocating saw.

[JPG1911]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I wish I had known these tips on Friday, when I would have passed them on to my illegal Son. He was trying to remove the tires from his old Honda 750, and they've been on there for more than 20 years. He ended up using a reciprocating saw.

I too, resorted to a sawzall on my rear tire

The Fat Bob tanks have grown on me, and like the extra fuel capacity, it's nice to have 5 gallons

I have considered a springer front end, but I would really like to put a set of 39mm forks on it with full "tins" and the elongated headlight fairing a la the HD Fat Boy. I forgot where, but I actually found a full "Fatster" kit online that includes all the parts. I'd want it to be black of course, not chrome, so it will get powder coated when i get it.