Skirts

I found my Motortrike rear tires were rubbing on the inside of the tire. I added a 1/4" wheel spacer to eliminate the problem.

I now run P205/65R15 same size as the Triglide. I did add a 1/2" spacer to set the wheels outward for the stance.

The reason I went to the different size rear tire was the availability to get the P225 /60R15 is not stocked at all tire shops if I would happen to have need for a tire replacement on the road.

A problem might come from running a low tire pressure & pulling the tire over in a turn also. If there are worn bushings in the Tri Glide swing arm or bad ends in the pan hard rod you could have movement sideways.
I don't know how much slack is built into the IRS systems, but there are definitely more places to wear.
This is why I wouldn't go to a wider wheel than 6". Also the clearance for the 205/65R15 tire is correct under the Harley fender.
If a person wants to widen out the fender (lots of work) then wider tires & wheels are possible. People have put 7" wheels under the stock fender & say they have no problems. I don't think they have had them in some really hard corners above the posted speeds ! LOL ! There could be enough tire flex to get into trouble with that wide of a wheel.
 
Realizing I know Jack about tire deflection in hard turns.....but I thought the deflection is on the lower part of the tire?
 
Realizing I know Jack about tire deflection in hard turns.....but I thought the deflection is on the lower part of the tire?

There is more deflection at the bottom where the road is pulling on the tire, but the center of the tire remains pulled sideways by the wheel throughout the rotation of the unit.
The higher pressure in the tire the less deflection because the tire sidewall becomes stiffer.
If the tire is pulled sideways say 1" at the bottom depending on the speed of rotation & pressure, the top could easily remain at 1/2" to possibly 3/4", & still maintain a bead seal.
 
Sloufoot said:
People have put 7" wheels under the stock fender & say they have no problems. I don't think they have had them in some really hard corners above the posted speeds ! LOL ! There could be enough tire flex to get into trouble with that wide of a wheel.

There will be more tire flex the narrower the wheel,not less. You're guessing a 15x7 won't work. The people that have them on their TriGlide already know they will.

Something else to consider is that a shorter sidewall tire will have even less flex than a taller one. So,if you want to install a 17" or 18" wheel with a 205 tire,you can run much tighter clearances without convern.
 
There will be more tire flex the narrower the wheel,not less. You're guessing a 15x7 won't work. The people that have them on their TriGlide already know they will.

Something else to consider is that a shorter sidewall tire will have even less flex than a taller one. So,if you want to install a 17" or 18" wheel with a 205 tire,you can run much tighter clearances without convern.

Some people put parts on their scoot just for the looks regardless if they create problems for themselves. While the straighter sidewall might flex less than a curved sidewall, you have precious small area to work in. When you put a 7" wheel inside the same area that a 5.5" wheel fit with little area to clear, then you put another 1.5" on that width of the wheel everything you might have had for extra room is gone. I won't be shoehorning the wheel in under the fender & over the hub.
The one guy that put the 7" wheels on to take up the gap between the fender & tire had been riding it back & forth to work. I wonder what kind of hot corners at high speed he was doing, & if he even checked afterwards for body contact. Some think that is just normal.
And you can put the rubber bands around the taller wheels & give up everything you have for a smooth ride.... What for ? All for looks??
I just traded a 2014 Chrysler off because of the 18" wheels with 3" sidewalls & a wide tread because of the ride & the tire noise at freeway speeds. If you happened to hit a bump or a chuck hole in the road it felt like you just took a wheel off.
Nope I won't be going that route. Don't like solid rubber tires.
 
Clint, I'm not in a competition of who knows what here. It is just my experience with tires & wheels, along with watching others build rides both auto & motorcycle that aren't hardly drive-able just to make a designer point .
Each to their own as to what they want to do with their rides !
My main point is before anyone makes a modification they need to use common sense & try to tear their mod apart with what can go wrong before investing a lot of money in things that might tear up more things or cause more work than one can imagine.......
But that is just my opinion.....
Anyway back to the original quest here....
RJ says he is going to start making more fender skirts. I hope he can come up with some different styles that doesn't destroy the fender or look odd while the skirt is off. I'm sure he can. We'll see.
 
I built custom cars and bikes in my business,H&H Custom,for almost 27yrs so I have some experience. Most were built with bigger wheels and tires.
 
I'm running a 15x7 weld rod light wheel. It's a polished aluminum and looks great. Available through Summit or Jegs. It's funny went up to bike night last Thursday and another Triglide owner thought mine was a kit trike because of the different wheels.
 
I'm running a 15x7 weld rod light wheel. It's a polished aluminum and looks great. Available through Summit or Jegs. It's funny went up to bike night last Thursday and another Triglide owner thought mine was a kit trike because of the different wheels.

Jerry,the concern with a 7" wheel is tire deflection causing tire/body clearance issues.
 
I've had no issues. Nothing rubs anywhere. I've put over 600 miles on it since I put them on. I stayed with the same size tire. Your only talking a half inch on each side of the rim wider. With the same size tire. The clearance doesn't seem to be a problem. Plus me and the wife combined are about 560 lbs, so if there was an issue I'm sure I would have found it
 
Pictures I need to see these Wheels

Hay I need to look please post some pics. I'm looking for a change also. ThumbUp ride safely fearless
 
I've had no issues. Nothing rubs anywhere. I've put over 600 miles on it since I put them on. I stayed with the same size tire. Your only talking a half inch on each side of the rim wider. With the same size tire. The clearance doesn't seem to be a problem. Plus me and the wife combined are about 560 lbs, so if there was an issue I'm sure I would have found it

Glad to hear you are having no problems with the 7" wheels. 1/2" more on each side?
 
Are these your wheels? But with 4 lug.

attachment.php
 
This is the better way to post pics rather than using an attachment:

http://www.triketalk.com/forum/threads/29250-How-To-Post-a-Picture-(Video-Tutorial)

Hi Zook. That way doesn't work for me. It comes up with a Image Properties window & wants the URL, size, height etc,,,, etc plus some French in the preview window.
The only way I can put a pix up is attach it from my library on the forum.
I tried the picture icon on a post to you, & it worked. I threw the post away, & it doesn't work any more.
 
Slofoot are you selecting the "INSERT IMAGE" icon? The icon looks like a old movie screen. I just did and it works like it is suppose to. Just have to make sure that the file size is small enough to load.
 
Slofoot are you selecting the "INSERT IMAGE" icon? The icon looks like a old movie screen. I just did and it works like it is suppose to. Just have to make sure that the file size is small enough to load.

Yeah, I am getting the right button. One time it might come up right, but the next time I click on the same button it goes to the other screen. When it does that I have to use the attachment option.

It would be a lot better if it worked all the time then the forum wouldn't have to support so much server space for the library.
 

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