Wheels

[DoomedFailure]

Can you put the firebolt wheels and breaks on a 1998 sportster 1200S. What mods would be required I wanna put on a buell front end and carry the rear wheel along with it. Also thinking of maybe going to chain. Any suggestions?

[Joe Dirt]

PM PuddlePirate if he doesn't see this thread, as he is doing a similar project.

[PuddlePirate]

The rear wheel won't be a problem. There are several threads on doing wide tire conversions here on the forum, and if you follow one of those you should be all set. Rear sprockets for the XB wheels are not common, but can be had for around $65 or so.

The front wheel would be a bit more of a challenge. You can go the easy way out and change out the front end like I did, or if you want to get creative and have money to burn, you might be able to fit the wheel into your stock forks. I don't have my stock forks anymore to be able to measure, but I don't believe the XB wheel is thin enough to fit into the narrow-glide forks.

Your best bet is to get an XB front end, as the swap onto your XL will be fairly easy.

The XB stem is tapered on both ends, and is too long for the XL neck. (post #12) I used the S1 stem, but my calculations were off a bit. Your stock XL stem is a better fit, as it is almost 1/4 inch longer than the S1 stem.

I ground OFF the cast-in clamp because even with it bored to 1" and ground down, it still dented my tank. I ground off the clamp completely, filled in the 2 holes (one on either side) with JB Weld. After curing, I drilled holes to let me use the stock risers that came with the XL. I don't know how high they are stock, but I doubt more than 2". They thankfully cleared the tank, but remember to check side to side before you drill your holes for risers (if you go that route). The housing for the fork tube upper clamp bolts also needs to be shaved down. You will lose some turning radius, but you can modify the fork stops if you need. The non-XB Buell triple clamps are also a good option, unless you want to mount the XB Lightning headlight and flyscreen assembly. They move everything forward a little more and help with the clearance issues, but you still have to grind off the handlebar clamps and mount risers.

I've got the older style Buell Tuber 7" headlight and mounts in a box right now, that I'll be installing soon. I will then also be able to use the stock XL gauge mount instead of the dash I had to fabricate and the XBS headlights.

The Buell XB master cylinder is 1/2". The '04 and up single disc Sportster master cylinder is also 1/2", so I picked up one from Ebay. You also must buy the '04+ brake lever and pivot pin as well, because the one you currently have is not interchangeable.

I highly recommend at least skimming through the pictures on my thread. I ran into quite a few problems along the way, so I'd like you to be as informed as possible before you get started.

Any other questions feel free to ask.
Rich