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Technical: Wheels and Tires
Various Authors

Request For Comments

Big Harleys historically had 18-inch wheels. In 1940, the 16-inch wheels started to appear, and by 1958, all new big twins had 5.00 x 16 tires. The odd 19-inch size first appeared on the 1948 Model 125, and 3.25 x 19 tires were used on the lightweights until 1955/1956. The 1952 K inherited a number of features of the Model 125, including the fender design, and the odd 19-inch wheels and tires.

Harley had long purchased tires from the big two tiremakers - Firestone and Goodyear. Your new Harley might come with tires from either company - in fact, many Season Order Blanks said “We reserve the right to furnish any standard make of tire”. Begining around 1950, Harley started phasing out Firestone in favor of Goodyear. 1950 and later big twins used only Goodyears. The Model 125/165 used both Firestone and Goodyear 19-inch tires through 1955, and in 1956 switched to 18-inch with Goodyears exclusively. In 1955, the KH also switched to 18-inch and Goodyear exclusively.

The Legend Begins gives us the tire options for each year.

TIRE OPTIONS ON NEW MOTORCYCLES
1952 K STD Front and Rear: 3.25x19 [no brand]
 
1953 K, KK STD Front and Rear: 3.25x19 Firestone Sportsman
-or-
Front and Rear: 3.50x18 [no brand]
OPT Front: 3.25x19, and Rear: 4.00x18
Rear - 3.50x19 Firestone Sportsman
Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Sport Special
 
1954 KH, KHK STD Front and Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
-or-
Front and Rear - 3.50x19 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 3.50x19 Firestone Sportsman
Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Sport Special
 
1955 KH, KHK STD Front and Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
 
1956 KH, KHK STD Front and Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
 
1957 XL STD Front and Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
 
1958 XL, XLH
XLC, XLCH
STD Front and Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
 
1959 XLH
XLCH
STD Front and Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
 
1960 XLH STD Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
XLCH STD Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Grasshopper
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
 
1961 XLH STD Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
XLCH STD Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Grasshopper
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Front: 3.50x19 Goodyear Wayfarer
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Turfgrip
 
1962 XLH STD Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
XLCH STD Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Grasshopper
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Front: 3.50x19 Goodyear Wayfarer
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Turfgrip
 
1963 XLH STD Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
XLCH STD Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Grasshopper
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Front: 3.50x19 Goodyear Wayfarer
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Turfgrip
 
1964 XLH STD Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
XLCH STD Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Grasshopper
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Front: 3.50x19 Goodyear Wayfarer
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Turfgrip
OPT Low ground clearance kit: low fork and
Front and Rear:: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
 
1965 XLH STD Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT Rear - 3.50x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
XLCH STD Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Grasshopper
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Super Eagle
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Low road clearance kit: low fork and
Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
 
1966 XLH STD Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
OPT High road clearance kit
Unsure about tires wit this option
XLCH STD Front: 3.25x19 Goodyear Grasshopper
Rear:  4.00x18 Goodyear Grasshopper
OPT Low road clearance kit: low fork and
Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
 
1967 XLH STD Low ground clearance - low fork and
Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
-or-
High ground clearance - high fork and
Front: 3.50x19 Ribbed [no brand]
Rear:  4.00x18 Road Racing [no brand]
XLCH STD Front: 3.50x19 Ribbed [no brand]
Rear:  4.00x18 Road Racing [no brand]
 
1968 XLH STD Low ground clearance - low fork and
Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
-or-
High ground clearance - high fork and
Front: 3.50x19 Ribbed [no brand]
Rear:  4.00x18 Road Racing [no brand]
XLCH STD Front: 3.50x19 Ribbed [no brand]
Rear:  4.00x18 Road Racing [no brand]
 
1969 XLH STD Low ground clearance - low fork and
Front and Rear: 3.50x18 Goodyear Super Eagle
-or-
High ground clearance - high fork and
Front: 3.50x19 Ribbed [no brand]
Rear:  4.00x18 Road Racing [no brand]
XLCH STD Front: 3.50x19 Ribbed [no brand]
Rear:  4.00x18 Road Racing [no brand]
 
Here's a 1962 XLCH with Goodyear Wayfarer front and Goodyear Turfgrip rear on Chrome rims.
 
Here's a 1962 XLCH with Goodyear Wayfarer front and Goodyear Turfgrip rear on Aluminum rims.
ALUMINUM RIM OPTIONS
YEAR XLH XLCH
1960 All [1] All [1]
1961 All All
1962 All All
1963 All All
1964 All All [3]
1965 All All [3]
1966 - All [3]
1967 w/ High G.C. option [2] All
1968 w/ High G.C. option [2] All
1969 w/ High G.C. option [2] All
Notes:

1. Not shown in TLB, probable mid-year introduction (see below)

2. XLH High Ground Clearance Option = 1" longer fork tubes

3. 1964-1966 XLCH with Low Ground Clearance kit - availability of aluminum wheels with this option is unknown

Rear Wheel Rims

The rear wheel rims stayed pretty much the same from 1952 through 1969, although the hubs and other parts changed over the years.

1952 - 1967 43010-52 19-inch Chrome
43005-35 18-inch Chrome
43008-60 18-inch Aluminum

There was a poorly documented change to the aluminum rear wheel rim, which first appears in the 1968 Supplement. There are conflicts and omissions in the 1967 Parts Catalog and 1968 and 1969 Supplements. More information is needed here.

1968 - 1969 42999-60 18-inch Aluminum

Front Wheel Rims

The front wheel rims changed in 1964 to accomodate the new full-width brake drum. Spokes and other parts changed also.

1952 - 1963 43002-52 19-inch Chrome
43003-30 18-inch Chrome
43010-60 19-inch Aluminum
43009-60 18-inch Aluminum
1964 - 1968 43002-64 19-inch Chrome
43004-64 18-inch Chrome
43010-64 19-inch Aluminum
43009-64 18-inch Aluminum

There was a small change in the chrome rims in 1969. The aluminum rims stayed the same.

     1969      43002-64A 19-inch Chrome
43004-64A 18-inch Chrome
This leaflet fragment, which reads like a mid-year special, shows a note signed by Dick O'Brien and sent to Fred Warr in GB about his order. This shows that aluminum wheels were available at least by June 1960, and probably earlier.