Oldfeller!
Just got done sticking a 165R15 in my Savage and a few things to add.
EDIT>>I forgot to mention, mounting the tire is not for those with strong survival instincts. I don't know what pressure will rupture a beetle tire, but my 150psi compressor was about maxed out getting the tire to seat on the bead, and when it did seat, it slammed to rim so hard it sounded like a gun shot and blew dishsoap bubbles a good twenty feet away. I thought I burst the tube at first, because the air between the tube and tire was being pushed out of the bead and making bubbles in the dish soap "slickum" as you call it. End Edit.
After using a scissor jack to spread the swing arm open, and then using ratchet straps to close it back together a little since I went overboard with the spreading, I didn't need any spacers on either side of the wheel. Also, the belt will not track correctly.
After widgetting the adjusters until the belt tracked the center of the pully and not rubbing either side, I stepped back, good and proud of what a good job I'd done and saw my rear tire was so caddy-wompus that if I'd taken it out on a ride it'd look like I was riding sidways.
I readjusted the tire so it's back in line with the bike, and adjusted the belt tension to a 90* bend with three fingers and took another look at the pulley. The belt rubs the inside of the pully when in engages, and rubs the outside of the pulley at the back, and then rubs the inside again where it leaves to go back to the drive pulley. Not to an extreme, I'm still gonna ride it like that, but it doesn't give me a warm fuzzy. I'm sure I'll get away with this for a few hundred miles, but without shimming out the front pulley or milling in the rear pulley, I don't think the 165 really legitimately fits without doing the chain drive conversion.
On a side note, all you guys suck because I'd have been just dandy with my perfectly stock Savage until you guys got me! It started with the innocent little "My butt hurts after 2 hours so I raised the front of the seat like this..." so I did it too, and then "My hands get tired so I turned my handlebars like this" and then I got mini 'apes. Then it was "My Savage sounds like the farting room at a gerbil convention" so got a Triumph Dunstall megaphone. Then it was cut the white space and drill out the plug and order a dial-a-jet and now a beetle tire is greased up and shoe-horned into my tiny little scooters fender. I sure hope I never decide to sell this bike, only an idiot would want it now! Guess that says what I am
Here's some pics. My editing program died in a recent battle of wits between me and this stupid flickering thinkin' box, so if someone wants to lighten or sharpen the pics, it won't hurt my feelings:
Here's an ugly dark picture of the 165 in there:
Here's the only tight spot after all the bending and rebending, about 1/8" between tire and swingarm:
Here's a pic showing the complete lack of washers, even though I bought a whole box of the things:
And here's on just to show how nice my scoot is sitting in front of a Sportster I fixed for one of my riding buddies who crashed, well, because he's a stereotypical "got the money, bought a harley" guy. Whatyagonnado:
Sorry I haven't posted a lot in the last, oh, say year. But I'm still really really mad at all you freeks for not taking resposnibility for my actions.