18 ' wheels

[tfburke3]

Anybody have experience or pics of 46-48 with 18's.
I have a skirted fender 47 chief that came with 18 front and 16 rear so I thought about going with 2 18's but have no experience.
Solo ,190lb rider.
Thanks
Tom

[pisten-bully]

Tom, I believe this fellow is sporting 18" on his 1946:

[tfburke3]

Thanks for posting the pic Harry,just, what I was looking for.I like the look but never rode 18's on a plunger frame.
Might be less chance of scraping the floor boards with the couple extra inches dia.
Thanks
Tom

[duffeycycles]

there is not that much difference in total tire height between 18" & 16" & you only use half of that

[tfburke3]

Yes not much difference.The Vintage Firestone sport 18 is about 27 with an Arco 500x16 26.Enough to warrant different speedo drives,but I dont think 18" kickstands were different.
The late 47 /48 stand is what I will use.
Tom

[D.A.Bagin]

If you have been riding the bike with 16s on it the minute you ride with the 18s you will feel the difference. Feels like it weighs 200 lbs less. My 40-Four has 18s and it feels like a mini-bike.

[tfburke3]

Thanks for the reply D.A.
I was hoping for some rider feedback.
Thanks
Tom

[ChiefTwoKicks]

I have 18's on all my Chiefs. 2 rigid frames and 2 plunger frames. I have both the 4.00 and the 4.50 sizes, and I prefer the 4.50 because they seem slightly more robust at the sidewall. The 4.50's are rated for more weight and speed, although we may never test the tires to the limit of their respective ratings. The heavier plunger frame bikes ride with superior performance over the bulbous 16" tires, which are much heavier,wider and overall clumsy compared to the 18's. The more narrow, lighter and nimble 4.00 (and 4.50) will make your bike handle very different than those equipped with 16's. I like the difference so much, I won't build a bike with 16's if I can help it !! It works out better if you pay attention to the side stand leg and use the longer leg, as the bike leans too far on the shorter sidestand leg. There is a difference between the (skirted)Indian Chief and rigid wheels (also scouts), so you should make sure you lace the proper wheel to the hub. I had an issue with breaking rear spokes, (Bob Stark showed me the difference, drilled spoke hole angle, early vs. late) on the rims produced for the later skirted chiefs. (has to do with the offset when lacing the wheel) Overall, I'm very happy with the 18's. especially on my plunger-framed skirted chiefs.

[tfburke3]

Thanks Two Kicks.The front 18 0n the 47 is cherry so I only need back rim and spokes.Ridgid frame 18's do have much heavier spokes than the later.
The 16's also have the thinner spokes but they are shorter so i guess stronger.
Thanks for the feedback,
Tom