Heartland USA’s 180mm Rear Tire Kit

Billed as the, “Cure for the common Softail,” Heartland’s 180 rear tire kit for 2000 and later Harley-Davidson softail models is a real hit. We’ve installed about ten of these here at Barnett Harley-Davidson, and as shown on this Springer, they look good and as this article will explain, they are easy to install and perform well.

Stock Harley-Davidson softail models come with a 150mm rear tire, up from the 130 of a couple of years ago. Most riders want the wider tire, but Harley knows that if they go too wide, handling will be negatively affected. After riding the Heartland-equipped Springer pictured here, I am able to let you know that for between $3K and $4K depending upon options and labor rates, you can mount a 180 rear tire on your bike and not have any negative handling traits. There are no spacers for the primary, extended transmission shafts or anything else that can throw the balance of the bike off. There is enough clearance from the factory for a 180 tire everywhere except for at the fender and strut area. The Heartland kit comes with a choice of three fenders. It requires that you cut off two tabs on your frame, so you are committed to the kit once you start. You then install new struts, license plate holder, blinkers, and taillight if you want. As I said, there are quite a few options available. Your stock seat will no longer work and Heartland offers a choice of three new ones. We normally install a solo seat and have their optional removable passenger seat/backrest available as well.

Most people will want a dealer to install the kit, cutting one’s frame is an emotional decision. But there is nothing really difficult. The fender has to be lined up correctly, painted to match and your pulley and disc changed over to the new wheel. Heartland uses a stock Harley hub on their replacement wheel, so there’s no hassle there and no compromise in quality.

About the ride. The aluminum rim used in the kit keeps the weight difference between the narrower and wider wheel assemblies to a minimum.So you won’t need a 95” kit to pull the new wheel. Also, the tire is not a low profile one, so you don’t notice a rougher ride unless you slam the bike down with a lowering kit at the same time. Overall, the ride is more or less the same as stock. I don’t think I could be put on two bikes side by side and notice a great deal of difference. And this is good. You get great looks and really little if any penalty in performance. Harley-Davidson should take note and consider doing this to the stock bikes. Until then, Heartland will make hay while the sun shines.

A 180mm rear tires is what is used on most Japanese superbikes so you can pretty much assume that it will be more than adequate in applications up to 130 horsepower or so. When you go to a 190mm tire, you begin to feel the steering of the bike slow down and when you bump up to a 200, you actually can feel some negative traits. As anyone knows who’s ridden them, when you commit to 240s, 280s and 300s, you are really into the looks, performance suffers noticeably. The bikes are much slower steering and the extra weight of the wheels requires more power from the engine to keep your performance at the stock level.

So all in all, the 180 kit is a great size tire for Harleys. Large enough to look good but not wide enough to require a new swingarm, spacers in the primary and major, major expense. For those of you who want to go wider on your Harley, to 240 and beyond, there are kits that will let you do this and Heartland themselves has a new one out. But the 180 will always have customers, folks who want good looks and no compromise in
handling. Read all about it at www.heartlandbiker.com or give them a call at 310-822-2697.

- Mark Barnett