[maxpower_hd]

I was thinking of having a design cut out of the front rim on my Fatboy. I may also have it smoothed out at the same time. I know a machinist that can do the work. My question is how can I determine how much metal I can safely remove without ruining the integrity of the wheel. I will be making the pattern for him to go by.

I am thinking of buying a new front rim and smoothing out and polishing the rear anyway. I figure we will give the custom thing a try and if it doesn't work out I'll go to plan B. The machinist is a friend of mine that owns his own shop so the labor will basically be the beer we drink while working on it.

Any help would be appreciated.

[chucktx]

cant give ya a good answer, but i would think that the engineering dept didnt allow enough safety factor to remove any metal from the wheel, given the cornering and stopping stresses imposed on the wheel. just my opinion.
chucktx

[bikerjim1]

I wouldn't give it a second thought. If you want to cut a custom wheel, start with a blank and then cut the pattern of your choice. When messing with an existing wheel pattern, you can completely throw the integrity / strength of the original design. It'll be better to be sure of the strength by cutting a new one rather than taking a chance on your life with something as important as wheels. Better safe than sorry....