17/08/2026
What are we working on today… 🔧🏍️
Belt to Chain Drive conversion for a Harley-Davidson 883 ⛓️
This project is a little more challenging because this 883 has been fitted with a fat rear tire, which makes the drivetrain geometry much more complicated.
With the wider rear wheel and tire, the rear sprocket needs to be pushed outward with a significant offset to achieve the correct chain line, clear the tire, and maintain proper alignment between the front and rear sprockets.
Before we start designing anything, there are a lot of measurements to take directly from the bike:
📐 Actual dimensions and clearances
📐 Front and rear sprocket offset
📐 Front sprocket position
📐 Center alignment and chain line
📐 Clearance around the fat rear tire
📐 Final drive ratio
📐 Suspension travel and operating clearance
We can't simply take dimensions from a drawing and start CNC machining. Everything has to be measured on the actual bike, calculated, checked, and verified before the final design goes into production.
It may look like a simple Belt-to-Chain conversion from the outside, but behind it is a whole lot of measurements, calculations, and mechanical engineering. 😎🔩
MREV Racing | Measure right. Calculate right. Build right.