I'm planning on changing my front final drive pulley on my 2011 Softail over the Christmas break. Does anyone have a socket that they've done this job with before? I know it's a 2 1/4" socket but I need to know the depth of the socket? My local tool shops got a socket but I'm not 100% sure it's deep enough to do the job... Any feedback would be appreciated.

Spero..

you wont get one from a tool shop the right length , if you get the right socket you machine the head of than weld tube steel between the two
in a lathe or just buy the socket for about $80 bucks of fleabay, will measure mine later if you still wont the length , the ones you buy
all so come with a support which screw on to the end before you slide the socket over helps keep it nice and square

Hi,

I heard you can buy trike pulley to put on?
Thanks
Robots

Drill the nut on either side then split it with a cold chisel, buy a new nut

That's what I did after fucking around with the correct socket from Georges garage and rattle gun and even had it machined out to a 3/4 drive and still drilled it

Yep that's a good idea Ando.

When I was replacing the Inner Primary Bearing race I bought the remover/installer tool as well. Went to slide the remover plate into place behind the race and it wouldn't fit. I thought that the plate might not have been machined correctly so I checked the HD manual and found the race was actually on the shaft too far. Not sure if it moved in during use or was installed that way. Had to get the grinder out and carefully grind a flat on the race. When it got to 10 or 20 thou thick the race cracked and I was able to slide it off. Was a pain in the arse. You buy a new tool and don't even get to friggen use it....

Cheers for the imput Hallze & Ando, after reading your posts I wish I'd ordered a new nut now! I think I'll jump on the phone today & order one just in case. My sockets only 1/2" drive so I could be in for some problems! I'm thinking I might machine a hex on the end of the socket to suit about an 1" ring spanner in case the 1/2" breaker bar doesn't budge it..

Cheers for your advice guys, as always it's very much appreciated!!

I only use 1/2 inch ,but I do use a18cfm compressor and a real rattle gun not a bunnings special that makes a big difference
the nut is 150ftlb buy memory

I've only got a little $100 GMC compressor that was given to me as a xmas pressie years ago by the inlaws. I've been waiting for it to shit itself so I can get a bigger one but it just won't die.
Rattle guns on the other hand. 2 x 1/2" and 2 x 3/8" Snap On's. When I got the pressure up to 140 ish PSI made a big difference. Zipped it straight off then.

So I got the nut off! First attempt was with a 3/4" breaker bar & about a 2 metre length of water pipe, didn't even look like undoing it only lifting the ass end of the bike off the ground & almost pushing it off the side stand! Second attempt with a 3/4" rattle gun, on the second go at it after the compressor had filled back-up to max presure it spun right off, beauty!! 

Torquing the nut back up was a different story though! After torquing the nut to 35 ft/lb & heaps of goes at it with the rattle gun I could only get the nut to about 20 degrees where the workshop manual states 35 - 45 degrees. I checked it with the torque wrench & it was registering more than 150 ft/lbs, I figure that nut ain't coming off and left it at that! I think the problem was that I've only got a pissy little compressor so it had to keep pumping itself back up to max capacity which probably meant the red loctite had already worked it's magic! I didn't use any pulley locking tool to loosen or tighten the nut, to loosen the nut I left the final drive belt on, bike in top gear with someone sitting on it & the back break on. To tighten the nut I used the same process.

Cheers for Hallze for his info to make a sprocket, it ended costing me less than $20 for the socket & pipe & a bit of mig wire to weld it up..

Out of interest I was taking the drive pulleys off to gear my bike down, I'd already gone to a 68 tooth on the rear from a 66 tooth pulley which made a slight difference, the best way to explain it was the bike felt crisper off the mark & when riding in a lower rev range. It also brought the rear wheel forward about 1/4" on the adjusters which made the rear wheel position under the fender look odd. I've just dropped the front pulley down to a 30 tooth from a 32 tooth, It's returned the wheel to it's original position in the middle of the adjusters & made a nice change to how the bike rides. Slow corners, roundabout etc in second gear the bike dosen't lag like it used to anymore & pulls from just below the sweet spot in the rev range when exiting the corners etc. Highway cruising in fifth at about 100k's the bikes sitting right where I want it to be & cracks when you open it up! Sixth gear it's sitting nicely in the rev range sweet spot at 120k's & dosen't want to keep creeping up in speed due to the bike lagging a bit. Overall I'm happy with the different gearing which in my opinion should be stock for our speed limits. It's a bit of a prick of a job to do it but worth the effort!

Cheers, Spero..

 yer well done

good shit mate and sound the goods