I have been inspired by another Zone member who mounted 1100R16 spare tire in the stock location see: fisherman : Xl spare tire mounting with pictures
I did a bit of measuring an I think that I can just drill the rivets out on the stock tubular support, slide it forward and weld it in place to accommodate a 1100R16 spare. It looks like if I need a bit more room, I can use a die grinder to remove about one inch of mounting plate that the tubular support is welded to. I'll give it a try tomorrow and post pics.
What do you think?