Motorcycle Repair: Changing to a wide glide rear end., gear shaft, forward drive

Question
Hi Mike,
 The bike in question isn't a Harley, want to get my feet wet tearing apart a cheap bike before I move up to playing with something expensive. But the question I have seems to be pretty universal as far as make goes.
 I want to swap out a swing arm for one that accomodates a larger wheel. I am pretty good there but before I go and buy the rear I need to find out about the forward drive sprocket. I know this will have to be extended or realigned in some way to match up with the new wider rear end. So my question is ( are ): How do I do this : Extend the front gear shaft ? or Realign the engine and and or tranny ? If I can simply extend the gear shaft, how far can it be safely extended without jeopardizing the the strength of the shaft under torque ?
 Thank you for your time and I sincerely appreciate in information you can give me, or any place you may be able to refer me too.
  Phil

Answer
the only thing I can tell you is how it is done on a harley. I dont know other models to tell you what they do.
the rear end it put on and since its wider the trans has to be moved, shaft has to be lengthened,  or an ofset sprocket installed. It all depends on the model and how much of an offset. Since the sprocket is moved the front sprocket has to be moved as well, so an offset sprocket is added.
Good luck and happy riding
Mike