Ok, so I have to ask the question that I have seen answered many times but being the Common sense guy I am, I find myself still doubting........Running the same tire for Front and Back or do they really need to be Different. If you look at the Specs for an 03 Fatboy, it calls for an MT90-16 for both the front and rear. I'm looking to go with 18" fat spoke in the front and rear and am looking at the Metzeler 888 ultra 13/70-18 Wide White Wall for both. Would like anyone's input especially regarding the fact that the stock 03 Fatty has the same tires, front and rear. (mine actually came with a 150 on the rear but again, look up the specs and they call for an mt90-16 for both).

Thanks, any comments appreciated.

 

Usually front and rear tread is a little different although in your situation i do not know. If it;s me and my bike I'll order a front tire for the front and a rear tire for the rear. Rear tires usually have a higher load rating than front tires.

If a company could get away with making the exact same thing for front and rear and not have any issues they would as it would save them a lot of money. Seeing as this is not the case using the same tire front and rear is probably not a good idea.

 

I have an 02 Fat Boy with 18" rims. It has a 130/60-18 on it now and it looks small. A 130/70-18 would fit without complications. A 140/70-18 might rub against the inside of the fender. All tires of the same size don't measure the same eg. One 140/ might measure 141mm another might measure 133mm. I believe newer fat boy front fender are almost the same except for the inside edge is bent up, making more clearance.

 

I look at the tire sizes as a guideline. Just remember not all brands of tires measure the same. I try to stay pretty close to the recommended size just because the bike and frame was designed for that size and a bigger size could change the handling and ground clearance.

 

Hey John, Thanks for the feedback, do you have the 130/60-18's on both the front and back ? If so, how is the handling. I wanna go with the Metzeler 888 ultra 130/70-18 on both front and back so I'm just really changing that sidewall height and of course the overall diameter.

 

Thanks tmilo......Not going too far away. Looking to go a little smaller in sidewall height and then from the 16 to the 18.

 

But Then again, I see alot going to the 120/70-21 which is much taller and alot narrower and most say they really like the ride. I tell ya, it's a confusing topic when you really start thinking about doing it and looking close at your options.

 

[QUOTE=thephatboy2003;13273924]Hey John, Thanks for the feedback, do you have the 130/60-18's on both the front and back ? If so, how is the handling. I wanna go with the Metzeler 888 ultra 130/70-18 on both front and back so I'm just really changing that sidewall height and of course the overall diameter.

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I have the frame horns cut off and a custom fender but with that Said I have a me880 180/55-18 on the back and it handles good. As far as clearance I wouldn't want it closer to the drive belt.

 

Can't help with how a 130 tire handles on the rear, but I do run a 130/18 on the front and it handles great. When tire needs to be replaced, I may try a 140 or even 150 if it would fit. I have 18's front and rear, but rear is a Phatail 240.

 

Thanks Tx & John, Really up in the air bout what I want to do. I'll figure it out. Love the 21" in front, but also like the bulkier tire. And not sure I can pull the trigger on a heritage fender. Being I have the 2 tone anniversary bike, that will be a bit of a challenge, so want to get a bigger big spoke that looks good with the stock fender and can eventually put a heritage fender on. Decisions Decisions.