A friend of mine was at the daeler on Saturday trying to buy an 07 Fatboy. The salesman, a friend of his, warned him away after demonstrating the following flaw in the new Fatboy design.
It seems that that the 2007 Fatboy front fender is 1/2" off center. Also, when the front shocks bottom out, the fender gets struck and scratched.
Has anyone looked closely at this on an 07 Fatboy?
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By design and in order to accommodate the front brake rotor, which is on the left side, not only the fender but the wheel and tire assembly are all offset a bit from the left front fork. The gap between the right fork and the front fender is less than that from the left.
I ride mine every day here in L.A. (aka pothole world) and I just checked my fender and no scratches found at all. Bike rides like no other HD I know, brakes are awesome and steers with no flaws. I just love it. Of course I'm still braking it in and not going over 50 mph, but that's just fine with me.
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Never mind the dog, beware of my Colt Python and AR15.
This is not a surprise by any means, there is always ALWAYS !!! going to be issues with new model year bikes that have new mechanical features, not sure why anyone is suprised. Im waiting for the 96" engine issues to start rearing their ugly head also. Thats just the name of the game. Next years bikes will have all the kinks worked out, just how it is in mass production........[sm=chairshot.gif]
There can be no good reason for this. Having the wheel off center of the forks means physically the one handlebar must travel further than the other in a turn. It means there will be asymmetrical steering. Also, impact loading on the front end will not be distributed evenly between the two forks. These are just the physics of the arrangement and of the materials being used.
I like my suspension to be symetrically ballanced all around, so when I am taking a turn and hit bumps, the frame does not flex or wobble. It's the safest way to go.
so is it a flaw or not???? I noticed the spacing difference on my 07 FB but it appears on the fork brackets (or whatever holds them on) that one side is wider than the other, hence, the offset.
I saw the same thing on a dealer bike... Flaw or not... I would not buy one for that reason alone. (even if it didn't have that stripe across every tin!!!)
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2007 UltraClassic, TMAT, Rinehart True Duals, SE A/C
It IS the bracket spacing, and in my eyes, it is a glaring design fauxpas. The dang fender needs to be centered. Who's idea was that? Willie G is probably snapping #2 pencils at his desk right now! If you look at an '06 Fatboy, it's centered, and there is a provision (bolts in the hub) for a rotor on the opposite side of the stndard single rotor. On the '07, the provision isn't there on those new wheels. Dumb.
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'04 RoadGlide, 95", gear driven 26 cams, DD6, etc., etc. and I just can't leave it alone.
Not so fast! I believe they noticed this and are doing a recall on the fork leg, and not allowing anymore out the door without the proper leg. Don't take this to the bank, but I've heard delivery of the '07 Fatboys have been delayed a bit......this might be the reason if it is true.
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'04 RoadGlide, 95", gear driven 26 cams, DD6, etc., etc. and I just can't leave it alone.
I have a 07 with 800 miles on it. Now I am a newbee, but have not noticed any problems. Just went out and looked at the bike ad you guys are correct. It is offset just a bit. What problem am I going to run into down the road? Handling? Wear and tear? ect.... Will be going in next week for my 1000 check up and oil change and I will talk to the service department about this. I am sure they will tell me everything will be fine and don't worry, trust us.
Overall I am very happy with the bike and love it.
2007 Fatboy has a Design Flaw?
