Hello all,
I am new member but I have been reading the forums for some time now. I am knee deep into building my 2015 FXDB to "my" liking. Currently the bike has been stripped of everything. All that remains is frame, wiring, and power plant in various stages of disassembly. I plan to keep engine and trans components stock however, I have been stripping as many parts as possible so that I can powder coat them. I.e. primary outer/inner case, rocker tops, cam/trans/clutch covers, tappet blocks, push rod tubes. For the most part if I can remove it with little to no difficulty then it is coming off to be powder coated. I have purchased almost all the parts I need to get the bike looking how I want it. This includes wheels, tires, 260mm swing arm, pulley brake kit, bars, triple tree's, exhaust, seat, grips, forward controls, lights all around, rotors, pulley, calipers, brake lines, cables, fenders, fairing, and other bits. As you can see there is so much happening that my head is always spinning. I am doing all of this stuff on my own with no help from anyone else. I even built my own powder coating oven and paint booth for this project alone. I have had this bike for almost 5 years and since then it has been completely stock. This whole remodel is happening because I laid it down about 6 months ago, 100% cosmetic damage, and decided now is a good time to make it unique. I am not an expert when it comes to Harley's but I have the Haynes manual and common sense.

So here is my question and maybe someone with more knowledge than me can give some advice or feedback. I am putting a Ride Wright Fat 50 spoke wheel on the front (23x3.5). Yes it is big and some might not like it but this is what I want please save your comments. To further enrage those people, the rear wheel is 18x8.5 so ya I don't plan to carve canyons. My knee dragging days are behind me. I just want to cruise low and slow. I have a set of HHI wide glide triple tree's with a 5* rake. This is to accommodate the larger wheel. The part that I need some clarification on is. Should I alter the fork tube length to correct ride height or trail? Going from a 19 to a 23 inch wheel is going to raise the bike in the front. If I understand correctly the 5* rake should lower the bike back down. Is there any reason to increase/decrease the fork tube length?

Thanks for any advice on this topic and if you would like to know more about my build then leave a comment. I will post pictures of work in progress if anyone is interested.

 

If im understanding u correctly the quick fix would be to Loosen the pinch bolts n slide the tubes down in the triple tree if ya don't mind the tubes extended beyond the top of the tree.

 

No. I don't know if I worded that correctly. I am putting a 23 in wheel on the front. To make that wheel fit I got wide glide tree's with a 5 degree rake. In theory the larger wheel would raise the front end of the bike. By how much, i am not sure. Also if I understand correctly the 5 degree rake should counteract the added lift from the larger wheel. Is that correct? So then my other question is for fork tubes. What would happen if I put longer or shorter tubes up front. I assume longer would raise the bike and shorter would lower the bike. If I keep the stock length tubes, will the modifications I did affect trail? or will the rake balance that out? Are there any benefits to changing tube length? I plan to buy new tubes anyways because I want the goldish color kind. So with my set up should I run stock, shorter, or longer tubes and why? This whole geometry portion of the build is beyond my knowledge. In the end I want everything to operate correctly and be proportional. Aesthetically pleasing. Thank you for taking the time to read and reply.

 

Best to just put it together and see. I doubt it'll raise it much.

And do post pics of the progress!

 

You sound like me building as many tools and performing as many mods you can yourself.

The only person to touch my bike was the dealer to marry my ECM to the BMC for the alarm system.

 

Just as Rsbenden and fxdup said....mock it up, ride it then make your decision on tube length.

 

I might have to go that route. The tree's I got have hidden fork tube caps. The top clamp is completely smooth and the fork tube screws into the bottom of the clamp. Since I had to switch out the tube caps I decided now was a good time to rebuild the forks. So I got all the seals and bushings but then I decided to powder coat the lower fork sliders since they were chipped. Thats when it dawned on me about the fork tube length. I would hate to rebuild the legs and then take them back apart to put new ones on. Just checking here first to see if anyone has insight on this before wasting the time and money. Thanks for the reply.

 

Dont overthink it.
I don't think it will change the way your bike rides much,mock it up n ride it if ya don't like it setting taller progressive makes lowering kits fer under 100$ if ya don't want to lower it w your pinch bolts.
https://www.progressivesuspension.co...ng-kit-drop-in

 

Check with 97stalker, he's using a 23" and may have some insight.

Look at post # 293 https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...owners-30.html

 

Ya I want to do it all myself for the learning experience and the cost savings. For something like powder coating, most place will charge about $50 per part. When I bought my triple trees the price difference between raw and powder coat black was $100 if I recall. I figured it would be cheaper to get my own setup. If I get good enough I can powder coat on the side and offset the cost. I already have had people ask me to powder coat someone of their stuff but I turned them down because I want to make sure I have the knowledge and experience before accepting money from someone. I have already mounted a 260mm swing arm to fit the rear wheel. The biggest challenge I am going to have with that is making sure the wheel spacers are correct. I am putting a pulley brake system on it so the pulley and rotor are on the same side of the bike to give a clean view of the rear wheel. Thats going to change the spacer size. When I get the wheel delivered I will tackle that project.

I like that blue you have on your bike. Is that factory? Currently my bike is black but I am toying with the Idea of changing the color since I have to get both fenders painted anyways. Maybe a dark red/maroon. I dont really know.