I’ve been toying with the idea of replacing the 21” front wheel on my 89 FXSTC with a solid 16”.
My thoughtis to basically convert the bike into a Fatboy. However, I’ve been checking out Roddenby51’s Softail Bobber build and his bike (and allother fatbobs) seems to have a shorter wheel base. I have already put 2” under stock fork tubeson my bike but it still seems long to me. Is this due to the rake or difference in frames or is it justmy imagination?

 

Are you going to keep the same forks or go to Fat Boy forks?

 

Keep the same forks.

 

One of the reasons they seem to have a shorter wheelbase is simply visual impressions. The FB has a heavier looking wheel plus a deep section fender and larger diameter forks, so there are smaller gaps to look through!

Check clearance between your fork legs, to see if your rear tyre will fit between them. If you use a conventional MT-130/90 front tyre, they are actually slightly wider than the rear (about 1/8" extra IIRC).

 

Another issue is that, unlike FL Softails (Fat Boy, Heritage), the FX Softail uses "raked" fork trees, which kick the front wheel forward a bit and reduce trail to a manageable level for use with a 21" front wheel.


If you just change fork legs without changing the raked trees, you will have a bit longer wheelbase as well as less trail, when changing to a 16" front wheel.

 

Ah ha! I think that is what I've been seeing.

 

IIRC, the FX Softail has a 33 degree rake and the FL Softail has a 31 degree rake. The frames for both bikes are the same, and the extra two degrees is accomplished with raked trees.