Harley Davidson Forums

General Harley Davidson Chat Forum to discuss general Harley Davidson issues, topics, and experiences.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Floppers?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Feb 5, 2009 | 10:02 PM
Share
  #1  
powaypete's Avatar
powaypete
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 892
Likes: 0
From: San Diego (Poway), CA
Exclamation Floppers?
Ol timers, at what length do bikes become floppers using stock trees and neck?

I'm thinking about going 4 over on the front with stock trees and neck. I do know that at 16 over it's floppin.

Picked up/traded for a project softtail rolling chassis for my 64 motor and gonna play with it.
 
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 12:27 AM
Share
  #2  
sonar_chris's Avatar
sonar_chris
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,780
Likes: 5
From: San Diego
Default
You might want to look up a trail calculator as adding that much to the front end with out any rake and you may have a bike that is really dangerous to ride. Just a thought.
 
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 04:57 AM
Share
  #3  
cHarley's Avatar
cHarley
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Default
It's going to depend on what you've got for pieces & parts. Ya can figger it out here:

http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/advchoppercalc.html
 
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 05:11 AM
Share
  #4  
sniper77's Avatar
sniper77
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,352
Likes: 4
From: Augusta, GA
Default
Back in the seventies I went 8" over and rode coast to coast without "floppin'".
 
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 06:47 AM
Share
  #5  
GlassBikerNC's Avatar
GlassBikerNC
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 559
Likes: 2
From: north carolina
Default
I've got 4" over forks on the front and dropped the rear about 3". I have no problems at all. Going slow (parking lot speeds) it feels a tiny bit heavier but not enough to complain about.
 
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 07:04 AM
Share
  #6  
dog155's Avatar
dog155
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,389
Likes: 26
From: Windham,Maine
Default
Once owned an 8 over springer on a stock 53 Pan chassis.It worked great except for the kickstand.
 
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 07:13 AM
Share
  #7  
big cahuna's Avatar
big cahuna
Grand HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,922
Likes: 265
From: Deep in the heart of New Jersey
Default
Back in the oldin days my buddy had a 55pan with a 18 inch over front end. flopper just about fits the description of how it was. You couldn't ride it slow otherwise it would tend to lay over on one side or the other. once you were over 30 mph ,didn' t handle bad.You didn't want to make any quick manuvers or turns with it thou.,,,
 

Trending Topics

Old Feb 6, 2009 | 07:16 AM
Share
  #8  
DaddyKnuck's Avatar
DaddyKnuck
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 17,625
Likes: 1,665
From: Blairsville GA
Default
Originally Posted by powaypete
Ol timers, at what length do bikes become floppers using stock trees and neck?

I'm thinking about going 4 over on the front with stock trees and neck. I do know that at 16 over it's floppin.

Picked up/traded for a project softtail rolling chassis for my 64 motor and gonna play with it.
4" over stock is really only about 2" over current FXWG type front ends. That small an increase in fork length shouldn't give you any nervous moments. That's only the increase that my XA forks have over a stock springer.

How are you planning on matching the shafts? Or are you going to use a 4 speed in the Softtail?
 
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 08:22 AM
Share
  #9  
nomad billy's Avatar
nomad billy
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 6,112
Likes: 20
Default
Just like daddyknuck said 4'' is nothing,up to an including 8'' is ok.Where it gets tricky is the rake.In the old days I turned a couple ridgid frames into junk fooling with rake,and a few springer frontends trying to extend them.
 
Old Feb 6, 2009 | 08:32 AM
Share
  #10  
DaddyKnuck's Avatar
DaddyKnuck
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 17,625
Likes: 1,665
From: Blairsville GA
Default
Originally Posted by nomad billy
Just like daddyknuck said 4'' is nothing,up to an including 8'' is ok.Where it gets tricky is the rake.In the old days I turned a couple ridgid frames into junk fooling with rake,and a few springer frontends trying to extend them.
Remember springers being extended with Ford radius rods and even butt welding? How did anybody live through those days?
 



Advanced Search
Reply Closed Thread Share
Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:13 PM.

story-0
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-5
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-6
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-7
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE