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When I bought my bike I was brand new to riding. I rode a Fat Boy and my Deluxe. Needless to say the Deluxe fit like a glove.
Now I love my bike but was curious. Is a fatter tire better?
Maybe and maybe not. A fatter tire can be harder to turn and it may not ride as nice. Sometimes a fatter tire will plow through freeway grooves better than a skinny tire. Usually a fatter tire is, in general, related to style more than performance.
Maybe and maybe not. A fatter tire can be harder to turn and it may not ride as nice. Sometimes a fatter tire will plow through freeway grooves better than a skinny tire. Usually a fatter tire is, in general, related to style more than performance.
I had a VRod with a 240 rear tire on it - all I know was that it was a real "handful" in tight turn's and I was not as confident in the handling as I am with the 180 on my RoadKing. I do know that the 240mm is a rough ride - very little sidewall to it to cushion the bump's - kinda like a low profile tire on a sports car - ROUGH!
Before that I had a 200mm on a FXST no problem with it.
For my dyna a wider tire seems like a natural as part of the engine swap planned over the winter. In my case though I am just going from a 160 to a 180. While it seems hardly worth the effort, a 180 is about as wide as my new mag wheels will handle.
For my dyna a wider tire seems like a natural as part of the engine swap planned over the winter. In my case though I am just going from a 160 to a 180. While it seems hardly worth the effort, a 180 is about as wide as my new mag wheels will handle.
I honestly feel a 180 series tire is about the widest rear time you need before you get diminished returns. You are only going to wear about 150mm down the center on anything wider anyway. At 200mm you start to feel like its more work to hold it into a turn (rear wheel steer). I rode a bike with a 250 rear tire and I know my bike would be more enjoyable in the twisties. As cool as those fat tires look they are definitely form over function. At close to one dollar per millimeter for new rubber what would you rather replace a 180 or a 250?
You won't notice any turning issues as long as you don't go bigger than a 200. My rear 200 Metzler handles nice, feels solid, (doesn't get weird in rain grooves) and never scares me when crossing over parallel rises in the pavement. Besides, don't several new stock Harleys come with a 200 rear, I know the Crossbones does. And I've always felt, although I know they handle well, that older baggers look funny with their skinny rear tire. You can't beat having too much meat, LOL!
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When I bought my bike I was brand new to riding. I rode a Fat Boy and my Deluxe. Needless to say the Deluxe fit like a glove.
Now I love my bike but was curious. Is a fatter tire better?
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