Motorcycle Consumer news did a review of the 06 WG and talked about the 21 tire. They said it made the bike easier to turn and control, but that a smaller contact patch limited braking ability. They thought the brakes were OK, but it will never be as good as a bike with more rubber on the ground. Most people say its more likley to pick up the grooves in the road. I have had it for a year, i think its feels fine. i am more cautious riding with this tire though, because i think where you woudl find the difference is a limited traction situation such as a turn, with gravel, for example.

 

BEST HANDLING !! Did you bump your head?

 

I've been thinking about a fatter front tire for my 06 FXSTI. Let me know what you end up with and what you needed to do.

 

I've been told Metzler ME 880 90/90 H-21" will give you a little more contact patch than the stock Dunlop.........Think i'll try that in the spring

 

my sporty with the 19" will out turn the same bike with a 21". I prefer more tread on the pavement.

 

The taller tire will provide a smoother ride. No BS here.

 

I have owned Harleys with 16, 19, and 21 inch front wheels. The 16-incher is by far the worst handling of all. Harley does not offer it any longer for the 2007 Fatboy, they've gone to 17 inch. In comparison to the larger diameters, the 16 feels unstable — like riding a scooter. Yes, a 16-inch turns quicker due to less centrifugal force, but you don't "turn" a wheel in corners except at low speeds. Cornering at speed is accomplished by leaning, and countersteering (very little actual turn in countersteering). I like both the 19 and 21 inch, even though they feel different. The 21 actually corners better, but the contact patch is sufficiently small, that there is some concern under hard braking. I don't ride Harleys over gravel. Most dual purpose bikes, and dirt bikes have large front wheels because they are more stable in gravel.

 

good stuff here, I personally ride a 21". done the 16 & 19. IMO anything is better than the 16. 19 or 21 no doubt.

 

I've had both. 1997 Softail Custom, 2000 Fatboy, 2005 Softail Standard. Don't notice much difference! M

 

Lots of opinions voiced here. I will relate my experience with 21 in. vs 19 in. on Harley Sportsters; I first bought a '04 XL 883 C not knowing anything about H-Ds. I changed the shocks and the handlebar looking for better handling. I didn't find it. I then put dual-disc brakes on the front wheel. That really helped the braking, but I could slide the front wheel very easily if I wasn't very careful. I then tried lower air pressure than recommended in the front 21 in. tire (OEM Dunlop). I still wasn't thrilled with the handling of the bike. It seemed to me to start into a turn OK, but then just fell into it without any further input.

I then just by chance got a test ride on a '05 XL 1200 R that comes with the 19 in. wheel/tire (OEM Dunlop). I found the handling that I wanted! I wasn't happy with the suspension so went to Progressive front and rear. Now I had the bike that I wanted. My wife started riding the 883 and being a new rider didn't know any better as far as 'handling' went.

I eventually decided that I liked the nostalgic look of having both front and rear wheels of the chromed spoke type. I bought a 16 in. spoked wheel for the rear of my XL 1200 and started looking for a spoked 19 in. for the front. It had to have a hub for two discs. While I was looking I had a brilliant thought. The 21 in. wheel on the 883 will fit, so just make the change. I did so. The handling of the XL 883 C with a cast spoked 19 in. wheel and the 100/90 OEM Dunlop tire now handled as well as my XL 1200 R did with that wheel/tire. The ill handling going into a corner went away. Much to my dismay, the handling of the XL 1200 R with the 21 in. wheel now deteriorated to be almost as bad as the 883 did formerly with it.

I go along with HD7585 in this; IMHO the smaller stiffer cross section of the 21 in. tire itself allows much less side-wall flex. That alone deteriorates the handling capability. Then there is the issue of the smaller contact patch on the road that the 21 in. tire has. I believe that contributes significantly to much poorer front braking. IMHO, there is a huge difference in the turning characteristics between the two wheel diameters given similar tires being mounted. Please note that there is only about 3/8 in. real difference in the diameter of the two tire/wheel combinations. That infers to me that the stiffer side wall of the 21 in. tire is the main culprit.

My wife won't let me change them back, so I have a new dual-disc 19 in. wheel on order and will be installed on the 1200 R about 15 minutes after I get a tire mounted.

You 21 in. guys that won't accept actual empirical evidence from me, find a friend with a 19 in. tire/wheel, swap them out and spend an afternoon riding both bikes. You won't believe the difference. The wheels will easily swap on any '04 thru '07 Sportsters. I do not know anything about prior to '04. .................... BC