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Anyone running a 130/70/21 front tire on their softail ? Front fender question.
Hey guys,
Proud owner of a 2017 Softail Slim as seen below. Stage 2 kit with big cams, lowered 2" front and back, etc..
Over the winter I had RideWright make me up a 21x3.5 front wheel to match the stock HD rear wheel. Wheel came out great, now I need a tire and fender for it. I want to stick the fattest front tire I can on this thing to keep the "chunky" look the slim has from the factory. After looking around it looks as the biggest 21" tire is a 130/70/21.
I had heard back in the day if you run a 130 tire you have to order a fender intended for a 23" wheel because the aspect ratio of a 130/21 is the same as a tire used on a 23" wheel ?
Has anyone done something like this on their softail (or other HD) ?
As always any and all help is greatly appreciated...
Yes, I have put a 21x3.5 rim on my Softail Standard FXST.
I run a 120 wide tire on it and much prefer that to the original 90 wide tyre.
I modified my fender by elongating the mounting holes so that it could be raised a little bit to clear the wider tire.
Just could not find a suitable alternate fender anywhere.
It only just fits, the gap in the picture is about 5mm from tire to fender support arm. Have done lots of miles like this and it has never rubbed.
From above the tire is wider than the fender however that has not been an issue either. I guess in the wet water flings off the middle of the tire.
A breakout fender is the right size, but alas it has different mounting holes for the FXST, not sure about your bike though it may be worth checking.
Yes, I have put a 21x3.5 rim on my Softail Standard FXST.
I run a 120 wide tire on it and much prefer that to the original 90 wide tyre.
I modified my fender by elongating the mounting holes so that it could be raised a little bit to clear the wider tire.
Just could not find a suitable alternate fender anywhere.
It only just fits, the gap in the picture is about 5mm from tire to fender support arm. Have done lots of miles like this and it has never rubbed.
From above the tire is wider than the fender however that has not been an issue either. I guess in the wet water flings off the middle of the tire.
A breakout fender is the right size, but alas it has different mounting holes for the FXST, not sure about your bike though it may be worth checking.
Can you post some side shots of your bike please ?
I had heard back in the day if you run a 130 tire you have to order a fender intended for a 23" wheel because the aspect ratio of a 130/21 is the same as a tire used on a 23" wheel ?
Has anyone done something like this on their softail (or other HD) ?
As always any and all help is greatly appreciated...
The aspect ratio is a percentage of the width and won't change (inches) with the diameter of the tire. So a 130/70/21 and a 130/70 /23 do have the same ratio (70)..130×70%=91mm. If you use a 130/60/21 it's only 78mm. The 13mm difference is a little over a 1/2"....That's 1/2" more fender clearance! Breakouts came with a 130/60/21, so maybe that tire/fender combo could work for ya. Good luck!
The front fender from the Freewheeler would be my choice for that mod .
You had me excited for a minute there Iron Horse. Nice looking fender on those Freewheelers, look like they might even bolt straight on too. Except that they are designed for a 19 inch wheel.
You had me excited for a minute there Iron Horse. Nice looking fender on those Freewheelers, look like they might even bolt straight on too. Except that they are designed for a 19 inch wheel.
If you like it, you should check into it . Because of the tire profile ,I believe that a 21” diameter wheel is almost the same as a 19” wheel . You just might have to mod the mounting holes again..
Last edited by Iron lHorse; Mar 7, 2020 at 10:34 PM.
I dont mean to hijack this thread, but, OP: are those Bassani Firesweeps on your bike? Im asking because I have a 17 Slim that I would like to put them on, but Ive heard not-so-great things about Bassanis customer service and QC on their stuff. Also, did they kill your lower end torque at all?
Im currently running a full Stage 1 (Cobra 3 slash cut slip ons/V&H FP3/Harley round Hi-Flow A/C).
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Anyone running a 130/70/21 front tire on their softail ? Front fender question.
