I am thinking of going with a 3.5" x 19" wheel on my Softail Standard for handling reasons more than anything else. If I do this, I may as well upgrade to a wheel I like better than the stock spoke wheel that I currently have, because for me the spoke wheels are a hassle to clean. I really like the Reaper wheel, but now is not the best time moneywise for me to buy a new Reaper wheel for both the front and the back. Since the front and rear wheels don't really match on a stock Standard anyway, do you think my bike would look strange with a Reaper wheel only on the front for now? Has anyone changed the style of only the front wheel on their Standard, and has any photos posted that I can look at to see for myself?

 

You should rethink why you want to do this. If changing the front wheel/tire is the only change you will be making (and it sounds like it is), then in order to keep the same OD, will necessitate going to a tire with a larger sidewall. Although this may give a "plusher" feel, it will result in a net decrease in in turn-in and overall handling. Also, the Reaper wheel you have in mind is a heavy, cast (not forged) unit - heavier than your spoked 21 incher. Increasing unsprung weight this way is the worst possible thing you could do for handling (and braking).

That said, I think it would look okay.

 

I'll respectfully disagree. There's no reason to worry about keeping the same OD on the tire. By going to a 19" wheel and using a 120/70R19, you're lowering the front end an inch (give or take) while maintaining full suspension travel. By going with a wider tire and shorter sidewall, turn in should be sharper and handling and stability should be improved.

I do agree though that a heavier cast wheel is a bad idea. Unsprung weight is the enemy of braking, acceleration, and handling.

 

tell me about it. i'm lugging close to 200 pounds unsprung weight in the back! do those meats make my *** look big? haha...

grimm

 

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I agree with your conclusion, but not your premise. Lowering only the front end will shift the center of gravity forward and partially unload the rear. Whatever benefit is gained up front with the lower profile tire will be more than offset by the fact that the rear end will break loose more easily.

 

Sorry, I should have added that the rear should be addressed as well. Yeah, in a perfect world, you want the bike sitting level.

 

Okay, I'm confused here. By going with a 19" front wheel, and having a 17" wheel in the back, wouldn't the bike be closer to level that way than with the stock 21" front wheel on it? I guess I can't assume that though unless I know the tire diameters on both the front and rear tires, but I'm not sure where to find those.

 

I'm on an '05, which came stock with a 16" rear, and now has an 18" rear. My rear is roughly the same size as the stocker, but clearly a little larger. I dropped the rear suspension using Progressive 422 shocks, so that it's lower than stock, I'm guessing by about an inch. So currently, my front end is sitting about an inch high. At the moment, there is no front lowering kit for my forks, and I'm unwilling to just start hacking away at the PVC spacers for fear of jacking up the preload. Rumor has it that there will be a lowering kit out in the next few months.....

Figure that on your '07, it's "right" as it was delivered from the factory. Assuming you have stock wheel and tire sizes, and your suspension is unmodified, you're right where you need to be. So anything you do to one end, you should really do to the other (as far as ride height is concerned).

That said, I've ridden well over 7,000 miles since I put the Progressives this past June, and I've noticed no ill effects having the rear lower than the front. I would guess that the greater the difference between front and rear, the more it would affect things.

 

Thanks so much guys for this good info. I think I'll stick with a 21" wheel up front then, but now I'm wondering what wheel to go with so that I don't affect my handling in a negative way. Should I assume then that a lighter wheel will improve my handling, and vice versa with a heavier wheel? If so, is there anywhere you guys know of that I can find the weight and specs for the harley wheels so that I choose the right wheel when the time comes? For that matter, I am not opposed to getting some aftermarket wheels either, if the quality is good and the price is right.

 

Good assumption, and ditto for braking. Your dealer parts department can probably provide weight specs (they'd have to know that to calculate shipping costs). Even without that info though, you can get a pretty good idea from looking at catalogs (H-D or aftermarket). Figure that any forged wheel is going to cost at least $1000 each. Once you upgrade the wheels, you'll probably notice that your stock rotors look like crap next to them. Figure another $100-400 each to replace them. It adds up quickly!

One other option you could look into is procuring a set of Harley "Profile" wheels (AKA, smoothies), which were an available factory option on your bike. They consist of a solid forged disk in the rear and a chrome aluminum spoked wheel (versus the stock steel) up front. That's what I have in my sig pic. Since that photo was taken, I've added custom tapered spacers and aftermarket 2-piece rotors.