Ok so I had a secret mod in mind. I was going to put a 21'on the front of my bike. After ordering a 21' rim, spoke kit , and a 21' w/w Avon, I asked around and after getting feedback I decided not to do it. The majority of people I talked to said it would really compromise the ride and handling of my bike as well as cause a safety issue. I can deal with a little compromise in handling for the looks that I want, but when the word safety came up it really opened my eyes. I'm not riding alone and I don't want either one of my babies getting hurt (bike or my beautiful wife) Anyways I guess I'll have to rack my brain to try and think of some different mod's.

 

Howdy TS, I understand your issue about safety. I've waited too long to get my new Harley and I don't want to get reckless and mess up my dream. There are a lot of mods out there that won't compromise the safely issue. The dealer where I bought my Harley gave me a catalog of over 800 pages of mods for all Harleys. They have a lot of great ideas that would make the ride look better and not be unsafe. Maybe you might be able to find a similar catalog at your dealer. It's fun to look at or drool over.

 

How would a 21" wheel cause a safety issue? I went from a 19" on my superglide to a 21" on my Train and I don't really notice that much of a difference. Is there something about the 21" that I don't know about?

Since making the switch, I have only noticed a difference when I am riding on a gravel road. The 21" is a little more squirelly than the 19". I have noticed that the 21" seems to handle better in the rain, though. Of course, maybe it's just my imagination.

 

Most of the people I talked to said that the weight of my Deluxe is too much for a wheel with a such a low profile tire, they said if I hit a pothole or debri or anything the rim could bust because I'm not getting the cushion of the fatter sidewall like I have now.The other thing they said is that because of the weight of my bike, the bike could plow in the turns with such a skinny tire.

 

Hi TS. I have a 21 inch front wheeled 94 FXSTC and I have found any of the 16inch front wheeled bikes I have ridden did feel to me to be quite a bit more stable. The front of the bike is slightly lower, plus the extra weight I think all helps. That's my experience, anyway. [sm=signs003.gif]

Whatever you decide, ride safe mate.
Cheers

 

Unless you're riding like a maniac, that 21" ain't gonna be "unsafe". It'll handle differently than that fat 16, and won't be quite as smooth over rougher roads, but it ain't gonna jump up and bite you. 21's have been put on HDs since before who knows when. The bike ain't too heavy, and it'll handle just fine. It'll be different than that fat wheel, but you'll get used to it. After all, we gots Sloptails, not crotch rockets.

Offhand it sounds like the folks giving you advice haven't been involved in bikes long enough to remember when nearly every chop and fat bob either had a 21, or wished they had one. The only bike I haven't eventually run a 21 on is my present bike, and it might happen one of these days.

If you always do what you always do, you'll always get what you've always got!
Skip

 

I would think a 21 foot rim would be dangerous, but hey what do I know![sm=loser.gif]

 

just from my drag racing days i ran around town on 4" front wheels with skinny tires and the front end was kinda pushy, and the tires wore out a lot faster than the stock ones did. i dont think a bike would be much different. but then again the skinny tires did look kool!

 

It ain't quite the same as you are using some of the sides of a bike tire. My 21s lasted thru 2 back tires, which is about the same as my 19s & 16s.

 

LMFAO sorry 'bout that '