FatBoy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Ozark Country
FatBoy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
Myself and two others were invited to attend a meeting in Wichita, Kansas, and being in the 50's we rode our bikes.
I took my FatBoy with stock 'solid wheels', one guy took a Deuce running profile spoke wheels, and the other was on a WideGlide with mags.
The trip was about 200 miles each way,riding west on the way out, and of course east on the return trip. Flat, open country, and the wind was out of the SSW, with gusts up to 40 MPH. We were running at about 70 MPH on the bikes.
Needless to say, we were riding at an angle, just to run a straight line, but after all the horror stories I have heard about the FatBoy solid wheels in the wind I was kind of surprised.
All of us had to fight the cross wind, especially when the gusts were in the 40 MPH range, but the FatBoy held it's own.
All three of us switched bikes for a portion of the ride, so we could get a fair comparison, and we all agreed that the FatBoy (with it's solid wheels) wasn't that much more difficult to control with the high cross winds than the Deuce or WideGlide.
But when you think about it, even the spoke wheels on the Deuce, or mags on the WideGlide probably don't allow that much more wind to flow through them than the solid wheel when they are turning at a high speed.
I'm not an engineer or anything, but it would be interesting to see a controlled test to see how much air actually passes through a spoke or mag wheel when it is turning at a high revolution.
Anyway, it was an interesting ride.
I took my FatBoy with stock 'solid wheels', one guy took a Deuce running profile spoke wheels, and the other was on a WideGlide with mags.
The trip was about 200 miles each way,riding west on the way out, and of course east on the return trip. Flat, open country, and the wind was out of the SSW, with gusts up to 40 MPH. We were running at about 70 MPH on the bikes.
Needless to say, we were riding at an angle, just to run a straight line, but after all the horror stories I have heard about the FatBoy solid wheels in the wind I was kind of surprised.
All of us had to fight the cross wind, especially when the gusts were in the 40 MPH range, but the FatBoy held it's own.
All three of us switched bikes for a portion of the ride, so we could get a fair comparison, and we all agreed that the FatBoy (with it's solid wheels) wasn't that much more difficult to control with the high cross winds than the Deuce or WideGlide.
But when you think about it, even the spoke wheels on the Deuce, or mags on the WideGlide probably don't allow that much more wind to flow through them than the solid wheel when they are turning at a high speed.
I'm not an engineer or anything, but it would be interesting to see a controlled test to see how much air actually passes through a spoke or mag wheel when it is turning at a high revolution.
Anyway, it was an interesting ride.
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 554
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From: Western Washington State
RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
I had a Fatboy with stock wheels and heard the same stories. I asked an engineer friend to evaluate the physics involved and his conclusion was the difference was unmeasurable because the gyroscopic effect of the solid wheel more than offset the increased surface area. My riding experience was similar to you and your friend's.
FBL
FBL
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Joined: Feb 2006
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From:
RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
ORIGINAL: fatboylust
I had a Fatboy with stock wheels and heard the same stories. I asked an engineer friend to evaluate the physics involved and his conclusion was the difference was unmeasurable because the gyroscopic effect of the solid wheel more than offset the increased surface area. My riding experience was similar to you and your friend's.
FBL
I had a Fatboy with stock wheels and heard the same stories. I asked an engineer friend to evaluate the physics involved and his conclusion was the difference was unmeasurable because the gyroscopic effect of the solid wheel more than offset the increased surface area. My riding experience was similar to you and your friend's.
FBL
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From: Ozark Country
RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
ORIGINAL: KeithB
8 hours of riding is cool no matter what
8 hours of riding is cool no matter what
Like an idiot I forgot to put my windshield back on (took it off yesterday to clean), and it would have been interesting to see how the bike handled with it on in the wind.. I've never had a bike with a windshield before, but have used it running around here and it sure helps when the temperature starts to fall.
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 165
Likes: 1
From: weatherford texas
RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
i have ridden many bikes over the years of all brands, my 05 fatboy with its stock wheels rides as well as any other bikes i have ridden on windy days, execpt for my 1200 sporster which was scary on windy days. and the stock wheels look good to me. just my opinion
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,718
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From: Punta Gorda,FL
RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
If the Fat Boy solid wheels, passed the Wichita,KS wind test, they should be okay anywhere. I spent quite a few years in Wichita. The main reason I moved was to get away from the wind there.
Did you know that the name Wichita, means land of the wind people.
Tom
Did you know that the name Wichita, means land of the wind people.
Tom
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2006
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RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
He said, the wind blowing on his wheels didn't make that much difference in the ride. And it was the wind blowing UP his leg he enjoyed the most
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From: Johnston County, NC
RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
This was one of my big concerns when I wanted to get the fatboy... I almost got one with lace wheels because of it.
When I testrode the bike I actually made sure I rode near a semi to get that air rush from him... I didn't have any problems. And a year and a half later I still don't have many problems that I can attribute to having solid wheels.
There was a thread a while ago about this where someone made the point that ALL bike have a nice solid portion right in the middle (the engine) and if wind is going to catch somewhere that is the place.
When I testrode the bike I actually made sure I rode near a semi to get that air rush from him... I didn't have any problems. And a year and a half later I still don't have many problems that I can attribute to having solid wheels.
There was a thread a while ago about this where someone made the point that ALL bike have a nice solid portion right in the middle (the engine) and if wind is going to catch somewhere that is the place.
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 503
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From:
RE: Fat Boy "Solid Wheels" Aren't That Bad....
I was warned by sales guys at multiple dealerships about this problem when I said that I wanted to add disc to a deluxe. Well after a year of rides, long and short, to work and on trips out of state, wind and one major rain storm I never noticed this problem. Don't you thing the entire side of the motorcycle , withwindshields, body workand or bags with one or sometimes two peoplewould be more of an issue in the wind than the surface area of the wheels?
Where are the Mythbusters when you need them?
Where are the Mythbusters when you need them?