Fatboy Frustrations...Please Help
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 1
From: El Paso, TX
Fatboy Frustrations...Please Help
I bought(financed) my first bike a year ago, it was a 2012 Harley Fatboy. I have learned to ride and am fairly comfortable. I really do love my Fatboy, but my problem is the wind here in El Paso. I sometimes get blown a whole lane on the highway. One of my solutions for this was going to be just to replace the "solid" wheels with more "open" ones.... I just got back from the dealership, and there is only 1 choice available for me to keep my stock size and prevent from going into rediculous numbers. I am at a real decision point; I am considering trading in the Fatboy for something a little more wind friendly. Please let me know what you think about this situation.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,775
Likes: 14
From: Northern Colorado
I bought(financed) my first bike a year ago, it was a 2012 Harley Fatboy. I have learned to ride and am fairly comfortable. I really do love my Fatboy, but my problem is the wind here in El Paso. I sometimes get blown a whole lane on the highway. One of my solutions for this was going to be just to replace the "solid" wheels with more "open" ones.... I just got back from the dealership, and there is only 1 choice available for me to keep my stock size and prevent from going into rediculous numbers. I am at a real decision point; I am considering trading in the Fatboy for something a little more wind friendly. Please let me know what you think about this situation.
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 1
From: El Paso, TX
Thanks brother, where do I look for wheels. I want a reputable company and some nice wheels. Can you give me some good starting points please. I have pretty much decided to stick with everything Harley for my bike, just due to lack of knowledge. I am hoping to find some other options, as we all know, Harley Gear is very costly.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 705
Likes: 8
From: southern IL
Welcome to the Fatboy Club!!
Several things here:
- The solid wheels... do a search and you'll find many opinions on whether or not it actually gets affected in the wind. My belief is with the crowd that says anything above 25mph and even spoke wheels will buffer the wind. Ever try to throw a rock through a spinning wheel?
- I have the HD stinger rims... roughly $750 a rim, which isn't bad compared to most. It's an 18" rim, which is bigger than standard, but basically made for the Fatboy. Bottom line is, there's other rims out there that aren't "standard size."
Several things here:
- The solid wheels... do a search and you'll find many opinions on whether or not it actually gets affected in the wind. My belief is with the crowd that says anything above 25mph and even spoke wheels will buffer the wind. Ever try to throw a rock through a spinning wheel?
- I have the HD stinger rims... roughly $750 a rim, which isn't bad compared to most. It's an 18" rim, which is bigger than standard, but basically made for the Fatboy. Bottom line is, there's other rims out there that aren't "standard size."
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,775
Likes: 14
From: Northern Colorado
Thanks brother, where do I look for wheels. I want a reputable company and some nice wheels. Can you give me some good starting points please. I have pretty much decided to stick with everything Harley for my bike, just due to lack of knowledge. I am hoping to find some other options, as we all know, Harley Gear is very costly.
What color is your bike? There is alot of variables that go into buying new wheels. If your planning on doing other mods down the road, then choosing wheels is one of the most important thing you can buy. When I bought my last set, they were incorporated into the scheme of my bike. Meaning, I went with black rims with diamond cut spokes to match my black scheme of my bike.
So, its a big decision, getting new wheels. You have to make sure the ones you get are the ones you really want, instead of buying 2 or 3 sets down the road. I would rather get the ones I want the first time, And believe me, wish I would have thought this out the first time, instead of buying 3 sets of damn wheels. LOL
Your factory wheels are 17s, you should go with 18s. Lots of options in 18 inch sizes.
Last edited by CountryD; Feb 21, 2013 at 09:44 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 404
Likes: 1
From: oklahoma
I feel your pain I have a spoked superglide and solid wheel fatboy and there is a difference in these Oklahoma winds. The good news is I think you will get used to it and really like the fatboy. I do. But for options you might check with Hog Pro since he is a sponsor on here. Seems like he has helped members find wheel solutions.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,601
Likes: 189
From: east texas
sorry but the fatboys solid wheel' aint your problem.
but if you need a excuse to put on spokes , go for it .
my two other bike's with spoked wheels move the same ..
fairing's , and windsheilds do more wind problems than solid wheels
but if you need a excuse to put on spokes , go for it .
my two other bike's with spoked wheels move the same ..
fairing's , and windsheilds do more wind problems than solid wheels
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,775
Likes: 14
From: Northern Colorado
Just for reference sake, go look at forum member WARG profile. He has one of the SICKEST Fat boys on this site, PERIOD. Take a look at his sled and his wheels. That would give you some ideas on what I was talking about.
Ive rode just about every bike harley makes, and you will have to fight the wind where ever you go. But, from my experiences, spokes DO help. Not alot, but they do help. Ive rode bikes with Pm wheels, solids, 50 spoke, 80 spoke, 120 spoke, Fat spokes and spokes are not as bad in the wind as solids. They cant be, as the Factory wheels on a fat boy are a solid wheel.
Ive rode just about every bike harley makes, and you will have to fight the wind where ever you go. But, from my experiences, spokes DO help. Not alot, but they do help. Ive rode bikes with Pm wheels, solids, 50 spoke, 80 spoke, 120 spoke, Fat spokes and spokes are not as bad in the wind as solids. They cant be, as the Factory wheels on a fat boy are a solid wheel.
Last edited by CountryD; Feb 21, 2013 at 09:54 PM.
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 106
Likes: 19
From: Atlanta, GA
A few thoughts
OK, here's my two cents worth...
I ride a 90Fatboy (a real solid wheel...not the one with the little holes punched in it like yours). And I also ride a 96FLSTN Heritage Softail Special (spoked wheels). And I also ride an 08XBones (spoked wheels).
I have lived in Wichita Falls TX and Lubbock TX, both places also known for their winds, like El Paso (constant, annoying, and full of dust). I have ridden the 90 and 96 in those places. The wind affects both bikes the same about 98% of the time. After many (and I mean hundreds) of hard, side-blasting winds pushing me around (a BIT - I have never been 'inadvertently' pushed into another lane by the hand of God), I would say it is more of the fact that you are sitting upright on a big bike with lots of solid cross-section that is your problem, not your wheels. I also had a GSX-R750 in those days and I did not get pushed sideways as much on that bike, even though it was half the weight.
IF you do change wheels, just make sure it is for the look you want, as much as trying to fix a possible problem. You will still get pushed around by the El Paso winds, and I would estimate almost as much (maybe 2% less if my math is sound). ALSO, be ready to pay more $$ at every tire change...remember, every spoked rim also needs tubes and rim strips at each tirechange - easily another $40-$60 over a mag-wheel tire change every time.
Would you be happier with spoked rims if the result is that you now are only pushed into HALF the next lane? If that is still a problem, then don't expect the spoked rims to be your full solution. Just sayin'
And, by the way, are the 2011 CrossBones spoked rims a direct bolt on for your 2012 Faboy? The XBones has a 17"rear and a 16" front. You might want to ask your dealer about that (but they are black rims with chrome spokes, not all chrome...don't know what you're looking for). Good luck and ride safe.
I ride a 90Fatboy (a real solid wheel...not the one with the little holes punched in it like yours). And I also ride a 96FLSTN Heritage Softail Special (spoked wheels). And I also ride an 08XBones (spoked wheels).
I have lived in Wichita Falls TX and Lubbock TX, both places also known for their winds, like El Paso (constant, annoying, and full of dust). I have ridden the 90 and 96 in those places. The wind affects both bikes the same about 98% of the time. After many (and I mean hundreds) of hard, side-blasting winds pushing me around (a BIT - I have never been 'inadvertently' pushed into another lane by the hand of God), I would say it is more of the fact that you are sitting upright on a big bike with lots of solid cross-section that is your problem, not your wheels. I also had a GSX-R750 in those days and I did not get pushed sideways as much on that bike, even though it was half the weight.
IF you do change wheels, just make sure it is for the look you want, as much as trying to fix a possible problem. You will still get pushed around by the El Paso winds, and I would estimate almost as much (maybe 2% less if my math is sound). ALSO, be ready to pay more $$ at every tire change...remember, every spoked rim also needs tubes and rim strips at each tirechange - easily another $40-$60 over a mag-wheel tire change every time.
Would you be happier with spoked rims if the result is that you now are only pushed into HALF the next lane? If that is still a problem, then don't expect the spoked rims to be your full solution. Just sayin'
And, by the way, are the 2011 CrossBones spoked rims a direct bolt on for your 2012 Faboy? The XBones has a 17"rear and a 16" front. You might want to ask your dealer about that (but they are black rims with chrome spokes, not all chrome...don't know what you're looking for). Good luck and ride safe.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,298
Likes: 0
From: BC
Welcome to the Fatboy Club!!
Several things here:
- The solid wheels... do a search and you'll find many opinions on whether or not it actually gets affected in the wind. My belief is with the crowd that says anything above 25mph and even spoke wheels will buffer the wind. Ever try to throw a rock through a spinning wheel?
- I have the HD stinger rims... roughly $750 a rim, which isn't bad compared to most. It's an 18" rim, which is bigger than standard, but basically made for the Fatboy. Bottom line is, there's other rims out there that aren't "standard size."
Several things here:
- The solid wheels... do a search and you'll find many opinions on whether or not it actually gets affected in the wind. My belief is with the crowd that says anything above 25mph and even spoke wheels will buffer the wind. Ever try to throw a rock through a spinning wheel?
- I have the HD stinger rims... roughly $750 a rim, which isn't bad compared to most. It's an 18" rim, which is bigger than standard, but basically made for the Fatboy. Bottom line is, there's other rims out there that aren't "standard size."
OK, here's my two cents worth...
I ride a 90Fatboy (a real solid wheel...not the one with the little holes punched in it like yours). And I also ride a 96FLSTN Heritage Softail Special (spoked wheels). And I also ride an 08XBones (spoked wheels).
I have lived in Wichita Falls TX and Lubbock TX, both places also known for their winds, like El Paso (constant, annoying, and full of dust). I have ridden the 90 and 96 in those places. The wind affects both bikes the same about 98% of the time. After many (and I mean hundreds) of hard, side-blasting winds pushing me around (a BIT - I have never been 'inadvertently' pushed into another lane by the hand of God), I would say it is more of the fact that you are sitting upright on a big bike with lots of solid cross-section that is your problem, not your wheels. I also had a GSX-R750 in those days and I did not get pushed sideways as much on that bike, even though it was half the weight.
IF you do change wheels, just make sure it is for the look you want, as much as trying to fix a possible problem. You will still get pushed around by the El Paso winds, and I would estimate almost as much (maybe 2% less if my math is sound). ALSO, be ready to pay more $$ at every tire change...remember, every spoked rim also needs tubes and rim strips at each tirechange - easily another $40-$60 over a mag-wheel tire change every time.
Would you be happier with spoked rims if the result is that you now are only pushed into HALF the next lane? If that is still a problem, then don't expect the spoked rims to be your full solution. Just sayin'
And, by the way, are the 2011 CrossBones spoked rims a direct bolt on for your 2012 Faboy? The XBones has a 17"rear and a 16" front. You might want to ask your dealer about that (but they are black rims with chrome spokes, not all chrome...don't know what you're looking for). Good luck and ride safe.
I ride a 90Fatboy (a real solid wheel...not the one with the little holes punched in it like yours). And I also ride a 96FLSTN Heritage Softail Special (spoked wheels). And I also ride an 08XBones (spoked wheels).
I have lived in Wichita Falls TX and Lubbock TX, both places also known for their winds, like El Paso (constant, annoying, and full of dust). I have ridden the 90 and 96 in those places. The wind affects both bikes the same about 98% of the time. After many (and I mean hundreds) of hard, side-blasting winds pushing me around (a BIT - I have never been 'inadvertently' pushed into another lane by the hand of God), I would say it is more of the fact that you are sitting upright on a big bike with lots of solid cross-section that is your problem, not your wheels. I also had a GSX-R750 in those days and I did not get pushed sideways as much on that bike, even though it was half the weight.
IF you do change wheels, just make sure it is for the look you want, as much as trying to fix a possible problem. You will still get pushed around by the El Paso winds, and I would estimate almost as much (maybe 2% less if my math is sound). ALSO, be ready to pay more $$ at every tire change...remember, every spoked rim also needs tubes and rim strips at each tirechange - easily another $40-$60 over a mag-wheel tire change every time.
Would you be happier with spoked rims if the result is that you now are only pushed into HALF the next lane? If that is still a problem, then don't expect the spoked rims to be your full solution. Just sayin'
And, by the way, are the 2011 CrossBones spoked rims a direct bolt on for your 2012 Faboy? The XBones has a 17"rear and a 16" front. You might want to ask your dealer about that (but they are black rims with chrome spokes, not all chrome...don't know what you're looking for). Good luck and ride safe.