48 Fork Tube diameter
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Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2015
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From: Kentucky
48 Fork Tube diameter
Are all of the 48s using a 49mm fork tube? I thought that the forks were just spaced out more than the other sportsters. I was looking at a 2016 48 and noticed it has much beefier looking fork tubes than my Iron.
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From: Bedford UK
An easy way to answer your question is to check on-line here, where you can compare part numbers over successive years. From that we can see that the '16 48 models have a later part number than last year. Full marks for observation, it seems you're quite right! The MoCo started fitting 49mm forks on the Dynas AFAIK, several years ago, then the Touring range, so it looks as if we can expect them to spread across the whole range before too long.
Last edited by grbrown; Jan 24, 2016 at 05:38 AM.
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From: Bedford UK
I'd like to see a comparison in weights of the 39mm and 49mm forks. My understanding is the 49mm tubes are of thinner wall thickness, so the difference in weight could be quite close. It is certainly the case, from an engineering point of view, that a larger diameter tube with thin walls will be stronger.
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From: Bedford UK
Interesting, now go back and do the same for Sporty parts, plus the tubes, which is where we started. Sporties may have shorter hence lighter sliders. My comment above was about the tubes.
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From: Bedford UK
The tubes and sliders are larger in diameter, however especially with the tubes they may well be thinner in wall thickness, hence not as much heavier than if they have the same wall thickness as the 39mm tubes. Being larger in OD they are bound to be thinner in wall section.
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The tubes and sliders are larger in diameter, however especially with the tubes they may well be thinner in wall thickness, hence not as much heavier than if they have the same wall thickness as the 39mm tubes. Being larger in OD they are bound to be thinner in wall section.
