wider rear tire for forty-eight? possible?
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Joined: Sep 2010
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wider rear tire for forty-eight? possible?
Looking to get a new 2011 Sportster Forty eight, but wants to know if I can put a wider tire on the back? what is the largest size I can upgrade without suffering handling? 180? 200?
thank you
thank you
If you go with a chain you'll be able to squeeze a little more in there. It's your rear frame width that will be what holds you back.
I don't agree with the wider tire = worse handling. I have one with a skinny 21 and 130 rear that doesn't handle as well as my Nightster...just as my bike with a 180 rear and 130 front blows them both away in regards to handling.
I don't agree with the wider tire = worse handling. I have one with a skinny 21 and 130 rear that doesn't handle as well as my Nightster...just as my bike with a 180 rear and 130 front blows them both away in regards to handling.
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It isn't that a wider rear than front automatically handles worse. The point is that the frame geometry and tire width are engineered to work together to achieve a certain handling balance, and changing that to make the rear wider than the front negatively impacts handling. It isn't always a huge impact, but it is still there. Whether that impact bothers you depends on how you ride, and your tolerance for poor handling. Of course, anyone who has forward controls automatically has a huge tolerance for poor handling, and so may not feel that a wider rear tire is a problem.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Landrum, SC , elevation 986'
The wider tires in the front and rear actually improve handling.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,604
Likes: 38
From: Landrum, SC , elevation 986'
If you go with a chain you'll be able to squeeze a little more in there. It's your rear frame width that will be what holds you back.
I don't agree with the wider tire = worse handling. I have one with a skinny 21 and 130 rear that doesn't handle as well as my Nightster...just as my bike with a 180 rear and 130 front blows them both away in regards to handling.
I don't agree with the wider tire = worse handling. I have one with a skinny 21 and 130 rear that doesn't handle as well as my Nightster...just as my bike with a 180 rear and 130 front blows them both away in regards to handling.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,604
Likes: 38
From: Landrum, SC , elevation 986'
It isn't that a wider rear than front automatically handles worse. The point is that the frame geometry and tire width are engineered to work together to achieve a certain handling balance, and changing that to make the rear wider than the front negatively impacts handling. It isn't always a huge impact, but it is still there. Whether that impact bothers you depends on how you ride, and your tolerance for poor handling. Of course, anyone who has forward controls automatically has a huge tolerance for poor handling, and so may not feel that a wider rear tire is a problem.