21" Wheel
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Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 565
Likes: 60
From: PNW
21" Wheel
I did a search a bit earlier and couldn't really find anything on this. For those of you that have gone from say a 16" front wheel to a 21" wheel, did you just change to a lower profile tire, or do you need to make adjustments with suspension in the front end to keep the bike level?
If you keep the stock rear wheel(16")the front is raised more going with a 21 front than changing out the back to a 17 or 18 inch wheel. Some people lower the front and some don't I guess its a personal preferance. I have never lowered the front of any of my bikes when I changed over to a 21 in the front.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 516
Likes: 1
From: Damascus MD
I run a 21/17 and lowered the front and back 1.5", the bike seemed fairly level before I touched the suspension, I lowered it because it was the look I was going for. I can still ride the bike as hard as I want in turns, handling is still very enjoyable, comfortable and just as much fun as it was with stock height, rims and tires.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,308
Likes: 11
From: Colorado
I have a 21/18 and after riding it a few months that way, I decided to lower the front end about 1.5 inches. I should be getting back today or tomorrow. I hope it was the right decision but I'm sure the look will be improved immensely.
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 654
Likes: 5
From: oklahoma
going from a 16" to 21" you have to use a low profile tire. but that still changes the height of the front end and raises it. its a personal preference whether you lower the front end or not. i rode mine without lowering it for about a 1000 miles before i decided to lower it back to the height it was before i put the 21" on. to me it handles better but again its a personal preference so i would just try it out before you change anything
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 467
Likes: 0
From: Ca
A friend of mine just installed a 21 inch front 18 inch rear on his 08 street glide and boy does that bike sit high in the back, I don't like it. Can he just lower the rear or there isn't enough clearance with that big 180 18 under there?
Last edited by Brykwil; Feb 25, 2014 at 10:55 AM.
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Montgomery, AL
Legend air ride. Works well with my 200 18
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If you want to retain stock height in teh rear get a 16x5.5 or 17x6.25. The 18 rear only raises you about 1/2". The 21" front with a 120/70/21 tire or a 130/60/21 tire will raise you between 1" and 1.25". For me (who is not tall at all) it posed no issue whatsoever and I kept it at stock height.
Everyone reacts to changes like this differently but I much prefer the feel of the 21x3.25 wheel with a 120/70/21 tire over the stock setup. No lowering for me. I put 13" shocks on the rear to increase my ground clearance.
It makes logical sense that a lowering kit should go hand in hand with a 21" or bigger wheel but it is not "necessary." I prefer stock height with full travel to less travel with a lowered front end. That is just me. Would I sell a lot of lowering kits if I pushed them with every 21" wheel I sell? I really would. I prefer to let my customers do the research and decide on their own what they need. I say ride the bike and see how you like, then decide if you want a lowering kit.
This only works against me when someone is taking the bike to the shop and wants to save on labor having everything done all at once.
Everyone reacts to changes like this differently but I much prefer the feel of the 21x3.25 wheel with a 120/70/21 tire over the stock setup. No lowering for me. I put 13" shocks on the rear to increase my ground clearance.
It makes logical sense that a lowering kit should go hand in hand with a 21" or bigger wheel but it is not "necessary." I prefer stock height with full travel to less travel with a lowered front end. That is just me. Would I sell a lot of lowering kits if I pushed them with every 21" wheel I sell? I really would. I prefer to let my customers do the research and decide on their own what they need. I say ride the bike and see how you like, then decide if you want a lowering kit.
This only works against me when someone is taking the bike to the shop and wants to save on labor having everything done all at once.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,246
Likes: 19
From: Cypress, TX
I had a 21 on my streetglide and I lowered it 1". I tried lots of different things (springs, intiminators, etc...) and honestly thought that it didn't make any difference in ride quality (I said it was fine because I was used to it) until I rode my ultra immediately after getting off the streetglide. The ride of the lowered bike was much more harsh which makes sense due to the loss of one inch of travel. If I was doing it over again on a streetglide or a custom I would leave the forks alone and add 13" shocks to the rear and ride it. On an ultra I would just do the wheels and leave the suspension alone. Don't get me wrong I love the look of the 21" wheel and don't think it negatively impacted handling. Just be careful when you start lowering the bike.