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Just made a purchase on a 21" wheel and tire, so my question is..... will the 21" setup raise the front end up and will effect the ride? I will eventually get a rear wheel which is my next question, what size would pair up with the the 21"?
If it's not too tall of a tire then it will be close to the same height as the stock tire and wheel.
I think a 100/90R21 would be fine. That's about a 28" diameter.
If that is too tall, there is 90/90R21 or even 80/90R21.
If you want wide, there is 120/70R21.
I think you want about a 25"-26" diameter for the rear.
final height is going to be determined by tire choice.
a 90/90r21 is going to be about 2in taller, 80/90r21 is about 1.5in taller than a stock 130/60r19. And there is some 120/70r21 options that are only 2.5in taller, that would be optimal IMO.
Not sure I would trust a 80/90r21 on the front of a touring bike if you ride aggressively, not a whole lot of rubber on the pavement and you'd probaly kill them pretty quick. Paired with a nice 18in wheel in the rear would be nice.
What tire did you get?
If you have a tire that is 2.5" taller then stock, the tire will be 1.25" closer to your fender and the bike would be 1.25" taller.
The tire and wheel might still fit under the fender, if not, I think you can raise the fender a little.
I doubt that raising the front 1.25" would affect the ride or handling much but a narrower or lower profile tire might make a noticeable difference.
Just made a purchase on a 21" wheel and tire, so my question is..... will the 21" setup raise the front end up and will effect the ride? I will eventually get a rear wheel which is my next question, what size would pair up with the the 21"?
Thanks
Yes and yes.
Tire: I'd used a Progressive mono tube kit and drop it 1" - 1.5" to level it back out if you want to it level.
Ride: steering will feel lighter and you feel more of the bumps.
Assuming that your bike is the in the signature pic that would mean that you are going to run a 120/70/21 tire or a 130/60/21 tire.
The bike will sit about 1" higher than the stock wheel does. My advice to customer is to install the wheel and see how you feel about the ride before committing to a lowering kit. The high center of gravity on a bagger makes the bigger front wheel much less of an issue than on a bike that has a lower seat height. That being said not everyone reacts to a bigger front wheel the same.
I'm a stock height height guy on my bagger and am more than happy with this setup. I did add a set of Progressive monotubes at the same time to stiffen up the front suspension which has been a great choice for me.
It seems that most people want their feet flat on the ground which is not something I consider a requirement for my bikes. That being said I still say install the wheel first and see how you feel about it.
About a month after installing a 21" front wheel with a 120/70-21 tire I lowered the front of my bike 1" with Progressive lowering tubes. The bike rode fine with the raised front end but I just couldn't get used to how much more it leans while on the jiffy stand. I even replaced the jiffy stand with a PM extended one but that didn't help. I decided the new chrome wheels needed a chrome front end so that's when I lowered it. So glad I did as the lowered ride height put it back to normal and the progressive tubes made the ride better.
New 21 inch King Spoke with a 120-70 tire. Front is one inch lower then stock. Rear is about 2 inches lower then stock height. No issues with ride or handling.
Last edited by Jackpot Johnnie; Jan 3, 2016 at 07:45 AM.
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21" wheel Question
