I have a 21 inch Sinister Fat Daddy on my 08 Road King. I checked fender clearance and didn't have to do any mod(s). Handles great in the corners.

 

No issues with handling for me either.....it just rides a bit stiffer due to the smaller sidewall but the look makes up for that

 

I would ride it before you lower the front. I still have the drop in kit on the shelf and won't be using it. I like it better than the lowered front look. IMO.....the forks look to stubby when they are lowered.

 

Soooo...do y'all run the stocker on the rear, or change out both?

 

I am using the stock rear because as you can see, rear is not visible with hardbags

 

When I had my RK, I lowered the front end about 1.5 inches. I used the stock fender until I had a new one custom painted. Some will say you don't necessarily need to lower the front end with a 21" wheel swap...mine had handled better with the lowered suspension.

 

Some CVO's come with a lowered front fender and brackets are available to life the fender for a 21" front wheel. Determining if your CVO has the lowered front fender is the difficult part.

As far as the lowering the front end, I am not a fan of this. I find it unnecessary but some guys say it has to be done. My philosophy is that the people who make the lowering kits came up with this for marketing purposes and it makes perfect sense in a logical kind of way but i feel that having less travel in the forks can also adversely affect the handling of the bike as the forks are shorter there is less travel thus it does not soak up bumps as well.

Everyone's opinion is different. I run at stock height with a 21" without issue. Had a softail I lowered and after lowering it decided I liked it better at stock height. I would add the wheel first and then lower it if you feel it is necessary, otherwise it is difficult to know what is happening as a result of what.

I rode my buddys bike with a stock 17 front and 16 rear and it handled great too. A lot of this difference with wheel size is just a matter of adjusting the way the bike rides with a different wheel. If you are doing a fat spoke consider that it will be quite a bit heavier than a billet wheel due to its construction.

So are you looking for a traditional spoke or a fat spoke?

 

I decided to leave the stock rear since it can hardly be seen. Do what makes you feel good. As far as the front, if you want it to handle like stock then you you need to lower the suspension. I went with some Progressive drop-ins, which are 1 inch lower than stock. This brought my front end back down to about the same rake as stock. Bike handles better than stock in my opinion. Some of this is due to the better suspension.

 

Your call. I could see PLENTY of my rear wheel and tire. And my bike is LOWERED 1 inch in the rear. Whether you like it or not is up to you. A second wheel isn't cheap, but some people insist on it.

 

What tire is everyone using on their 21" wheels? 3.5"?