I am in the same boat as you. I like up to a 23" wheel. MAYBE a 26" if it looked good. Any bigger than that and its WTF.... Nice to look at but too big. Would be interested in riding on though to see how it handles. More than a mile too.

 

When guys push the boundaries, the middle ground comes along for the ride. A few years ago, a 21" wheel on a touring bike was considered big. When a few guys started building 23"ers, they looked HUGE. But, by the time the first 30" builds appeared, a 23" build didn't look very big at all. Now, most guys don't even notice the difference between a 21 and a 23.

The same thing happened a couple of decades ago in the custom car world. Colorado Customs came out with a 20" wheel, and the self-proclaimed "old-skool" hot rodders laughed at the rubber band tires. Those same guys who are ordering their Challengers from the factory with 20" hoops now, and it takes a 26" or larger wheel on a passenger car to draw any notice. It wasn't a fad, it was a paradigm shift.

 

I'm not a "big wheel guy", whatever that is. I customize bikes and hot rods for the same reason I've done it for over 35 years. I built this one because that's what I do. I ride it because it's enjoyable. And for the record, they ride and handle much, much better than a stock touring Harley.

The guy who is all worried about what the bagger owners are going to do when these bikes aren't "trendy" any longer can relax. When the mood strikes me, and I decide that I want something different, I'll either start a new project, or, tear this one back down, fire up my tig welder, and start over. And when the big wheel bikes are no longer getting all the magazine ink, the other guys can go back to posting about how the "stealers" are charging too much money for tire changes. lol

 

I'll pull mine up to that one and make him look like the slow bagger it is...

 

They'll be sorry when the front gets a flat at speed, or a blow out! Tire will come off before they can get control. If they ever get control back.

 

It's not about the HP - it's about riding the damn thing. I never see these big wheel show bikes going down the road - unless it's from the trailer to the parking lot.

 

Nothing I said was an insult. I have nothing but respect for the guys that build these bikes. But, my statement stands - they are built to show and not to ride on a daily basis.

 

It would be interesting to see what the guys that, on this site, have to say about this statement. I bet none would say that they hated it and changed it back ASAP.

Sent from my iPhone using IB AutoGroup

 

Yeah I know. I think I worded that poorly. I agree with your sentiments.

 

I love the big wheel look ...it is not a fad...lol.