I've gone both ways and I'll stick to my 21" , trick with a skinny front is proper tire selection . I've never been a fan of dunlop tires and used to be their 21's handled like **** with all the problems listed so far in here . Switched to Avon's and there's a world of difference in overall handling and performance . I use all the chicken strip on the sidewalls cornering and it's rock solid , only time I ever problems was in the mud and loose sand . I had no business being out in the boonies on a big bike .

 

My mother is an oral surgeon. Yesterday I rode the bike over to the clinic to see if she wanted to have lunch. While there some of the doctors were looking at my bike and commented on the fatty tire (2011 XL1200C)

Here are the results:

4 out of 5 dentists prefer the skinny front tire

 

They were "looking at" your bike ... we need their opinion after having ridden it ... in the rain, over railroad tracks (at an angle), across bridge grating, in the mud and soft sand ... THEN let us know what "4 out of 5 dentists prefer" .... LMFAO

 

I have just bought an 11 Blackline and love the skinny front tire..I can see where some folks dont. My dad pointed out why he didnt like one on the front and tried and tried to get me to get one with a fatter tire was because for example road construction where they have grated the roads in prep for new pavement the groves could possibly cause some havoc with the really narrow front. Personally I love it and just pay attention when I am in one of those areas of what could be.

 

I have the 21" skinny on my FXSTC and have not had any problems. Handles great and looks good as well. I cross RR tracks by my house all the time, though I fail to understand why you would want to cross them at an angle.

Now, you do have to be a little more weary of ruts in the road. Especially on some asphalt surfaces that are poorly maintained where old and newer sections meet. I have a notorious one by my work. But since I'm always scanning for pot holes and road kill anyway, it's not an increased effort. I also hate the groves they etch on some surfaces in preparation for resurfacing. They are not so much dangerous as annoying.

I have not yet ridden a Harley with the FL front end so I really can't make a comparison. I'll just keep riding the skinny until the day I get a Road King.

 

Yeah right. You could have rode in on a Honda VTX and 4 out of 5 dentists would have sworn it was a Harley. Them and most women I know ... sorry ladies.

 

... sometimes railroads are not perpendicular to the road at the crossing ... i.e., they cross at an angle (other than 90 degrees) ... it makes them a little more dangerous when the tracks are wet/slippery ....

 

I have a skinny 21" on mine and I like it. In the mud over tracks and in the rain. I just take it easy.

 

Rode home late yesterday afternoon in a rain and wind storm on my 08 wide glide with no problems other than not being able to see! Ran through a sizeable water puddle and the 21 inch tire didnt even flinch. Also hit a squirrel at 45 miles per hour a few months back and barely felt it. Thin is in!

 

Oh, yeah!!