hey all. i've been considering trading in my superglide for something different. found that i like the dyna class and wanted to stay with them. the bikes that seemed the most different from the superglide were the wide glide and the fat bob. love the look of the wide glide but that skinny front tire makes me nervous. looks like a bicycle tire....and the fat bob tires are much, well fatter

what does the width of a tire do for performance. what does a skinny tire do that a fat tire can't? and what does a fat tire do that a skinny tire can't?

thanks again for any help, guys

 

goin from a 01 roadking to an 09 electraglide with the wider tire that grooves and cracks in the road are way less noticeable.

 

Fat Bob any day over the WG. HD messed the look of the WG up too. Its a Low Rider.

 

My 03 softail has a skiny front tire. That tire will find and follow any grove or bump in the road. I haven't really rode anything else so I'm not sure how a fatter tire acts compared to a skinny one.

 

As said and the skinnier tire will turn quicker/easier than a fat tire. Bigger tires have more contact patch for better grip, safer in the wet and will support more weight, and will absorb more road shock than the bicycle tire.

 

I see you live in NYC, which has possibly the worst roads in the country. They will kill a 21" wheel pretty quick, especially if you take the Cross Bronx,BQE, LIE,or ride in Manhattan with any frequency. Fat tire will give a smoother ride,especially in a straight line. And unless you get a WideGlide that is '05 or older, it ain't a REAL WideGlide;just something the factory cobbled together & CALLED a WideGlide. Personally, I don't like the Fatbob--Front tire & fender don't look right with the rake, rear fender is ugly,and the dual headlight needs to be swapped out for a single,otherwise it looks like rice comin' atcha.

IMHO, the best lookin' Dyna by far, and one of the best looking Harleys ever made, is the SuperGlide Custom. Way more bang for the buck than any other Harley,great blank canvas, and has the look of the AMF mid 70's Harley,which I think were the best looking ever made. You can't get a better deal for $12,999! Only problem is it doesn't come with the 103" for some dumb reason, but I had a race tuned 96" & it was hellish fast.

 

Justine120,

The main difference is what bagman mentioned - The wider tire will have greater contact with the road and therefore will have better grip in all conditions and spread out the weight distribution a lot.

Absolutely recommend going to a wider tire, going to be a better fit for you all around.

 

You got THAT right!! The new version just doesn't do it

 

Skinner tires will be you to death too.

 

All comes down to your personal preference which means you need to ride something with a 21 to give yourself some hands one experience to form your own opinions about things . It's good to ask but as you've seen everyone has their own preference . I've ridden 16" , 19" and 21" and personally I roll the 21 , I like a lighter more nimble front end and all the negatives stated so far can be avoided with proper tire & wheel selection it's that simple . I've put a few hundred thousand miles easy on 21" front's in every conceivable load , weather and road condition with no issues from one . The only time a front end did come out from under me in a curve was a 16" and had a couple near misses with the 19" .

With the right tire for your riding style and local area road & weather conditions they are just as safe as any fatass frontend , the tracking issue everyone complains about is tread design not tire size . Somebody get's the shiny new custom fancy turned spoke rim and a bad road will beat it and most any spoke wheel up , run mags . The don't flex , need constant care like spoke loosing up and are a hell of a lot easier to clean .

Like I said , it all comes down to your preference .