I've googled and haven't come up with a solid answer so here I am...

Other than asthetics, what are the major differences between the FX's and FL's? I know the softail frames are the same but the forks are different. Are the forks widder to fit the smaller/fatter tire and extra wieght from the lights & fairings? Also, why do Harley's touring bikes feature the FL front ends? Does the FL front forks offer any bennefits over the FX's?

 

An fx has a 19 or 21" front rim as stock.

An FL has an 16 front rim as stock

 

The rake is different on the FX and FL softails as well. The bagger FL front ends are a bit different. An example is that you cannot take a wheel off of a softail FL front end and bolt it directly on a bagger FL front end.

 

I appreciate the responses but I know the wheels are different sizes in FL and FX models. Hogpro, I didn't realise the softail FLs are that different from the touring bikes.

Most people say the smaller/fatter wheels are better for touring. Is that why the FL models have the wider forks..to have a fatter tire for "touring" purposes or are there other reasons? Is the fatter tire used to support the front end wieght of FL models?

 

A fatter front tire will give you a better ride on the highway. Narrow tires will want to fall in and follow all the grooves in the road.

 

Different frame, different suspension, different bike.

 

And basically that's the only reason touring bikes feature the fatter tire and different forks...? That means the only other reason the FL's have the fatter tires/different forks is for aesthetics...it has nothing to do with the added weight of the fairings, larger fenders, headlights...?

 

Aside from all the extra sheetmetal covers on an FL, I don't think the forks are different at all. There are plenty of guys that have lowered their bikes by installing the shorter FL tubes into the stock FX lowers. They might be spaced slightly different, but it can't be much since a fatboy fender will bolt right up to my FX mounts. I'm running a 150 front on my FX with plenty of room, so the FL 130 & 140 front tires wouldn't have any issues with clearance.

As for the frames, AFAIK, all softails utilize the same frame. Strip down a Heritage and a Night Train, and you're left with the same starting point. There may be extra brackets for all the crap on the FL's, but essentially the same. The differences in rake/trail between the bikes is accomplished by fork length and/or raked trees.

The reason for the fat tire is aesthetics. The fender, beer cans and lights on an FL only add a few extra pounds to the front end. The fat tires do ride smoother, feel more confident in the corners, and don't follow the grooves as much. A skinny pizza cutter off a night train would work just fine on an FL, just wouldn't look right with the wide fork covers.