Hey Guys,

I am going to speak about wheels on touring bikes.

I was talking to an Independant shop that builds custom bikes and they have been doing the 21" front and 18" rear conversions for quite some time. I asked them about lowering the front end a bit after adding the wheels to retain the stock handling.

They said that this conversion looks awesome and they have done many "but" they don't ride or handle the same as they do with factory wheels. They said they aren't trying to talk me out of spending money with them but they wan't to make sure I am happy with the decision.

There are many of you that have already done this conversion, what are your realworld opinions? I have an 08 Streetglide and it is not uncommon for the wife and i to ride400-500 miles in a day. With that being said I am concerned about the comfort and handlingbefore I pull the trigger on this modification.

 

That is why I am thinking of the 18 18 set up. Think it will handle better on long rides

 

I just ordered 21's and 18's. I should have them next week and will give you an up to date comparison. My only other thought is that if you get the 18's I bet you will move up to 21's once you see more bikes with this combo.

 

I have that set up and can offer my opinion and will later when I have more time, knowing that this question is one that can be agonizing once we decide we want to go a certain route but fear degradating the great ride quality we had/have with the 16's. My best advice is though see if they will let you ride one of their bikes. Surely they have one with that setup they would let you ride for 10 miles. Also I would askthem whatTHEY ride. Do they eat their own cooking? Do they ride baggers with 18x18 setups, 21x18 setups or are their personal rides stock wheels and tires? That tell's you a lot. The GM at the HD dealer where I buy my bikes and where I first got the idea of doing the 21x18 setup told me two things: 1)The bike would ride different without question and 2) it was a must to lower the front end with the 21" wheel. His personal ride was a 21x18 Streetglide and he had ridden it to Sturgis and back with the 4" windshield. When I spoke to Jerry at Hogpro, I believe he told me that he rode an 18x18 bagger as well asanother principle and that a few rode 21x18's. As I said, I'll share more of my experience later.

 

Looking forward to your review

 

I am very curious about this as well, I have read alot of posts and getting ready to pull the trigger on either an 18 18 combo or the 21 18

 

I considered 21 & 18 but got the same respone from several differnt builders. Each said that set up wouldn't ride as good as 18s so that's the route I took. My wheels should be here sometime next week!!!

 

18's front and rear here. More of a style choice on my part. Rides great and Metzlers track better on freeway grooves than the stock Dunlops did.

Primo

 

I was wondering what you had primo. I dig them black wheels. Obviously I need new tires if I go to 18's right?

 

i ride a 21 front 16 rear SG. i did lower the front end an inch. IMO a 21 front looks better than an 18 and WAYY better than stock. the only difference i've noticed isexiting off ramps and very slow manuvering turns. feels slightly sluggish(because of the size), and the rim tends to want to "fold" in toward the turn. to counter this, i just push a little bit or countersteer on the handlebars. no biggie. on the plus side, the narrower rim and higher profile will allow you to turn in quicker on sweepers and faster turns.