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[Banana man]

I am wanting to get new wheels but I can't decide on a 18 or 21 inch front
wheel. Love the looks of a 21 but have been told to stay with a 18 for handling
reasons.

Need input from people who have ridden with a 21. Does a 21 really make the
bike handle different? Also can you notice the front height difference with a 21?

[BPumper]

On my 2005 seeg I put 18's at first, it changed the way the bike handled then went to a 21" it rode alot better and looks good too. I have a new seuc and I'm changing the wheels on it to contrast chrome sesg2 wheels for the look. I don't think it will change the way it handles.

[Twolanerider]

Mark, there are lots of 18" tire options in 3" or 3.5" widths.  So they still fill up the fender nicely.  To my eye the 21" look a little funny filling the fender though.  Lack of width and sidewall height.  If I ever did a 21" I'd have to change fenders too.  To something slimmer that better matched wheel the profile of the tire and wheel.

[rayson56]

Go for the 21! I had the 21 on my last bike. It will raise the front slightly. I also did the 2" progressive lowering kit up front along with Arnott rears. The bike looked sick and handled well. You can expect more lean angle however by keeping the stock ride height. The key to the 21" front wheel is to go with 3 1/2" width and the 120 tire. That will keep plenty of tread on the ground. My stock fender had no clearance issues. Ran Metzler tires. Check it out. Kelly

[Banana man]

Mark, there are lots of 18" tire options in 3" or 3.5" widths.  So they still fill up the fender nicely.  To my eye the 21" look a little funny filling the fender though.  Lack of width and sidewall height.  If I ever did a 21" I'd have to change fenders too.  To something slimmer that better matched wheel the profile of the tire and wheel.

The 18" tire and wheel option is the same width and overall diameter as a stock 16" so I think
it "should not" affect handling in any way.

I like the look of the 21 (more visual bang for your buck) and it fills up the fender a lot more. It raises
the front of the bike which could affect handling. I have talked to two people that said the 21 will want
to fall to the inside in a slow speed turn much more than an 18. Both said they would go with a 18 the
next time. I guess the wheel wanting to fall to the inside in turns could be lack of width issue.

[Twolanerider]

The 18" tire and wheel option is the same width and overall diameter as a stock 16" so I think
it "should not" affect handling in any way.

I like the look of the 21 (more visual bang for your buck) and it fills up the fender a lot more. It raises
the front of the bike which could affect handling. I have talked to two people that said the 21 will want
to fall to the inside in a slow speed turn much more than an 18. Both said they would go with a 18 the
next time. I guess the wheel wanting to fall to the inside in turns could be lack of width issue.

Most times the OD of the tire can be similar.  So, if you shop carefully, the biggest difference is tire width.  The other gent a few posts earlier posted a 21" tire with a 3.5" width.  I'd pursue that were I so interested.  Look wouldn't be too skinny in the big fender and most of the handling questions would become moot.

[Banana man]

Go for the 21! I had the 21 on my last bike. It will raise the front slightly. I also did the 2" progressive lowering kit up front along with Arnott rears. The bike looked sick and handled well. You can expect more lean angle however by keeping the stock ride height. The key to the 21" front wheel is to go with 3 1/2" width and the 120 tire. That will keep plenty of tread on the ground. My stock fender had no clearance issues. Ran Metzler tires. Check it out. Kelly

your wheel looks great!! The one I want is very close to that design. Your Road King looks good
any pics of the finished product?

I really want the 21, but I ride in the mountains a lot and drag the floorboards sometimes and I just
don't want to screw up a good handling bike. The wheel I want is a 3.25 x 21 with a 120 tire.

[kiwihog]

Have a friend that put 21 on front 18 rear on his 07 street glide and wishes he kept his $3600.00

[vrog]

I went with the 21" and to be completely honest after the first ride you will be used to the difference. The stock fender fits just fine. They even sell adapters to use your stock fender with a 23" but I think it looks a little funny as the fender does not look right, at least for me anyway. Dont let yourself get hung up on handling, my bike rides fine and I have no problem riding it just as hard as I did with the stock wheels. I can remember when I put a 240 tire on my v-rod before they came that way from the factory and there were tons of people saying it woud kill the handling and ruin the bike. Fast forward a few years and now they come stock on all v-rods, hmmmmmmmm.

My only gripe with my setup is I wish I went with a 17" rear vs the 18". If I keep the bike I'm going to put Arnott Air Ride and lower it to get the look I'm after.

[vrog]

guess I forgot how to use photobucket It kept pasting the same image instead of the other pics I wanted to show

[JCZ]

The 18" tire and wheel option is the same width and overall diameter as a stock 16" so I think
it "should not" affect handling in any way.

I like the look of the 21 (more visual bang for your buck) and it fills up the fender a lot more. It raises
the front of the bike which could affect handling. I have talked to two people that said the 21 will want
to fall to the inside in a slow speed turn much more than an 18. Both said they would go with a 18 the
next time. I guess the wheel wanting to fall to the inside in turns could be lack of width issue.

With a taller wheel the rake stays the same but the trail changes.  If you're accutely aware of how your bike handles in the twisties, you will notice a difference.

[JCZ]

I went with the 21" and to be completely honest after the first ride you will be used to the difference. The stock fender fits just fine. They even sell adapters to use your stock fender with a 23" but I think it looks a little funny as the fender does not look right, at least for me anyway. Dont let yourself get hung up on handling, my bike rides fine and I have no problem riding it just as hard as I did with the stock wheels. I can remember when I put a 240 tire on my v-rod before they came that way from the factory and there were tons of people saying it woud kill the handling and ruin the bike. Fast forward a few years and now they come stock on all v-rods, hmmmmmmmm.

My only gripe with my setup is I wish I went with a 17" rear vs the 18". If I keep the bike I'm going to put Arnott Air Ride and lower it to get the look I'm after.

And maybe get rid of that big ugly yellow reflector......it sure takes away from the looks of that front end.

[vrog]

HA HA!!!!  Yeah that reflector sure is killing the look of the bike. Safety first   I need to get those off ASAP

[JCZ]

You also gotta get that black Harley emblem shaved off the calipers.

Here's a pic of my front end on my 10 SESG after I swapped to the Blade (09 SERG) wheel and shaved chrome calipers and removed the reflector.....   http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=40248.msg687034#msg687034

http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=40248.msg696180#msg696180

[Banana man]

I went with the 21" and to be completely honest after the first ride you will be used to the difference. The stock fender fits just fine. They even sell adapters to use your stock fender with a 23" but I think it looks a little funny as the fender does not look right, at least for me anyway. Dont let yourself get hung up on handling, my bike rides fine and I have no problem riding it just as hard as I did with the stock wheels. I can remember when I put a 240 tire on my v-rod before they came that way from the factory and there were tons of people saying it woud kill the handling and ruin the bike. Fast forward a few years and now they come stock on all v-rods, hmmmmmmmm.

My only gripe with my setup is I wish I went with a 17" rear vs the 18". If I keep the bike I'm going to put Arnott Air Ride and lower it to get the look I'm after.

That is the look I am after. Your wheel looks
great. I see you went with a Renegade Yukon, I am wanting a Renegade Tahoe which is a 5 spoke design also
with solid one piece blades. Thanks for the info it will help with my decision.