HarleyTechTalk

Why do people put on fat tires ? Is it just for looks ? I'm asking because I know you loose a bunch of horse power and torque doing so .

You also lose handling and $$ when it comes time to replace them.

Plus the difficulty of finding one.
Look damn cool though!

Hoss secretly wants a Road Glide with a big fat tire.

I think fat tires are just the current trend left over from the recent chopper craze. I would guess bikes with big fat tires get less miles put on them.

They want that fat tire to make sure all of the 75 HP gets to the ground!

Quote from: PoorUB on November 09, 2018, 09:18:43 AM
They want that fat tire to make sure all of the 75 HP gets to the ground!

I'm not speaking from experience but once worn, the flat spot must be a bitch to corner.

I love fat tire, damn good beer!!

What do they run on super bike? GP? What would they run if they could run anything they wanted?

HD is driven by style, not performance.

Well, there is wide, and then there is stupid wide, like you see on choppers and customs. No reason to run the stupid wide tire unless you are compensating for some other "shortage"!

...... ...extension of a penis ?.....

The lifestyle is still profitable.

When I saw the first custom chopper with a 300 tire, I thought it looked kind of cool, there had been nothing like it before. But, I figured it for a show bike or very minimal bar hopper. To put it on a bike that would see actual miles made no sense to me.

I put a 200 on the back of my EG (and a 21 on the front) purely for looks. Handling is no better or worse (Harleys have so little lean angle it really doen't matter). Tires don't last as long but not really a big deal unless ya are planning a 10,000 mile trip... I think going any bigger is getting into show bike territory (cost and completely differs look).

Quote from: tomcat64 on November 09, 2018, 10:23:59 AM
I love fat tire, damn good beer!!

Ha, me too!

Jason

In my opinion, the 1%ers started that look; take a peak at the San Francisco HA bikes of years past. Difference between what they built and HD sells, is their bikes performed.

There's a FXDR at the boutique, I sat on it and it's ergonomically retarded. I can't wait until The Life is no longer a selling point for the moco.

My Breakout has a 250.  I don't seem to have any problems hitting the curves.  In fact I had to change out a set of turn-out pipes because I was sanding off the tip of the lower one when I leaned way over.  Seems to me that a lot of people that complain about wide rear tire bikes are people who've never rode one past a test ride.  Yes, they take a bit more work in the corners, but once you're use to a bit of understeer you don't notice it anymore.

Quote from: Hossamania on November 09, 2018, 12:55:51 PM
When I saw the first custom chopper with a 300 tire, I thought it looked kind of cool, there had been nothing like it before. But, I figured it for a show bike or very minimal bar hopper. To put it on a bike that would see actual miles made no sense to me.

I followed a couple of customs around the north side of the Great Lakes one spring & both riders were almost sitting "side saddle". After a couple hours they pulled in for fuel so I followed them in & checked over their "customs". Both guys were on the "smallish size". One had a 300 rear & the other had a 360 & they had to ride the way they did to keep the center of gravity correct as only the 360 was a RSD.
Piss poor builds as far as I was concerned!

Quote from: koko3052 on November 09, 2018, 02:52:17 PM

Quote from: Hossamania on November 09, 2018, 12:55:51 PM
When I saw the first custom chopper with a 300 tire, I thought it looked kind of cool, there had been nothing like it before. But, I figured it for a show bike or very minimal bar hopper. To put it on a bike that would see actual miles made no sense to me.

I followed a couple of customs around the north side of the Great Lakes one spring & both riders were almost sitting "side saddle". After a couple hours they pulled in for fuel so I followed them in & checked over their "customs". Both guys were on the "smallish size". One had a 300 rear & the other had a 360 & they had to ride the way they did to keep the center of gravity correct as only the 360 was a RSD.
Piss poor builds as far as I was concerned!

How's that any different then the factory building the 07 FXSTC with a 1/2" rear wheel offset to accommodate the 200mm tire, where the bike would never track straight with hands off the bars and require to ride straight ahead with a slight list to the right? Glad I got rid of that piece of junk. Most unstable bike I've ever ridden.  In 08 they came out with a new swing arm and stuff to fix it.
Regarding the fat tire. This bike looks good with it. And the specs, damn HD wants to compete with the FXDR ?
https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcycles/2019/2019-ducati-diavel-1260s
Ron

"I sat on it and it's ergonomically retarded."

My findings as well. Clip on's and forward controls! "Retarded" is being nice. The guys I know with Harley's that come with 200 rear tires, are lucky to get 4 or 5 thousand miles before replacement.

Quote from: Deye76 on November 09, 2018, 04:09:39 PM
"I sat on it and it's ergonomically retarded."

My findings as well. Clip on's and forward controls! "Retarded" is being nice. The guys I know with Harley's that come with 200 rear tires, are lucky to get 4 or 5 thousand miles before replacement.

Spot on. I blamed the Dunlop for that. Now with the 240 on my v rod, I got just shy of 25k with the Michelin Scorcher. First time I've acutually wore the front and rear out the same time.
Ron

What are we defining as "fat tire". To me it is 240 or larger. I know there is a fat tire movement in the bagger world right now and it refers to the front being a 180. I did this to my 07 RG several years ago and I love it. Front and rear 180's rides and handles just fine. Looks pretty cool in my opinion as well.

Zach

Seems to me that years ago 250 was max for rake, trail, handling.

Quote from: biggzed on November 09, 2018, 04:43:26 PM
What are we defining as "fat tire". To me it is 240 or larger. I know there is a fat tire movement in the bagger world right now and it refers to the front being a 180. I did this to my 07 RG several years ago and I love it. Front and rear 180's rides and handles just fine. Looks pretty cool in my opinion as well.

Zach

I agree. Fat front tire look is catching on. Native pitbull baggers, Yaffe, Bad Dad. Have heard a lot of positive review, no personal knowledge, yet. Local guy talking about doing one ths winter.

Like the look of the bike Zach.

Quote from: tomcat64 on November 09, 2018, 10:23:59 AM
I love fat tire, damn good beer!!

Draft yes, bottle, good but maybe not so much. IMHO.

I'm a little confused. Some people are talking like a fat rear tire, and some are talking like a fat front tire. If you mean fat front tire, how does that rob power? Not doubting the theory, just curious.