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Fatboy question?

I went to my local HD dealer because I wanted to test ride a Fatboy. I am currently riding a 1200 Sportster and the wind this year has been terrible. The Sportster gets moved around a lot in the wind and I don't like the feeling. Anyway, the dealer tells me that if that is the reason for changing that he wouldn't recommend buying a Fatboy because of the wide rear tire, he says that it would move in the wind just like the Sportster and he said that I should look at the Road King or the Heritage Classic instead because they have a narrower rear tire and won't move as much in the wind. Does this make sense to anyone?

I would think that a wider rear tire would be more stable than a smaller tire.
 
I don't see tire size being a factor, if anything I agree with you that a wider foot print would be better not worse, if the fat boy has solid disk wheels it can catch the wind more from the side but the weight of the bike will make it more stable in the wind then a XL, I think anyways.
 
I have an 06 Fatboy with solid wheels. When I first got it it seemed to move a lot in a strong cross wind, but since it's the only bike I've had i can't make a comparison to the way other bikes handle in the wind. I learned in short order when riding on a windy day to be ready to counter steer into the wind. After a while it becomes second nature and is done almost without thought.
 
I have a 08 Fatboy. The dealer is feeding you a line ; I would go elsewhere with my business.
 
the new fatboys have the bullet hole wheels to aid with the cross winds, the older fat boys had solid wheels and some say handle poor in the wind , but others dont notice,
the tire width has nowt to do with the way the bike handles the side winds, its all about side profile and how the width affects that i cannot see?
the Heritage is a bagged and screened FB with wire wheels, the road king is a pure Bagger, if you dont want the bags then get the FB - as you say take it for a ride

This sums it up nicely:newsmile102:
 
it has to be a strong wind to move around even with the solid disc wheels it will be more stable than a sportster because of weight alone
 
I get a lot of wind in my area and i have a softail custom with a solid rear wheel it does not get blown about any more than any other bike as most of the open space in a wheel is filled by brake discs and drive pulleys anyway not a big bit of difference
stuff high up on the bike like screens bags large people will affect the bike in wind more than solid wheels as they act kinda like a sail and tip the bike over a wee bit so off you go in that direction
spent many a day leaning into the wind only to hit a shelterd bit and almost being off the road

Brian
 
This comment, or question about being blown around in the wind because of solid rims always baffles me. It takes a lot of weather to stop me when I want to ride, or have to get someplace. In 35 years of ridding I have been in some strong winds with spoked and solid wheels. If you're gonna ride, you're gonna have to adapt to the nature of it.

A question I have is: If you're ridding down the hiway cutting wind at '50, 60 or 70' mph and a gust hits you, how much of the force, or affect of that force is actually attributed to only the wheels, vs the whole bike?
700+ Lbs with a low center of gravity and more tire on the road now. At axle height I have doubts there is any significant side force from anything short of a Force 5 wind. The actual rim area above axle on front tire is small.

I don't think the 'bullet' holes in the new rims allow any side wind to relieve any of that force at hiway speeds, or at a standstill for that matter!
I presently ride a 98 and an 08 Fat Boy and enjoy ridding in the elements I ride in. I do like the handling of the 08 above the 98 in part to the weight, tires and being lowered, but ride either in any similar conditions.

Perhaps the Myth Busters should test this one out!
Ride what you're comfortable with and the elements you are riding in.
 
I agree with china mike, I have been riding softtails and fatboys for a long time. I think the dealer is full of it. Strong cross winds effect every bike or vehicle for that matter. I like the solid rims and have noticed little difference from other types of rims. Buy the fatboy if you like the style, you will not be sorry.
 
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