3 Harley-Davidson Fashions With Fats Rear Tires

There are a number of causes why some bikes have fats tires. For one, the additional width can present higher grip, particularly for heavier bikes. Fatter tires might also last more on heavier bikes, as skinnier tires distribute the bike’s weight throughout a smaller floor space. This decreased put on is very related when leaning into turns, for the reason that frictional power of the highway is utilized to the perimeters of the tire. Nevertheless, the principle cause many riders desire fats tires on their bikes is solely for the aesthetics.

Actually, the drawbacks of fats tires virtually at all times outweigh the advantages — actually. Larger tires imply heavier general bike weight, which decreases gasoline mileage and calls for extra energy from the engine to speed up. Plus, the broader tires require riders to lean extra and apply higher stress to the handlebars when turning. These negatives could be the cause so few Harley-Davidson fashions include fats rear tires. Though the model has a heavyweight status, it appears Harley-Davidson prioritizes easy dealing with and optimized engine energy over chunky rear tires.

That being mentioned, there are a few Harley-Davidson fashions that had been formally launched with fats rear tires. For this record, we have outlined “fats tires” to imply any tires with widths measuring 240 millimeters or wider. These embrace fashions from the appropriately-named Fats Boy, in addition to the Breakout line. On prime of that, there are a couple of fashions that show well-liked for fat-tire mods. Right here, we concentrate on personalized Fats Boy examples, though different Harleys are additionally generally fitted with huge tires, corresponding to the Night time Rod Particular.

Many riders think about the most recent Fats Boy to be probably the most troublesome Harley-Davidson to trip, and its huge rear tire performs a major half in that status. Certainly, the unforgiving dealing with of the 700-pound bike is made much more difficult by its 240-millimeter rear tire, which calls for deep lean angles when cornering. This 240-millimeter tire was first included into the Fats Boy design for the 2018 mannequin yr. Previous to 2018, the Fats Boy’s rear tire had been growing in width with every subsequent technology. For instance, the 2000 mannequin had 130-millimeter rear tires, the 2005 mannequin had 150-millimeter rear tires, and the 2010 mannequin had 200-millimeter rear tires.

Maybe in anticipation of the poor dealing with of such a large tire, Harley-Davidson has included two items of tech into newer fashions designed to enhance management. The primary is named the Cornering Enhanced Traction Management System (C-TCS), which primarily regulates the rear wheel’s spin to stop it from spinning out when low traction is detected. The second is named the Cornering Drag-Torque Slip Management System (C-DSCS), which may stop the rear wheel from locking up. Each techniques measure the lean angle to calibrate their motion, which is helpful when using the hard-to-turn Fats Boy. Neither piece of tech is sufficient to utterly treatment the poor dealing with of the Fats Boy’s rear tire, however they could assist.

Nevertheless, except for its troublesome dealing with, the Fats Boy is definitely thought-about probably the most fashionable Harleys ever made. And the rear tire is not the one “fats” a part of the Fats Boy’s aesthetic. The handlebars are classically huge, with many mannequin years’ OEM handlebars measuring 32 inches tip-to-tip. The headlight can be big, and it is set inside thick, huge entrance forks that add to the beefy fashion.

The Breakout’s tires are distinctive in a number of methods. For one, its rear tire has a width of 240-millimeter, so it actually earns its place within the “fats” class. However the rear tire’s chunky look is accentuated by the slimness of the entrance tire. At a mere 130-millimeter in width, the entrance tire seems starkly totally different from the chunky rear tire. This distinction is additional highlighted by the scale variations between the 2 wheels: the entrance wheel is 21 inches in diameter, whereas the rear wheel is eighteen inches in diameter. And as if the Breakout’s tires could not get any extra mismatched, the entrance is a bias-belted building whereas the rear has a normal radial building.

Though the Breakout has undergone varied revisions since its launch in 2013, the 240-millimeter rear tire and 130-millimeter entrance tire have remained the usual dimensions throughout each variation of the collection. The 18-inch rear wheel and 21-inch entrance wheel diameters have additionally remained constant. Nevertheless, Harley-Davidson launched a number of modifications to the wheel composition and styling via the years, which frequently various by nation.

For instance, early Breakout fashions had 10-spoke Gasser wheels in a gloss black end. Different fashions elevated the spoke depend to as excessive as 26, such because the 2024 and 2025 fashions. Variations of the CVO Professional Road Breakout featured 5-spoke Aggressor wheels, which gave the spokes a curved look. But nevertheless Harley-Davidson decides to vary the fashion of the Breakout’s wheels, it has to date maintained the unique chunkiness of its 240-millimeter rear tire, with no indicators of giving it up. 

Owing to their comparable names, the Fats Boy and Fats Bob are sometimes mistakenly considered associated bikes, but they’ve extra variations than similarities. Not like the Fats Boy, the Fats Bob was by no means formally launched with fats rear tires to assist its title. However that hasn’t stopped followers from including aftermarket tires to beef it up. The explanation the Fats Bob is such a preferred alternative for the improve is partly because of the truth that its inventory wheels already assist wider tires.

The Fats Bob has developed significantly because it was first launched in 2008. Initially a part of the Dyna collection of Harley bikes, it was built-in into the Softail collection in 2018, with a redesigned body, suspension, and varied different updates. Nonetheless, the Fats Bob has retained the identical wheel and tire dimensions via the years. Its 16-inch entrance wheel helps a 130-millimeter tire, whereas its 16-inch rear wheel helps a 180-millimeter tire. That is pretty huge, particularly in distinction to the slimmer entrance tire, however it’s removed from “fats.”

Nevertheless, fans and customized bike retailers alike have discovered that the Fats Bob simply accommodates a 200-millimeter tire with out heavy modification. The inventory rear wheel rim comes with a 5-inch width, so becoming it with a 200-millimeter tire will end in some bulging over the rim. But, regardless that the tire is wider than the wheel, the swing arm remains to be huge sufficient to accommodate a 200-millimeter width. That being mentioned, in line with boards, including tires wider than 200-millimeter requires modification of the inventory wheel, fender, and swing arm. However based mostly on the sheer amount of conversion kits obtainable, the Fats Bob is a well-liked mission bike for rear-tire fattening, with some customized jobs reaching widths of 300-millimeter.