Opinion on 19 vs 21 front

[BobbedSled]

Just curious about tastes and opinons on 19 vs 21 fronts. The OD amounts to 1/2 height difference ride height but the big difference is on the amount of wheel vs tire. 21's shows more wheel and have smaller tire profile where the 19" rim has a much larger tire profile and less wheel. I know the overly fat front came and went but the 19 and 21 are still pretty std and both typically use 2.15 wide rim as well but seemingly the 21" rims often have narrower tires. So it really comes down to more wheel or more tire look wise. Just curious what people think these days between the look understanding it is opinion, but that is what I am interested in.

 

[XSLeo]

The 19 has more tire and air, this allows the tire to better absorb road shock.
Is it a big difference, I can't say. The only bike I ever rode with a 21 on front was a friend's 93 Harley wide glide. The best way to know for sure would be to have both a 19 and 21 with the same tire mounted on wheels. Ride a course with one then swap to the other and ride the same course again. This back to back comparison will give you a good idea of ride differences as well as any differences in handling.
Leo

 

[BobbedSled]

Yes... Lots more tire i bet that rides better. What about pure asthetics? Which looks better in ones opinion.

 

[TimeMachine]

Aren't 19 and 21 rims 1.85 ? I live in the past ..more air ? Isn't 28 psi the same either way ? again Im old and confused .. I like 19's but 21's on dirt bikes tho.. My likes .. And cheers Merry Christmas

 

[BobbedSled]

Ahh. Good point. I am m using harley wheels which i did not mention.

Happy holidays!

 

[XSLeo]

Not pressure, volume.
A 3.00 21 has a cross section about 3 inches by 3 inches. The 100/90-19 ha a cross section of about 4 inches by 3.5 inches. This holds a significant more volume of air. This larger volume can absorb more road shock.
This is way a lot of the old time choppers had the big fat rear tires and were run a bit on the soft side, to absorb the road shock and act a bit like suspension.
Leo

 

[Exploding Coffin Emporium]

Simple answer, It's really a form or function question, the 21 looks cool man, it's a bigger wheel and shit and I can dig that, but the 19 is gonna give you a better ride in the grand scheme of things, not night and day shit but there is definitely a difference. Either will work, but you gotta decide what kind of riding your gonna be doing most frequently and I'd base it off that.

 

[TimeMachine]

True that man, shitola. wait , hold on ............ what ? Oh ya, "in the end, numbers add up to nothing" Variety is the spice of life

 

[BobbedSled]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. It comes down to looks I am afraid. That is a great point and adds clarity for me I never really put 2 and 2 together. The bike is basically a bar hopper. Short runs and errands basically to look cool. Maybe my son will ride it to College 4 miles away. So I suspect based on that and the fact that I have an 18" chrome 60 spoke rear with a 240 tire, the larger 21" wheel will look better. I have both Springer and 39MM HD forks so I can mix and match along with drag bars and ape hangers. The springer I am not sure how it rides as I never rode with it yet and the HD forks work great. Bike is apart to get refinished.

I'll get the 21" also and keep the 19". When it is done I'll post pics of the various combinations and see what looks better. It is an occasional bike so looks seem to be more important as it is shaping up. I'll wager the 21" will fit the look better. Seems I ventured into form over function territory so why stop now with just a 19" huh.

 

[aldo5468]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. It comes down to looks I am afraid. That is a great point and adds clarity for me I never really put 2 and 2 together. The bike is basically a bar hopper. Short runs and errands basically to look cool. Maybe my son will ride it to College 4 miles away. So I suspect based on that and the fact that I have an 18" chrome 60 spoke rear with a 240 tire, the larger 21" wheel will look better. I have both Springer and 39MM HD forks so I can mix and match along with drag bars and ape hangers. The springer I am not sure how it rides as I never rode with it yet and the HD forks work great. Bike is apart to get refinished.

I'll get the 21" also and keep the 19". When it is done I'll post pics of the various combinations and see what looks better. It is an occasional bike so looks seem to be more important as it is shaping up. I'll wager the 21" will fit the look better. Seems I ventured into form over function territory so why stop now with just a 19" huh.

I had a 21" on my '82 for awhile with an 18" rear - bike rode very nicely with the 21", but it looked out of proportion to me, so went back to a 19" front.