Some people have em drilled out - rather neat look. Or just switch out to personalize the bike a bit more...

Oh and good luck with it! Ride safe-Pat

 

I don't believe you really have anything to worry about... I've got an '07 myself, and it isn't an issue. In extreme crosswinds, you will be pushed and may have to lean into the wind, but that is the case regardless of what wheels you have. Even the open-spoke wheels appear 'solid' at highway speeds, much like a lake's surface turns into 'concrete' at higher speeds. It is doubtful to me that you'd experience much difference regardless of the wheels you have.

Roger

 

Thanks for the reply's guys! This is the info I'm getting across the board. So looks like I'm going to stick with stock fatty wheels, plus will give it that 'fatboy' look and signature. Now I just have to decide on chrome or not. :\

 

I don't think you have a thing to worry about.....I couldn't tell any difference goint from

Solid here:

To Spokes here:

 

I spoke to my HD mechanic and he said it's crap. No truth about getting blown about because of the wheels. I have a FatBoy and when you have 40/50 mile winds sure you get blown around. But not because of the wheels...Some may disagree but that's my experience.

 

@gree:

You don't hear a whole lot about riders being thrown off the bike because of wind. I've heard of one story that a rider said he was caught in some wind and thrown off. I can't exactly remember who it was. It was a celebrity. I keep getting Hasselhoff in this story .

 

keep stock rims

dont get rid of them stock rims.the winds going to blow you around with whatever rims are underneath ya.nice bike.do ya need another fatty.just put mine up for sale.be careful out there.

 

An urban legend that has been around for years. Heard the same crap about the V-Max when it cam out in '85 due to the solid rear wheel. My V-Max and 2002 Fatboy blew around just as much as the other five motorcycles I have owned. The diameter of the wheel is just a small part of the cross section of the bike and rider. When any wheel is spinning the air is still blocked from pushing through it.

Enjoy your bike and leave it stock if you like the looks, otherwise there are plenty of cool after market wheels out there. Just don't buy them expecting a difference in handling

 

I say we keep the rumor going so I have somthing to tell my Old Lady when I want new wheels. Hell I saw the wind once blow a guy into a full out wheel stand. Course I can't use that excuse cuz I have spokes but they are even worse all the little spokes act like little airplane wings and the tire just lifts off the ground. Think she'll buy it?

 

There was another thread about fatboy wheels recently. Initial poster wanted new wheels and needed an excuse. You get blown around with solid wheels is as good as any. Never heard the little spokes are like little airplane wings, but I like it . . . .

I get blown around less in crosswinds on my FB than I did a sporty. I think it has more to do with the 700+ lbs vs. 575 lbs than type of wheel.

And, if you're gonna change wheels to open it up, whaterya gonna do about the belt pulley and brake disks which cover a significant portion of three of the four sides of the wheels?

Lefty

 

Well you all can call it whatever you want to..

Dump the solid wheels,,,,, they are nothing but a hazard and a quick way to get killed.. '

It is NOT an urban legend...
Ask me how I know this.......

Let me start by saying that I have been riding since I was 8 and got my first Harley at 16 in a basket.. I have never stopped riding like many have.. and I am 50 now..
I bought an 01 FatBoy new in January of 01 and lived in Oregon at the time.. there are only two types of weather there.. raining and windy..
I personaly had the wind catch the wheels and maybe not knock me off or knock me over but I had several unwanted lane changes..
You can believe what you choose but anyone that has not ridden one in the wind and says it is not an issue needs to go back to the peanut gallery where it belongs..
Those that have ridden one and been caught in a bad wind whether or not they know it have been pushed around by the wind due to the solid wheels..
I now ride a Road Glide with the big arse fairing and get told all the time that I shouldnt have gotten it because the wind will push me around all the time.. now that one is not true. the ones with the bat wing get pushed around more than me...... so I dont think the problem with the Fatboy wasnt pilot error.....

All I will say is never let your guard down when you are riding,, especially in the wind...

ride safe

 

@gree:

You will certainly get pushed around MORE with solid wheels than spoked or mags. The reason is simple physics: MORE surface area with the solid wheels.

 

I've ridden in the spring winds of the El Paso desert for years with solid wheels and spoke wheels.before moving to Georgia with the Army......you get your arse kicked no matter what you're riding.....lane changes yes...but just as bad with spokes as with solid wheels....I haven't experienced a difference.......it's bad either way.... I don't know about urban legend...always rode in rural areas myself...

 

That BS comes from some guy that works for honda
46,000 miles on this fatboy and it has been riden it a lot of wind and rain It does not have one bit of effect on the bike . NOT ONE BIT

 

Hey Top, (smitty901)

I have noticed a big difference in Wind when riding with my detachable windshield and then without....You?..

And what kind of lift is that?

 

I almost got a fatboy instead of my heritage, that (side wind) was also a guestion I had, and after talking to several other fb owners I was told not a problem to worry about...

 

Iv riden sevral fat boy`s in all kind`s of weather and have never had a problem. ride safe. have fun , dont wory

 

I think where you'll notice it the most would be in a flat zone such as Kansas, where the winds really will whip you around...but at that point, I do not think it will matter considerably between solid and spoke...You may also encounter it on long and very tall bridges.

I know people who have fatboys, and one got his drilled out, and noticed a difference. Could it be somewhat psychological....yes, I think...but could also provide a slight improvement too...and also looks rather cool I think....

 

Windy as schitt!

I live on the east side of the Continental Divide were the wind blows what seems like almost constantly (as in 20-30 mph when it blows, with gust over 40mph). I have a Standard, not a FB, but I have noticed a difference when I install the windshield but nothing extreme. I recently added an Ultra to the fleet and I assure you the FB can't be anywhere close to the sail as a full fairing bike. Even so, it isn't any worse than the tornado you get when you pas an 18 wheeler.

I agree with Top, this must be an urban legend spread by the metric boys!:hystria:

 

Hey, I have an idea, maybe this is something the Mythbusters would look into and settle it once and for all. However let me ask this first. Consider an airplane with propellors or a helicopter. Everyone agrees that these are not solid right, more like a spoked wheel. And when the pilot goes to take off because there is just a little bit of pitch to the blades they pull air thruogh one way and it cant go back through the blades in the opposite direction. Why because the blades act like a solid object to a certain degree.

So if like a lot of people are saying that a spoked rim does not block air like a solid rim then airplane propellors and helicopter rotors would not provide thrust and lift either.

And for those of you that are going to try and tell me that I am full of %^it, how much time do you have working around/on airplanes? Me, I have spent 23 years, 20 of it in Naval Aviation on active duty.

 

I won't debate your qualifications as I don't know your specific rate. Although I have spent over 22 years active duty AF, and have spent much of it in, or around, or responding to aircraft, I'm not an aeronautical engineer. And even though I've dealt with missiles and rockets, I'm no rocket scientist either!

I think the myth was based on a large flat surface, not on a specific shape. I supose if spokes were wing shaped I would think you'd be correct. But since my spokes don't generate a positive or negative air pressure, or propell me sideways across the road AND I'm in the Air Force, I guess I can claim I'm right too!:265::hystria:

 

EODHOG,

Given that you are in the AF I would normally draw pictures to make it easier to understand, but I dont know how to do that here, so I guess we will just have to call it a draw.
:265:
:cheers:

 

No cartoon pics needed!

:spank:Without dragging some of the other services into this, one thing the AF is NOT known for is FMs/TMs with stick figures in them. I guess you are too tired from hot rackin' with your buddy to be more creative than that!

I was hoping for a physics lesson but I suppose I'll have to wait for another day! LOL
Keep the rubber side down.:wavey:

 

I have a fatboy and for 7 years the stock wheels have been blowing me from side to side. I finally get new wheels and it has stoped cold. one time on our way to sturgis from NJ we had to stop in the middle of south dakota because it was so windy.

 

Come to Wyoming if y'all wanna see the wind really howl....

 

Ok, here`s the real deal: (I own and ride my Fatboy with the solid disc wheels). Wind, especially strong side winds, can be noticeably unnerving. Passing semi trucks also, but not as hairy. Will it scare the crap out of you? Maybe the first time you get blown across your lane while crossing a high bridge. Is it caused by the disc wheels? Yes, and you can feel where the pressure is coming from; the wheels, which is what makes it such an attention getter. We`ve all experienced strong winds on our body and sheet metal (above the center of gravity)and know how to compensate for that, but combating pressure below the center of gravity is an entirely different animal. Will I replace the wheels on my Fatboy because of this? I`m seriously considering it, although I like "the look" of them after having them machine polished...... I wonder if the 9 spoke Road King wheels are a direct fit.... anyone done that? I have a 1995 with 3/4" axles.....

 

There is some differnce between my Nightrain and my buddies Fatboy.

Fang hit it on the head. you can feel the wind pushing above the center of gravity (we ALL feel this riding bikes), and you can feel the difference when the bike UNDER you starts to veer.

Catasprophic? Of course not or HD wouldnt have sold 'em. Is there something to it? Yup, maybe why HD also went away from the solid wheels and started with the drilled look to vent pressure on both Fatboy models and the FXST rears.

Oh, and cause I thought the above conversation funny...

I am also retired AF and have worked flight controls and avionics on fighters for 20 years. you're not getting anywhere near the speeds required to form "boundary layer air" on a bike.