[JFeisty]

I have a 21 inch wheel on my Chieftain and it handles just fine. Is it different than stock? Yes but not to an extreme where it really makes much of a difference for touring riding or even getting after it a little harder than normal. That being said, he might change the Challengers geometry more because that bike is meant as a high performance bagger and is set up for just that, performance! That being said though, I honestly don't think it'll change it enough to be worried about unless you ride ridiculously hard. Normal riding would be just fine

Yeah, I never rode an XC with the 21". The guys I knew that had them said at low speeds you could feel it just a bit...they said it was a little harder to handle at parking lot speeds, but just a little. At highway speeds they're fine. All depends on the geometry, like you said. It will affect different bikes differently.

Of course, towards the end Victory came out with the Magnum which came stock with the 21", but the geometry was changed a bit to accommodate it.

 

[Grayrat]

They pay engineers big $$ to develope the BEST product and we want to start altering it as soon as we get it home!! I remember in 1989 working in a Lincoln mercury store, the 1990 town car was released, a very aerodynamic sleek car for the times, big $$$ spent by Ford mtr co in wind tunnel testing to quiet it down and make it better than the dinosaur 1989 model it replaced. And as soon as they hit the showroom floor we sent them out and put faux carriage roofs (fiberglass shell with fabric cover and faux crossbars) on them to help bump the profit margin and iINDIVIDUALIZE them and in the process INCREASED the interior noise substantially....BUT we still sold them!!!
In my opinion the larger the sidewall on the tire the better the ride...the front tire has to take up all the impact of road way imperfections (Chuck holes tar strips expansion joints etc) when you increase the wheel diameter and shorten the sidewall area more is transmitted to the handle bars and ultimately your arms! I love the big wheel look! But I'm not willing to make that trade off! So I think the bike is killer as it sits!! Spend that $$$ on something else to INDIVIDUALIZE it if you must!

just my 2c but I changed my Chief classic spoked wheel with a custom made Renegade 19”.
Handling stayed the same because the new wheel was a lot lighter than the old steel wheel.

Most of the new Indians come with a 19" front along with most other brands. There must be a reason. Handling. Just like all off-road motorcycles come with 21" spoke wheels.

 

[Grayrat]

Yeah, I never rode an XC with the 21". The guys I knew that had them said at low speeds you could feel it just a bit...they said it was a little harder to handle at parking lot speeds, but just a little. At highway speeds they're fine. All depends on the geometry, like you said. It will affect different bikes differently.

Of course, towards the end Victory came out with the Magnum which came stock with the 21", but the geometry was changed a bit to accommodate it.

• Triumph XCX vs. XRX and KTM 1290 SAR vs. SAS. Scary at 85 vs. Stable at 100. Bought both brand new and sold both within 6 months at a big loss.

 

[WYO Challenger]

Thank you for all the feedback. I plan to wait for a pro to come up with an option (hope you are reading this Witch Doctors) and then I will decide. The bike is amazing, but I think it would stand out from the crowd more with a big wheel. I do not want to give up any handling, and I did not on the Vic. The fact that this bike handles like my CC is why I bought it. Love the ride and comfort, so I don’t want to lose anything for looks.
Stay safe, and enjoy the passing lanes!!!

 

[reinie]

Just my two cents. I had a Vic Cross Country and demoed a couple Magnums at the time. The steering response, quickness of steering inputs whatever were markedly slower on the Magnums. I liked the standard wheel/tire combination better but that's just my two cents.

 

[Dochardtail]

You shouldn't feel much of a difference.i build choppers for friends,if the front end is long with a raked neck,you need a small wheel,as they want to flop over.hard to come out of a corner that way.so it's ape hangers with 21 inch wheel,(for leverage);or drag bars and 19 inch wheel and small tire.everything else is just preference for looks.

 

[victory11]

I'd never sacrifice form for function. Good handling is what separates the Challenger from most bikes. I haven't ridden one but I believe it will handle a lot like my XC.

 

[reinie]

I'm guessing quite a bit similar.

 

[Hatt]

If you would like a slower turn in, than Ya, Go for it. But I I've always wondered why people would want to "unperformance" something designed for a certain level of performance.... we are a curious species...

 

[Kost]

I don't own a Challenger (I own a 2016 Chieftain), but I certainly would not upset the geometry and handling of the motorcycle and slow down steering inputs, the 21" wheel will most likely reduce the size of the tire contact patch on the pavement thereby compounding the issue. I am a 'form follows function' guy when it comes to motorcycles, I love performance. Custom motorcycles are a different story.

 

[Cic3395]

I own a 2017 Vintage and are in the process of putting on a 21” 48 fat spoke chrome front wheel more for looks so you can see the spokes. With the rake of the Vintage it actually supposed to be a nicer ride with the 21”. I agree with the other comments that with a more upright bike a 21” may not handle as well. But I do remember I think the chieftains a few years ago had the 21” option if not mistaken.

 

[NessScout]

I own a 2017 Vintage and are in the process of putting on a 21” 48 fat spoke chrome front wheel more for looks so you can see the spokes. With the rake of the Vintage it actually supposed to be a nicer ride with the 21”. I agree with the other comments that with a more upright bike a 21” may not handle as well. But I do remember I think the chieftains a few years ago had the 21” option if not mistaken.

Chieftains never had a 21" wheel. Victory had a Magnum with a 21 inch wheel which was pretty much a cross country with a 21 inch set up

 

[Old Timer]

I don't understand the "Stand out from the crowd" comment.

 

[Dochardtail]

 

[WYO Challenger]

I don't understand the "Stand out from the crowd" comment.

Love the photo from Doc. At least impart to your feedback, I have elected to hold off any big mods until the first season is under my belt. The bike will plenty of “standout“ on its own, and it would likely impact the ride. i may have a tendency to go with the trend, as I had a Jackpot, Slingshot, and a “big wheel“ (Magnum size) on my CCT. I think I figure the set up was similar enough, it may work.

 

[Anthregi405]

Here is my $0.02.
I had an '09 Roadglide made by the other major manufacturer. Bought new. It came with a 17" front wheel and a 16" rear. Looked horrible. I immediately upgraded both wheels to Renegade chrome wheels, a 19" front and an 18" rear. The salesman at the time told me I was nutz to put a 19" on the front as the geometry would be all messed up. The only bike made by that other company with a 19" front was the Vrod.....the Roadglide handled great. And wouldnt you know....some 10 years later, all the "new" bikes come with 19"/18" combos now. Id love to see that dealer now.
After my HD, I bought a Cross Country. I did the same thing, except I only upgraded the front on that bike to a 19" (going up an inch from an 18"). I didnt want to swap out front fenders, rotors, abs rings on either the Vic or the HD....too much$$$, I got the look I wanted without sacrificing ride.
I now have a 2020 Chieftain Limited and it too has a 19" front right from the factory. The Magnums from the factory were rollin 21's and I believe the Challenger will be just fine with a 21".

 

[Anthregi405]

All 3 of my bikes with a 19". Going to a 21", your not going to notice much of a difference. Maybe a lighter feel if anything in the steering. Get the 21". Everyone will be doing it that can afford it. And all the manufacturers will eventually make a model with a factory 21". The new CVO roadglide comes with a 21" for 2020.

 

[iamandrewx]

don't listen to these losers.
"waaaa the engineers"
"waaaa stopping distance"
"waaaa handling"

21 fronts look awesome. 22+ looks a bit dated and tacky, IMO. but the handling and stopping power, even if effected, just needs to be relearned.

 

[Anthregi405]

I love it and completely agree "iamandrewx"

Its comin from the same guys that say,:
"cant mess with the geometry"
"it was built that way for a reason"
"Going to affect handling"
"Engineers know best"

I bet all those guys are still runnin completely stock bikes right? Ya. The same guys that put air cleaners and slip on pipes. Wait, you cant do that... that will affect performance....that will affect mpg's....
Bla bla. They just dont want to spend serious coin to make it custom or cant cause they "need to run it by the wife"

Do what you want. Completely stock bikes are made to fit a basic rider to federal standards. Seats, windshields, handlebars, air cleaners, tuners, wheels, etc... all need to be changed or customized. Stock is lame. Stock tunes are horrible for performance (rich as hell for epa and mpg standards).
A 21"...again is not a big deal. Youll get used to it and still outride others.

 

[Grad]

I bought my new Challenger sight unseen and have been ext pleased with the bike so far. I did bring it home and parked it next to my old CCT that had the 21” wheel upgrade last year.
any thoughts on doing the same adjustment to the Challenger? View attachment 583175

I'm considering the same thing.
I had a bagger that came with 16" front wheels. I changed them to 21". I thought the bike was lighter in feel and handled great. Not to mention it looked WAY better. I noticed no difference in braking. The only issue I had, which was a big issue, was the rotor & ABS sensor compatibility which was screwed up. The wheel manufacturer thought they designed it properly but discovered that they really didn't get it right. They offered me a refund but I loved the look so much I kept it.

On another note, I never understood why there would be a change of anything when changing wheel size. I mean, tire radius is the same, tire width is the same, wheel hub location is the same. The only difference is the tire sidewall dimension.