Results time,
Positives first:
Ease of installation.As scooterbob said, it's really just a matter of swapping the wheel out with no modification to the fender, at least with the tire I used.The only thing I did was to grind down the pedestrian slicer bolts inside the fender. They did not rub, but I did it for Peace of mind.
Appearance. It definitely looks better. It does fill the fender nicely. The over all look and stance of the bike is better.
Low speed handling. It no longer has that "moped feel" as the professor so astutely pointed out
. It still handles/corners excellently at speeds from 0-50 mph.But not quite as good with the 18" wheel. It does have better straight line stability at these speeds. 35 mph, no hands, straight and true.I could never do that with the 18" wheel.It would tend to veer,left or right.
Negatives:
Center stand. Not a biggy at all,but it is more difficult to get the bike on and off the center stand.
High speed stability. This is the most important for me as you probably know, if you have followed this thread and my thread on the swing arm. I took the bike out on the highway, and was stunned to find that I had lost about 5-10mph in high speed stability, that I gained in the swing arm mod.At speeds starting at 60-65 mph,same old story,she starts to get light and squirrely.As speed increases ,it only get worse. At 75 mph,uncontrollable. Again, the slightest turbulence sets it off. Wind, truck, hitting a bump, or even knocking your knee into the side of your tank. It seems to me, what is happening at these speeds is that the front end and the rest of the bike get out of sync ,if you will ,caused by the turbulence,and does not correct fast enough. My 5-10 mph loss is probably from increasing the rake,and not adjusting for trail.A 1" wheel size change should not be a big deal.This is not like building a chopper when you just install much longer legs, and don't cut,adjust,and re weld the neck for correct rake and trail combination.
So it's back to the drawing board for me Boys.I'm still glad I did this wheel mod,it improves the look and feel of the bike. I just now know the front wheel is not the cause of my bikes high speed instability.Maybe it's time to try a stabilizer? Any thoughts?
Dan.