A few words about lowering suspensions.
When you lower the bike it increases the spring rate with some lowering kits (ie shorter shocks) to compensate for the shorter travel.There are also other kits for softails that come with a longer link for the shocks that in effect make them longer which has their own problems built in too.
By doing this you get a noticeably firmer ride and the obvious ground clearance reduction which is more noticable especially on curves at speeds. You will notice that you will be contacting the ground sooner on curves at speed after this type of modification.
Care should also be taken to assure adequate clearance inside the fenders and no contact with wiring harnesses inside the rear fender especially.
Some choose the expensive air ride setup for lowering a bike like on the soft tails. These systems usually range from $1k to $2k in price to purchase the system and are good for a show bike but a daily ridden bike has some disadvantages with these systems like the malfunction of the system that will usually result in the bike dropping onto the rear tire and making it difficult to get it home.
Many have lowered their bikes and found the tail lights to be out afterward. Upon checking the problem they found was that the harness had been rubbed through by the rear tire.
Remember also that what you do in the rear as far as lowering should be done in the front also to avoid handling problems if you go this route otherwise handling may be compromised.
When you lower the bike it increases the spring rate with some lowering kits (ie shorter shocks) to compensate for the shorter travel.There are also other kits for softails that come with a longer link for the shocks that in effect make them longer which has their own problems built in too.
By doing this you get a noticeably firmer ride and the obvious ground clearance reduction which is more noticable especially on curves at speeds. You will notice that you will be contacting the ground sooner on curves at speed after this type of modification.
Care should also be taken to assure adequate clearance inside the fenders and no contact with wiring harnesses inside the rear fender especially.
Some choose the expensive air ride setup for lowering a bike like on the soft tails. These systems usually range from $1k to $2k in price to purchase the system and are good for a show bike but a daily ridden bike has some disadvantages with these systems like the malfunction of the system that will usually result in the bike dropping onto the rear tire and making it difficult to get it home.
Many have lowered their bikes and found the tail lights to be out afterward. Upon checking the problem they found was that the harness had been rubbed through by the rear tire.
Remember also that what you do in the rear as far as lowering should be done in the front also to avoid handling problems if you go this route otherwise handling may be compromised.