lowering softail deluxe

[boypop]

I hope everybody is doing well and got all their upgrades done for the upcoming season. I have one question,does anybody know if the softail deluxe rear can be lowered anymore than it comes from the factory.
I have a 07 and everything that I have read until now is that the deluxe couldn't be lowered. Now I see in all the catalogues all of the softails except the rockers have kits availeable for the rear.
Maybe some of you technical guys might know.Thanks.


Ride for the sun

Thanks Hobbit.
I really like the buried in the fender look and thats what I am looking for.

Hey Hobbit thanks again.
I too have looked in the HD catalogue and found the same,butJ&P and Drag offer Ness as well as other manufacturers. I really don't know what is the cheap kit.

 

[jebshog]

I have personally lowered a 07 softail deluxe. using a lowering kit which you can purchase from kt international. i have also lowered my personal 06 heritage the same way. You can do it yourself if you have any mechanical knowledge and a bike jack, to support the bike. You will also need a press to push the spring down and remove the retaining ring.

 

[glider]

Something to be said about lowering.
When you lower the bike it increases the spring rate with some lowering kits (ie shorter shocks) to compensate for the shorter travel. 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.
Many have lowered their bikes and found the tail lights to be out afterwards. Upon checking the problem they found was that the harness had been rubbed through.

 

[jebshog]

I agree, be careful. You definitely have got to slow down in the corners, my floor boards are rubbed to death....

 

[ekw13Fatboy]

glider correct me if i'm wrong, on the softails they have a completely type shock. the lowering takes place because you've lenghtened the shock. on the xl, dyna, and cruisers they use shorter shocks to lower. lowering kits for softails have a longer bolt therefore giving the longer length without changing spring action. the ride stays the same. mine didn't change at all. unless you really slam it way down.

 

[dangerdan]

I also wanted to lower my bike by 1.5 inches... I went to my local HD dealer and he advised me of the pros and cons of lowering my bike. He wanted about $500.00 to lower both front and back end. Money was not an issue and the job could have been completed in 3-4 hrs.

Both dealer and Glider warned me about the drawbacks to lowering the bike so I took a different route. I took my seat to a car upholsterer who also specialized in recovering motorcycle seats and had them remove some of the foam.

I can now got flat foot when sitting on my bike. This may not work for everyone as each "butt" has their own comfort level. At least I get to keep the stock geometry which was my main concern.

 

[glider]

glider correct me if i'm wrong, on the softails they have a completely type shock. the lowering takes place because you've lenghtened the shock. on the xl, dyna, and cruisers they use shorter shocks to lower. lowering kits for softails have a longer bolt therefore giving the longer length without changing spring action. the ride stays the same. mine didn't change at all. unless you really slam it way down.

You have it right with the dyna and others but depending on the shocks chosen for the softail, it can go either with a longer stud (mount ) or a different body completely. Either way you are changing the geometry of the rear suspension and it does make a difference even if it isn't big enough to notice.

Changing the ride height of the bikes effects more than just the height above the ground.

 

[boypop]

I do appreciate all the info and it appears that the overwhelming opinion is that I will change the geometry of the ride. With that being said,I do alot of two up riding, I don't think I want to compromise the safety or the quality of the ride.
Once again I want to let the forum know that everybodies opinion is really appreciated.


Ride for the sun.:bigsmiley23:

 

[glider]

Being you do a lot of 2 up riding, I really feel that you would not be happy if you went with the lowering especially in view of this.
Quite often what looks like a good deal ends up not so good after talking to people that have tried the same thing.