What is...or how do you determine the minimum height off the ground a motorcycle should sit with passengers (or without), to have proper clearance for potholes, and lean angles? How many inches should be between the lowest point and the road?

 

mine is stock height and ive scraped the pegs on turns. dont know the minium though but i wouldnt mind being an inch lower. ooops sounds like another project

 

I don't think there is a "minimum ride hight".
I think it is a matter of personal preference.
The lower you go, the more you should tryto drive aroundpot holes and the slower youshould go over railroad tracks.

 

I am worried about bottoming out with lean angles as you run around long sweeping curves....maybe scraping my frame or kickstand or something...

 

In my car, I run airbags so I usually drive around with only about 2 inches of clearance. I pay the price with a very harsh ride and I always have to pay close attention to obstacles such as potholes or railroads. I can always hit the switch and put more air in the bags, but you have to ask yourself, "Do I want to be comfortable, or do I want to look like a badass!" The answer is badass. So thats why my bike is low and I always scrape, but I like to think I look cool doing so.

 

as far as pot wholes speed bumps you try to go around . as far as corners you try not to lean to hard .it dont matter if it is stock hight or lowered.or raised depending on how you ride you will scrape.

 

During inspections in some states they measure the ground clearance. May want to check with the DMV for inspection criteria.

 

Different bikes have different ground clearances and lengths. The more ground clearance the more you can lay it into the curves. The baggers give a better ride when riding 2 up like the EG and it has air shocks. This is some of the homework that you should of looked at when you was shopping for the different kinds of bikes to find a bike suited for riding solo or2 up or touring or bar hoping. And it also helps with how tall or short you are.
H-D has specifications on their bikes on their site on howground clearance and length andall on their site.