lowering blocks are a recipe for disaster
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 292
Likes: 4
From: New Philadelphia, OH
Some numbers must be off here, no way those are 10" shocks... not eye to eye anyway. To the OP, just be glad you stayed on the bike and chalk it up as a lesson learned. My superglide had 11" progressives and it did that same thing to me a number of times. Only difference was with the shocks at least my swingarm couldn't physically reach the fender. All that force just gets transferred to your body.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 949
Likes: 1
From: Pacific Northwest
I guess I don't get it, unless you are 5"2" and need to lower the bike to stay flat footed, why do it? Looks only? Flame away but, 12 1/2 "+ shocks in the rear is minimum in my opinion, for a bike you might like to push once in a while.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,489
Likes: 23
From: East of Tulsa
Softening preload makes sense. With the lowering blocks you move the shock attachment closer to the axle and further away from the pivot point. That decreases leverage. But you are also changing the angle of the shock. That may (I don't really know) interfere with the proper workings of the shock.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
From: Killeen, TX
Some numbers must be off here, no way those are 10" shocks... not eye to eye anyway. To the OP, just be glad you stayed on the bike and chalk it up as a lesson learned. My superglide had 11" progressives and it did that same thing to me a number of times. Only difference was with the shocks at least my swingarm couldn't physically reach the fender. All that force just gets transferred to your body.
6'1" 132 pounds wet, and yes those are 10 inch shocks, the reaso I lowered it that much is to handle the curvy roads of MO a lot better, this thing comes out of a curve a lot better than a BUSA will ever think about, you may get me going into a curve, but stay to the outside coming out or you may get run over.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 171
Likes: 0
From: Connecticut
I put a set of 1.75' blocks on my 2010 fxdc and set the preload to the highest setting as recommended by the manufacture. No worries at this point, bike felt great and looked great. Rode it around town for around 2 weeks thinking that my cheap *** made the right decision by going blocks instead of shocks. How wrong was I. I got on the freeway and headed out feeling good but I was not aware of what was coming. Doing around 70 and California freeways don't mix, uneven concrete about 1" or more offset (felt like 20") when I hit, rocked my world. The front fork just about bottomed out moving my hands to the end of the bars but when the back end hit it about took me off the bike. I actually thought I had bent a rim it hit so hard. The bike felt alright so I got where I was going and my buddie and I gave the bike a once over and this is what we found. The swing arm had hit so hard that it came up and the rear brake caliper hit the rear fender chipping the paint and the little plastic cover on the bleed screw has a small retention strap well the fender severed that. I only weigh 190 but with the blocks you just don't have the support on the shocks. That being said the bike is now back to stock height and I will keep it that way a small fee.. I should have known that you get what you pay for.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,562
Likes: 11
From: Palm Harbor fl.
6'1" 132 pounds wet, and yes those are 10 inch shocks, the reaso I lowered it that much is to handle the curvy roads of MO a lot better, this thing comes out of a curve a lot better than a BUSA will ever think about, you may get me going into a curve, but stay to the outside coming out or you may get run over.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 292
Likes: 4
From: New Philadelphia, OH
6'1" 132 pounds wet, and yes those are 10 inch shocks, the reaso I lowered it that much is to handle the curvy roads of MO a lot better, this thing comes out of a curve a lot better than a BUSA will ever think about, you may get me going into a curve, but stay to the outside coming out or you may get run over.
You got your bike to handle better than a sport bike by slamming the rear end WITH BLOCKS?? The only way you're gonna run me over is if you try to chase me around a corner and your bargain basement drop job runs out of awesomeness, bottoms out and you go down. All I'm saying is don't share "information" with members when you obviously don't have anything useful to contribute.
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Joe Kucinski
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
What about lowering shocks, does it make a differance? Just wondering if Lowering shocks would have the same down falls. Does the bike handle better or worse. Just trying to understand if theres a better way than lowering blocks, and are people doing this mod because it looks good, or because the bike is supposed to handle better.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,306
Likes: 3
From: Vancouver, BC
I have the 1" lowering blocks and haven't had a problem. As I recall the 1.75s were not recommended with the stock SB (12" shocks) - probably for the very reason the OP is talking about.
That would be the equivilant of a 10.25" shock back there in terms of ride height which is shorter than even the burley kit which has 10.5" shocks. The 1.75 block ride height compounded with the steep angle of the shock probably isn't a good idea.
Really, if you are going to run it that low, with that little amount of travel and your pre-load cranked all the way up - why not just by the 10" struts from Biltwell and be done with it? won't feel that much different and at least you wont be bottoming out.........
That would be the equivilant of a 10.25" shock back there in terms of ride height which is shorter than even the burley kit which has 10.5" shocks. The 1.75 block ride height compounded with the steep angle of the shock probably isn't a good idea.
Really, if you are going to run it that low, with that little amount of travel and your pre-load cranked all the way up - why not just by the 10" struts from Biltwell and be done with it? won't feel that much different and at least you wont be bottoming out.........