Hey people. I'm a new harley owner, I have an 02 dyna lowrider that was bought off of a 5 foot tall woman. She had lowered the shocks to 11", this is way too low for me because I ride aggressively and scrape pegs all the time, plus the roads up here are garbage, so I ordered some 12" progressive 412 shocks which I believe is stock height. There is maybe 3-1/2" clearance under the bike right now.

I picked up a motorcycle jack from princess auto that is too high to get under the bike to lift it up, but my main problem is the oil pan guard that is welded to the right side frame rail. It sits down about an inch and a quarter on that side.

Whats the best way to lift this bike level so I can change out the shocks when they come? I don't want to order a 500$ lift, I've seen some people make wooden levers out of 2x4s but I can't see how that would work with this oilpan guard. Help?

 

That is a known issue with the many Dyna models and your jack needs to be modified to work.
Read up some in this long-long topic about the Sears Red ATV jack;
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...ification.html.
Basically you cut that bar between the lift arms of the jack and re-mount them on the outside,, it'll then be wide enough to go behind the oilpan,, one arm will slide right next to the kickstand and the other will fit behind the oilpan. You still have to pull the bike upright to get the jack under the bike,, do use the safety straps.
1,000's of us have done this modification.

 

I prefer the J&S jack for that exact reason as the arms on it will clear the guard on the right side, however I realize you do not want to pay the price for that solution. If you search on these forums there are some threads as to how folks modified the Sears jack as well as the Harbor Freight jacks to make them work on Dynas, chances are the same mod or something similar will work for you

Here is one thread
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...ification.html

I believe there are some other threads were people described using pieces of wood on the left side between the jack and frame to compensate for the frame guard on the right.

Given the fact you are removing wheel and shocks, I would be damn sure that what ever you do to make the jack you have work does not affect the bike sitting solidly on the jack. last thing you want is a unstable bike on a lift when doing that kind of work. Again another reason I love the J&S

The biggest issue you will have with that bike being maybe 3.5" off the ground is getting any jack under it. Most including the J&S need about 4" of clearance. A solution to that maybe to get you a couple pieces of 1 or 2 inch thick pieces of wood and getting the tires up on those to give you the extra inch or two of clearance. Of course you will need a 2nd guy for that to hold the bike upright once on the wood while you center the jack and lift

Harley makes a Service lift adapter that can be installed on the bike that I believe overcomes the issue of the pan guard on the right side. I have never used them but others here I know have an may can chime in with an opinion
http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...ft-adapter-kit

 

Itake three scraps of plywood/osb, run the bike up on them. Each tire on its ownpiece, and pull out the center section. I put a board under kickstand to straighten the bike slightly. This allows my jack to slide under in the voidwhere the plywood was. I have found it safe and secure. You may needthicker or double (screwed together pieces) to attain the height you need.

I use piece big enough to not worry about sliding or anything

 

Thanks guys! I have a plan formulated. I'm gonna use pieces of lumber to roll it up on with a buddy, get him to hold it level, then I'm gonna slide the jack under it. Not sure about the balance point but I'll figure it out. The jack I have has frame holders you can raise or lower so I'm thinking I can level it side to side that way even with the oilpan protector plate there.

Now I get to thinking, if I should fab up a front wheel holder out of 2x4s or something to hold the front tire level to and maybe strap it up..anyone do this? Or is it even necessary??

 

When I was lifting my lowered dyna Id just put a couple 2x6s down and roll the bike up on to them. That should give you the clearance to slide the jack under

 

Can't offer any advice about lifting the bike, however something you said about your riding habits caught my attention. For someone with a very aggressive cornering style, along with the crappy roads, you might consider actually going to a slightly longer shock. From personal experience I know that even another 1/2" can make a difference. Not just for clearance in the twisties but comfort-wise too. I see you already ordered new shocks, but you may want to think about it. My 2 cents.

 

Yup... This. I have 13.5" shocks on my Street Bob, and drag the boards (and the stock muffler on the right side) all the time. Not just while riding in an aggressive manner in the twisties.

 

I replaced the stock shocks on my LR with 1/2"taller ones, still is a tight squeeze to get a jack under the low rider, though I have a lift to do most of the service and the jack for only when removing the front wheel.

 

I just did the red jack modification.
* I don't need 2x6's
* I don't need 2x4's
* I don't need an extra body to hold the bike.
* I don't need to lift my bike up to use the jack.
* I don't need anything to hold the wheels when it is up on the jack.

But, whatever trips yer trigger I guess
p.s. Can someone explain how taller shocks will raise the frame when there is no load (no rider-no passenger) on the bike?