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I lowered the rear of my Sportster 1200 Custom once about 2 inches and the last time around 3 inches. With 2 inch I didn't notice much besides more scrubbing pegs on tight turns. With3 inches, the pipes and peg mounts would hit and actually lift the tire up loosing some traction in real hard turns. I don't think 1 inch on a Heritage would be dangerous since your pegs would fold up and you would have to pull some fast curves to really get to the point of hitting something solid on your bike.
well if a person believes everything they read on this or any other forum then you have bigger problems than your bike just being an inch lower to the ground . you will have to toss out anything that says harley on it except your bike , but be sure and take the badges off the tank . throw away any type of tuner you got and buy the next 800.00 wonder on the horizon , toss all your helmets or doo-rags depending on which way the wind is blowing and buy some new leather pants since chaps dont have a butt in them and they are gay , decide which suspension company your going to support and drop another 1,500.00 dollars for there air ride gimmic, and buy the most obnoxious and expensive exhaust you can find. or you can just get on your bike and go take a ride through the beautiful country side where you live. the bottom line is if it aint broke dont fix it. If your not experiencing any problems then let it be and dont open up a can of worms that could screw up your wallet and your ride.
Oops, replied to myself. Still learning how this works lol.
Ron, I (the female)@ 5' 4" and 116 lbs. want to keep it lowered. He rides an 06 Ultra@ is 5' 10" and about 150 lbs. I think Geoff just got confused there. Oh btw thanx for the quick replies on here.
You're very welcome. If you ride the dragon at anything above 50mph you may throw a few sparks....
If I were you I would listen to your better? half.There is a world of difference between a shadow's ground clearance and a heritage in stock condition.It's easy to grind pipes floorboards etc on almost any stock harley, with it being lowered you are indeed setting yourself up for at best a bad case of road rash and I won't comment on the other extreme. Ride like your life depends on it,it does.
Ron, I (the female)@ 5' 4" and 116 lbs. want to keep it lowered. He rides an 06 Ultra@ is 5' 10" and about 150 lbs. I think Geoff just got confused there. Oh btw thanx for the quick replies on here.
Yeah, I was confused. 99.9% of the posts on HDF are byguys.
This is a good question. I have a 92 Dyna that is lowered and a 74 Ironhead that is not. They are completely different rides (down to the side they shift on). I have traveled some of the same roads on both bikes. I do not take the corners the same (Dyna scrapes). I do not take the freeway the same (Dyna feels better over 70). I enjoy and feel comfortable riding them both. I guess what I am trying to say is if you feel comfortable with the abilities of the bike and yourself while riding it, screw everyone else. JMFUO
There's nothing wrong with lowering any bike, you just get used to the new lean angles, and ride safely within those limitations...
Hell, I've seen a couple of people flip a stock bike laying into the floorboards too much...it's not the bike, it's the rider...just use some common sense...
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Nuttin at all unsafe about ride a bike that has been lowered a bit. Just remember, that it is lowered, and doesn't have the clearance in the turns, that it would if it was at stock height. Given the fact that you have never ridden it at stock height, you have no riding habits to unlearn!
Well now, we've discussed lean angles, suspension travel, etc.....I and everyone else that posted have not touched on the subject of foot placement. I am a firm believer that you should be able to "flat foot" your feet when stopped. If you can, and you should be able too, flat foot your lowered Heritage and raising it you may not be able to, then you need to leave it lowered.
I have seenmany more problems stopping and stating when people try to toe walk it. You definately don't want to drop it at an intersection or anywhere for that matter. Not to mention the slightly higher center of gravity.
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