Lowered now pipes scrape
Cruiser
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Brandon, SD
Just lowered mine by about 1/2". I don't think you can lower a Deluxe 2" since it's already an inch lower from the factory. Put 422's on and extended the mount for the full 1" drop but it was two stiff and I was afraid of scraping my new (to me) pipes. Raised it up and now it's about a half inch lower. I don't lean so much around right handers, and on my Deluxe, the floorboards scrape first.
Might be scary for your wife to hear the scraping sound, but really, no harm done. Damage to the pipes will be down below where you don't see it. Just take it easy around right hand turns.
Might be scary for your wife to hear the scraping sound, but really, no harm done. Damage to the pipes will be down below where you don't see it. Just take it easy around right hand turns.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,156
Likes: 41
From: So Cal
Did you only lower the rear ? If its the ends of those Longshots that are hitting if you lower the front and level out the bike it will level the pipes and bring the tips up a little.
My bike is lowered 2 inch front and back and the only thing that hits regularly are the floorboards.
My bike is lowered 2 inch front and back and the only thing that hits regularly are the floorboards.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 726
Likes: 3
From: Pacific Northwest
I first set them up for maximum lowering, which I think lowered my Deluxe an inch (don't know should have measure before and after). The ride was very stiff (I'm 180 and had pre-load set at softest setting) and I was afraid of scraping my new pipes.
Raised them up a bit so my bike is about a 1/2" lower. Ride is still stiff but tolerable, and I'm back to scraping my floorboards instead of my pipes.
These shocks are expensive, and to me they were not worth the money. My brother put the $20 lowering bolts on his Softail Standard with practically the same results as my $400+ Progressives.
I'm probably in the minority, but that's my 2 cents. But I will say the following. I put the Progressive shocks on my Sportster and could have writting the same description as above, stiff ride and no better than stock. I had them on for one season and then sold the bike. But before I sold the bike, I took them off and put the stock shocks back on and rode the bike for a month or so. That's when I noticed how superior the Progressives were over the stock shocks, this being on a Sporster mind you.
Sorry for the long post.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,975
Likes: 12
From: NJ
Floorboards give, pipes don't. Correct me if I'm wrong but seems that could lever the back wheel off the road. Knew a guy who did that with his left footpeg. Put a groove in the blacktop right up to the utility pole that killed him.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 5,323
Likes: 37
From: NJ
My father once told me..."never screw with suspension"....I said yea yea (shut up-to myself)....
Then I bought an s-10 pick up and installed 6 K worth of hydraulics in it.
He's come out of the house and the truck would hit the gound flat to the dirt...then I'd make it jump up and bounce up and down,,,,sideways...you name it...It really pissed him off....
At the end of the day I did screw up the truck. It could do tricks but it was the worst riding vehicle I've ever had......lol
Then I bought an s-10 pick up and installed 6 K worth of hydraulics in it.
He's come out of the house and the truck would hit the gound flat to the dirt...then I'd make it jump up and bounce up and down,,,,sideways...you name it...It really pissed him off....
At the end of the day I did screw up the truck. It could do tricks but it was the worst riding vehicle I've ever had......lol
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 621
Likes: 0
When my pipes scrape, it's a nice "gentle" scrape, and doesnt really upset the motion of the bike. When my rear mounted kickstand hits the ground, it's a pretty hard jolt, and it almosts kicks the bike up a bit. It's kinda fun hitting corners hard and scraping stuff, but at the same time, if you're on a tight twisty road and hit a corner too fast, once you start scraping hard, you can't turn any tighter than you are at the moment. That can be bad if you came into the turn too hard.
I love my air suspension, cause I can jack up the bike and my heels will scrape long before any part of the bike does. However, it's always in the back of my head that if I develop a leak in the air system while riding the twisties, it could spell disaster if I hit a turn thinking I've got lots more clearance than I really do. It's a one in a million type situation, but it's the one drawback (in my eyes) to air ride. I find that I just dont hit the fun twisty mountain roads nearly as hard as I used to, cuz i get paranoid about not being able to make the turn as tightly as required.
You can have the handling, or you can have the "cool" slammed look.
I love my air suspension, cause I can jack up the bike and my heels will scrape long before any part of the bike does. However, it's always in the back of my head that if I develop a leak in the air system while riding the twisties, it could spell disaster if I hit a turn thinking I've got lots more clearance than I really do. It's a one in a million type situation, but it's the one drawback (in my eyes) to air ride. I find that I just dont hit the fun twisty mountain roads nearly as hard as I used to, cuz i get paranoid about not being able to make the turn as tightly as required.
You can have the handling, or you can have the "cool" slammed look.
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Tourer
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 417
Likes: 1
From: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Gotta say, if my $500 or $600 pipes were scraping, I'd raise that bike so fast, heads would spin. Too many other options like seat, boots etc if height is the issue. If it's just looks, I'd raise it even faster!!! LOL
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