Scraping Floorboards
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,796
Likes: 36
From: Toronto, Ontario
I have to say my 2 cents here,
I used to race bikes, my last sport bike was an 02 Yamaha R1, that had 130HP on the rear while and weighed half the weight of my 'light' softail.
I really do NOT understand the argument of not 'lowering' your bike, seriously, anyone who cares about 'performance so much, is in the wrong forum and riding the wrong bikes !.
These are 'air cooled', 'push rods', low power, shitty Trans, and the softails are only second worst after hard-tails when it comes to handling, anything else will beat it flat out .
It is all about the 'feel' and 'style' of the bike, so if lowering makes you feel better then great, does it make you more prone to run out of angle in a corner ? of course ? but the same argument can be made about any harley bike, hick, the deluxe has the same setup from the factory ?.
So again, I am not sure why people feel the need to lecture on corner speed here ? seriously ? this is like the 'who is the tallest midget in the circus' discussion
.
Of course , on Racing Sunday, all the guys with standard height softails will be further on the grid.. but.. oh.. wait.. we don't do that
.
<end of rant>
I used to race bikes, my last sport bike was an 02 Yamaha R1, that had 130HP on the rear while and weighed half the weight of my 'light' softail.
I really do NOT understand the argument of not 'lowering' your bike, seriously, anyone who cares about 'performance so much, is in the wrong forum and riding the wrong bikes !.
These are 'air cooled', 'push rods', low power, shitty Trans, and the softails are only second worst after hard-tails when it comes to handling, anything else will beat it flat out .
It is all about the 'feel' and 'style' of the bike, so if lowering makes you feel better then great, does it make you more prone to run out of angle in a corner ? of course ? but the same argument can be made about any harley bike, hick, the deluxe has the same setup from the factory ?.
So again, I am not sure why people feel the need to lecture on corner speed here ? seriously ? this is like the 'who is the tallest midget in the circus' discussion
.Of course , on Racing Sunday, all the guys with standard height softails will be further on the grid.. but.. oh.. wait.. we don't do that
.<end of rant>
scraping the boards
JMHO
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 766
Likes: 1
From: 415/707
not trying to play ricky rocket on my fatty, i save that for my plated XR650R runnin moto tires, & normally eat rockets in the twisties ( liter bikes especially, pisses em off to no end to have a big dirt bike hand them their *** ) hahaha
but,,
i'm constantly in the twisties on my fatty runnin with my friends who aren't runnin softails. quite often we'll run up to Cloverdale & hit 128 & run up to Mendocino & come back down Hwy 1, which is 200 miles of very tight turns & switchbacks
just settin up my scoot where i can run more comfortably & keep up with my bros & not have the fear in the back of my mind that i may die out on some turn because i come into it a bit too hot, & have to lean it into it a couple extra degrees to compensate, hit a hard component too hard, & send me 1000ft off a mountain
these guys that are lowering their softails do so because they want it to look exactly like the thousand of other lowered scoots that they see, they primarily run on straight roads, & have to drive around speedbumps, never really understood why people would mod their bike to actually diminish good handling characteristics & rideability,, but it shore looks cool throwing sparks
but,,
i'm constantly in the twisties on my fatty runnin with my friends who aren't runnin softails. quite often we'll run up to Cloverdale & hit 128 & run up to Mendocino & come back down Hwy 1, which is 200 miles of very tight turns & switchbacks
just settin up my scoot where i can run more comfortably & keep up with my bros & not have the fear in the back of my mind that i may die out on some turn because i come into it a bit too hot, & have to lean it into it a couple extra degrees to compensate, hit a hard component too hard, & send me 1000ft off a mountain
these guys that are lowering their softails do so because they want it to look exactly like the thousand of other lowered scoots that they see, they primarily run on straight roads, & have to drive around speedbumps, never really understood why people would mod their bike to actually diminish good handling characteristics & rideability,, but it shore looks cool throwing sparks
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 266
Likes: 1
From: Boynton Beach, FL
You've got my attention
[quote=just installed a set of 2 over tubes & a set of longer cowbells, new higher profile tire than i was running, along with the higher profile rear tire that i'm running, & also jacked up the preload on the rear shocks[/quote]
I love the styling, look, meat, ride, etc., etc. of my fatboy - it's just the bike for me That being said, having your cake and eating it too is never a bad thing! I miss the corning abilities of my metrics gone-by, so I would ever so appreciative if you would elaborate on your modifications, potential downsides, etc. etc. Learning a lot (please be gentle) on the forums and beginning to disassemble and reassemble, so looking forward to making my own modifications:
Cheers, Kevin.
I love the styling, look, meat, ride, etc., etc. of my fatboy - it's just the bike for me
That being said, having your cake and eating it too is never a bad thing! I miss the corning abilities of my metrics gone-by, so I would ever so appreciative if you would elaborate on your modifications, potential downsides, etc. etc. Learning a lot (please be gentle) on the forums and beginning to disassemble and reassemble, so looking forward to making my own modifications:- 2 over Tubes = You have extended the fork 2" over stock; I assume this means you have replaced the top portion of the Fork/Springs/Seals. The cowbells are the covers over the top of the fork.
- What brand, recommendations, etc. would you make. From I can find, 2" won't adversely impact handling and sounds like it just gives you more clearance, for better leaning, which does give you better handling. Such a beautiful stable bike to lean, until you hear "the sound."
- Does increasing the preload raise the whole bike, or just the swing-arm (possibly a stupid questions, but I have not really looked at mechanics/leverage points of the suspension yet).
- If stock tires are:
Front 140/75-R17
Rear 200/55-R17
I'm assuming you have only increased height of rear tire. What size did you use and just confirming the larger tire with increase preload didn't give you any clearance issues with rear fender/tail wiring. Brand you recommend? Terrible mileage from Dunlops.
Thanks for your time; very excited about my cake Rear 200/55-R17
I'm assuming you have only increased height of rear tire. What size did you use and just confirming the larger tire with increase preload didn't give you any clearance issues with rear fender/tail wiring. Brand you recommend? Terrible mileage from Dunlops.
Cheers, Kevin.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 766
Likes: 1
From: 415/707
I love the styling, look, meat, ride, etc., etc. of my fatboy - it's just the bike for me That being said, having your cake and eating it too is never a bad thing! I miss the corning abilities of my metrics gone-by, so I would ever so appreciative if you would elaborate on your modifications, potential downsides, etc. etc. Learning a lot (please be gentle) on the forums and beginning to disassemble and reassemble, so looking forward to making my own modifications:
Cheers, Kevin.
That being said, having your cake and eating it too is never a bad thing! I miss the corning abilities of my metrics gone-by, so I would ever so appreciative if you would elaborate on your modifications, potential downsides, etc. etc. Learning a lot (please be gentle) on the forums and beginning to disassemble and reassemble, so looking forward to making my own modifications:- 2 over Tubes = You have extended the fork 2" over stock; I assume this means you have replaced the top portion of the Fork/Springs/Seals. The cowbells are the covers over the top of the fork.
- What brand, recommendations, etc. would you make. From I can find, 2" won't adversely impact handling and sounds like it just gives you more clearance, for better leaning, which does give you better handling. Such a beautiful stable bike to lean, until you hear "the sound."
- Does increasing the preload raise the whole bike, or just the swing-arm (possibly a stupid questions, but I have not really looked at mechanics/leverage points of the suspension yet).
- If stock tires are:
Front 140/75-R17
Rear 200/55-R17
I'm assuming you have only increased height of rear tire. What size did you use and just confirming the larger tire with increase preload didn't give you any clearance issues with rear fender/tail wiring. Brand you recommend? Terrible mileage from Dunlops.
Thanks for your time; very excited about my cake Rear 200/55-R17
I'm assuming you have only increased height of rear tire. What size did you use and just confirming the larger tire with increase preload didn't give you any clearance issues with rear fender/tail wiring. Brand you recommend? Terrible mileage from Dunlops.
Cheers, Kevin.i've got an '06 fatboy & they made some changes between '06/'07, i've got 16" wheels & you got 17's
i'm running a dunlop 402 in the front, mine came with a 150/80/16 in the rear, i'm actually running a 175/75/16 tire on the rear & it's taller than the stock tire therefore raising the rear subframe about an inch
adjusting the preload tighter on your shocks may raise the rear a bit, ( depending on if it's set pretty loose from the factory ) but it won't squat down with your body weight when you sit on it & bounce up & down. granted it'll be a bit harsher ride, but it does actually smoothes out after you put about 1k on it
as for the longer tubes, i had my indy order up the 2" overstock tubes & the longer 2" over upper covers i got from amazon, new seals & heavy oil, was about a 2hr install
took it out today & put on a hundred miles, about 40 on the slab, 20 in town/traffic, & 40 on the twisties
feels very solid out on the slabs, holds a straight line well, & doesn't wander
slow speed maneuvering in parking lots, lock to lock turns feel the same, still very responsive doing lane changes
the largest improvement is coming from the twisties, the longer tubes have greatly improved the lean angle both right & left, it's gonna take some retraining my brain, as i can come into slow turns a bit harder, & run the apex of the turn at a greater angle ( therefore greater speed )
doesn't look like much of a change, but it makes one hell of a difference in the rideability
Dennis
Last edited by NorCal Dog; Jun 6, 2011 at 11:17 PM.
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 682
Likes: 1
From: In the World
Scrape mine on the Venice I75 on ramp going North ... but I was hauling axx and leaning over I could see the blacktop out of right eye by just glancing over. Got my attention...did not pivot...just scraped and rotated. It AL...so I mixed up some gloss black and used an air brush to lay a few layers...bike was new then...now..I would just leave it.
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 266
Likes: 1
From: Boynton Beach, FL
'07 Fatboy Frontend Upgrade
Kevin
...adjusting the preload tighter on your shocks may raise the rear a bit, ( depending on if it's set pretty loose from the factory ) but it won't squat down with your body weight when you sit on it & bounce up & down. granted it'll be a bit harsher ride, but it does actually smoothes out after you put about 1k on it
as for the longer tubes, i had my indy order up the 2" overstock tubes & the longer 2" over upper covers i got from amazon, new seals & heavy oil, was about a 2hr install
took it out today & put on a hundred miles, about 40 on the slab, 20 in town/traffic, & 40 on the twisties...doesn't look like much of a change, but it makes one hell of a difference in the rideability
...adjusting the preload tighter on your shocks may raise the rear a bit, ( depending on if it's set pretty loose from the factory ) but it won't squat down with your body weight when you sit on it & bounce up & down. granted it'll be a bit harsher ride, but it does actually smoothes out after you put about 1k on it
as for the longer tubes, i had my indy order up the 2" overstock tubes & the longer 2" over upper covers i got from amazon, new seals & heavy oil, was about a 2hr install
took it out today & put on a hundred miles, about 40 on the slab, 20 in town/traffic, & 40 on the twisties...doesn't look like much of a change, but it makes one hell of a difference in the rideability
Thanks for the feed back; can't find it, but saw another thread where you said you were able to put some additional miles on it and where very happy with the changes you made. I'm curious to run the new geometry through this calculator to see what the trail is:
http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/advchoppercalc.html
I will assume my tightening preload will raise the rear about one inch and then lengthen the forks by two inches:
http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/de...ail&model_id=0
A little pricey to replace the whole front end, but I think it looks very sharp. Would love for you to update us on anything else you notice with the new setup (wobble, drift, etc.). To have my Fatboy and eat my corners too - Nice!
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 4,624
Likes: 189
From: Newcastle, Ca.
Also live in the land of twisties. Things tried and learned:
- Outward Floorboard extensions are bad. Removed them after just a few miles
- Mustache bar is not as wide as other crash bars and removes a dangerous hazard potential
- Installing half moon floor boards = less scraping
- Half moons and moving them forward 1"+ = more comfort and boards rarely scrape
- Rear lowering shocks look cool. Stock is better for riding.
- 18" rims, radial rear tire, feel and handle better then 16's
- Thicker fork oil helps
Here is how to move floorboards forward with just 4 bolts:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/7284069-post440.html
.
.
- Outward Floorboard extensions are bad. Removed them after just a few miles
- Mustache bar is not as wide as other crash bars and removes a dangerous hazard potential
- Installing half moon floor boards = less scraping
- Half moons and moving them forward 1"+ = more comfort and boards rarely scrape
- Rear lowering shocks look cool. Stock is better for riding.
- 18" rims, radial rear tire, feel and handle better then 16's
- Thicker fork oil helps
Here is how to move floorboards forward with just 4 bolts:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/7284069-post440.html
.
.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 7
From: Liverpool UK
I have to say my 2 cents here,
I used to race bikes, my last sport bike was an 02 Yamaha R1, that had 130HP on the rear while and weighed half the weight of my 'light' softail.
I really do NOT understand the argument of not 'lowering' your bike, seriously, anyone who cares about 'performance so much, is in the wrong forum and riding the wrong bikes !.
These are 'air cooled', 'push rods', low power, shitty Trans, and the softails are only second worst after hard-tails when it comes to handling, anything else will beat it flat out .
It is all about the 'feel' and 'style' of the bike, so if lowering makes you feel better then great, does it make you more prone to run out of angle in a corner ? of course ? but the same argument can be made about any harley bike, hick, the deluxe has the same setup from the factory ?.
So again, I am not sure why people feel the need to lecture on corner speed here ? seriously ? this is like the 'who is the tallest midget in the circus' discussion.
Of course , on Racing Sunday, all the guys with standard height softails will be further on the grid.. but.. oh.. wait.. we don't do that .
<end of rant>
I used to race bikes, my last sport bike was an 02 Yamaha R1, that had 130HP on the rear while and weighed half the weight of my 'light' softail.
I really do NOT understand the argument of not 'lowering' your bike, seriously, anyone who cares about 'performance so much, is in the wrong forum and riding the wrong bikes !.
These are 'air cooled', 'push rods', low power, shitty Trans, and the softails are only second worst after hard-tails when it comes to handling, anything else will beat it flat out .
It is all about the 'feel' and 'style' of the bike, so if lowering makes you feel better then great, does it make you more prone to run out of angle in a corner ? of course ? but the same argument can be made about any harley bike, hick, the deluxe has the same setup from the factory ?.
So again, I am not sure why people feel the need to lecture on corner speed here ? seriously ? this is like the 'who is the tallest midget in the circus' discussion
.Of course , on Racing Sunday, all the guys with standard height softails will be further on the grid.. but.. oh.. wait.. we don't do that
.<end of rant>
this is like the 'who is the tallest midget in the circus' discussion
Well said,