Help lowering 2008 Fatboy
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Joined: Jun 2011
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From: Kentucky
Help lowering 2008 Fatboy
I am interested in lowering my 2008 Fatboy.
At the moment I am not able to flat foot on the ground, I am only able to touch with the tips of my toes (I'm 5'8").
It would make me fill more comfortable if I were able to completely flat foot when sitting on the bike. My friend has a 06 deluxe and it is sitting at the perfect height for me.
What do you guys recommend. Keep in mind I am trying to keep it budget friendly. I am not interested in air ride, etc.
Thanks
At the moment I am not able to flat foot on the ground, I am only able to touch with the tips of my toes (I'm 5'8").
It would make me fill more comfortable if I were able to completely flat foot when sitting on the bike. My friend has a 06 deluxe and it is sitting at the perfect height for me.
What do you guys recommend. Keep in mind I am trying to keep it budget friendly. I am not interested in air ride, etc.
Thanks
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,975
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From: NJ
At 5'8" I could flat foot my Heritage with no problem but with the added height of my Mustang wide touring seat I decided to drop it down an inch. I found some low mileage Deluxe shocks cheap on ebay and put them on. Dropped it an inch without much if any noticeable difference over bumps.
I ride solo 99% of the time. If you do alot of 2 up riding you may notice the lower shock travel more.
There are kits you can buy that will drop it an inch or so that are less expensive than going to Deluxe shocks. I can't remember what I paid for my shocks but I think it was around $50. A bit of a pita to install as I recall but certainly within the realm of the average DIYER.
I ride solo 99% of the time. If you do alot of 2 up riding you may notice the lower shock travel more.
There are kits you can buy that will drop it an inch or so that are less expensive than going to Deluxe shocks. I can't remember what I paid for my shocks but I think it was around $50. A bit of a pita to install as I recall but certainly within the realm of the average DIYER.
Thread Starter
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Advanced
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
From: Kentucky
At 5'8" I could flat foot my Heritage with no problem but with the added height of my Mustang wide touring seat I decided to drop it down an inch. I found some low mileage Deluxe shocks cheap on ebay and put them on. Dropped it an inch without much if any noticeable difference over bumps.
I ride solo 99% of the time. If you do alot of 2 up riding you may notice the lower shock travel more.
There are kits you can buy that will drop it an inch or so that are less expensive than going to Deluxe shocks. I can't remember what I paid for my shocks but I think it was around $50. A bit of a pita to install as I recall but certainly within the realm of the average DIYER.
I ride solo 99% of the time. If you do alot of 2 up riding you may notice the lower shock travel more.
There are kits you can buy that will drop it an inch or so that are less expensive than going to Deluxe shocks. I can't remember what I paid for my shocks but I think it was around $50. A bit of a pita to install as I recall but certainly within the realm of the average DIYER.
Do the lowering bolts affect the ride quality too bad?
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 4,109
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From: Connecticut
There is everything from bolts to shocks to airride. Bolts are cheap $20-100, shocks $400 and up and airride up to $ 1500. The seat is the best place to start for most and does help a lot
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 6,975
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From: NJ
The bolts would be the cheapest way to go and they might be easier to install than swapping out with Deluxe shocks. Maybe someone who has them can chime it or you can do a search for some older posts.
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Bolts are more work than swapping shocks, as to install the bolts you have to remove and dismantle the shocks anyway. I'm 5'6'' and I can flat foot my brother's 2007 fatboy so maybe you just have a huge couch seat on that thing. Bolts do reduce ride quality, but it might not be a bad thing if it will give you better confidence when riding the bike. Not being able to flat foot a heavy bike is a scary feeling.
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Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Dayton
I ride two up occasionally and we only bottom out once in a while with the 2" lowering bolts. Otherwise, I can't tell the difference unless I hit something big. Then I get a 'bump', but I used to ride a hard tail, so no biggie for me.
Depending on how big the 'little lady' is, your mileage may vary... (pun, get it?)
+1. How people can tippy-toe these big twins without falling over at the slightest rut in the road is beyond me.
OP, I've got a thread around here titled "best $16 I ever spent" that shows how to install the bolts without a press...
Depending on how big the 'little lady' is, your mileage may vary... (pun, get it?)
OP, I've got a thread around here titled "best $16 I ever spent" that shows how to install the bolts without a press...
Last edited by Benway; May 16, 2012 at 09:36 AM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 13,456
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From: Sunshine State
+1 on the seat swap. FB wide **** seat sux. I went with the C&C solo and not only much more comfortable its going to give you that flat foot reach you're looking for. Lowering the bike is usually reserved to those that want to go with taller wheels. The shock comment is also another plus but I'd start with the seat first.