Could anyone help me out on how I could lower my rear fender on my 09 Iron? I don't want to lower the suspension so I want to give it a lowered effect by lowering the rear fender. Anyone have any ideas??

 

Well you can re-drill mounting holes...

Nope - there's no way to lower just the fender. You might consider buying an aftermarket (read: non-drilled) fender and mounting it where you want it, then get it painted to match your tank and front. Couldn't cost very much.

The bigger question is... why? I mean, if you only want to lower the fender itself then you must be trying to get a certain look. If you install lowering springs you'll get the same net effect - the swingarm/wheel will sit higher into the fender overall. Plus, if you lower just the fender you'll have seat fitment issues (unless you're going with a bicycle-style seat).

 

Yea I am planning on going with a springer seat. Just don't want to put lower the shocks anymore bc I will start running into sracing issues.

 

I haven't done this, and hadn't even thought of it until I saw the OP, but here goes.

If you lower by redrilling holes in the fender then you are also going to have to come up with spacers and longer bolts, a real PITA. If you succeed in doing this then you may run into clearance issues with the tire rubbing on the inside of the fender.

The best plan that I can come up with is to look for an aftermarket fender that uses the current mounting position but gives you the look that you want.

 

I assume that word is meant to be "spacing issues"? If so, well........you will have exactly the same spacing issues by lowering the fender as you would by lowering the suspension. In fact, the problem will probably be worse, because the suspension will allow enough wheel travel to rub the inside of the fender, thus rubbing wiring etc.
Lowering the suspension is probably the best, and smartest solution to achieve the look you are going for.

 

If you want to lower the fender then, by all means, lower the fender. It's your bike. Since you are definitely going with a spring seat then you could get a really cool ribbed fender, flat fender...or just about any aftermarket fender that hugs the tire & mount it to the swing arm. You can set it as close to the tire as you want since the fender will articulate with the swing arm & wheel.

Someone posted a pic of a Sportster a while back that was this way & it's one of the coolest looking Sportsters I've seen. (I think it was silver with a black racing stripe). But, he had a spring style seat with no springs. You won't need the seat springs since you'll still have your coil overs.

I say do it. Although, you'll probably want to remove the current fender "struts" (the rear most section of the frame) since you won't need them anymore.

 

It's been done.Just understand that when you lower the fender the seat may no longer fit quite right.So you may have to modify/bend the seat pan to get it to look right.Then you'll have to either cut off or fill in the part of the fender that shows the original set of holes depending on what look you're going for.

 

mreed is right on, i would go in this direction.

 

Mreed thanks for the tips that is exactly was I was trying to get at. That looks great! Austen thanks for the picture as well. One more thing, instead of purchasing a new fender couldn't I get a local shop to use my existing fender and shape it as I please??

 

That's the exact bike I was thinking of...very cool.

You can use any fender you want. Your stock fender would probably require more work but more work usually ends up looking cooler. But you can get a flat fender from J&P for 30 or 40 bucks.