Lowering Front End Only
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 287
Likes: 4
From: Alabama
They are not in Alabama they are in Georgia. About 50 miles up I 85 from the Alabama border. Owner famous for his Ford dealership. I had been thinking about a dresser for really a couple years but avoided the dealerships because I knew I would buy something. On my way back from the ATL airport I stopped at this dealership I had been ignoring since it was built, it is fairly new. Well I went in, test rode, here I go a new bike. Its alright I am glad I have it but they won't be touching it for any reason. Montgomery Harley is the best in my opinin. The guys really know engines too. I wanted to buy from them but I really liked this bike, had to have it.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,692
Likes: 22
From: Denham Springs, La
My bike was lowered front and rear using HD front end kit and SG rear shocks. The ride was rough so I put stock rear shocks on to see if they would make a difference. They did. I rode with the front lower than the rear for 2-3 months and didn't notice any difference. I put the stock front end on so now my bike is stock height.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,945
Likes: 4
From: Victoria, Australia
Shadow I would restore it back to OEM specs if I were you. Should the need arise for say, an insurance claim or worse the result may not be in your favor since you have modified the suspension by just lowering the front.
Your words from the kit specs:
"The front end kit description in the catalog advises it only be used in conjunction with harleys rear end kit but the same advice is not in the description of the rear end lowering kit."
In essence you have made a non-authorised change to the suspension against the manufacturers advice.
I wouldn't now lower the rear to compensate, as you may have a poor ride depending on your weight, pax weight, and any added load you may carry. Just a suggestion.
Your words from the kit specs:
"The front end kit description in the catalog advises it only be used in conjunction with harleys rear end kit but the same advice is not in the description of the rear end lowering kit."
In essence you have made a non-authorised change to the suspension against the manufacturers advice.
I wouldn't now lower the rear to compensate, as you may have a poor ride depending on your weight, pax weight, and any added load you may carry. Just a suggestion.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,121
Likes: 489
From: sunny florida
most of these replies all though with good intention are totally wrong , when you take a Ultra Classic , Electra Glide Classic , Road Glide Ultra , Street Glide , Road Glide Custom guess what ? They are all the same frame and same front suspension , yet the Street Glide & Road Glide Custom have 12" shock the others 13" and they have 18" front wheels and the others 17" , so in reality they are raised 2" in the front from the factory, I've seen guys on Ultras go to a 13 1/2" shock for a smoother ride this puts the front 1/2" lower than the rear , you can adjust either end 1 or 1 1/2" and your bike is not going to run off the road , handle terrible and make you crash , it's all about preference , most guys lower the front and rear together because they like the way it currently handles and want to keep it the same , lowering the front only actually makes the bike corner quicker and would create down force to be more stable on straight aways , on my 2011 it came with 12" shocks , I am running Ohlins 12 3/4" shocks and Progressive monotubes in the forks that lower the front 1/2" , so basically my front is 1 1/4" lower than my rear from stock , the bikes carves like a knife and at 110 mph down the highway is smooth as butter , talk to some suspension experts and you will see I am correct , I talked to Progressive before installing the monotubes about my set up and they agreed totally
Last edited by tj316; Sep 27, 2011 at 01:29 PM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,916
Likes: 31
From: earth
I would agree that 1" up or down, front or rear probably won't compromise your handling to the point of being unsafe, but you do need to experiment to get the handling the way you like it. Personally I adjusted mine so the handling feels kind of neutral; it doesn't push me to the outside of the turns and it doesnt pull me to the inside either, it makes for a very natural feel under most riding conditions. Now on to the big front wheel theory; 16", 17", or 18", is not relevant, the tires are all nominally the same height (within less than 1/8"), there is just a lower profile sidewall on the larger diameter rims. The big front wheel does not raise the front end (just the cost of front tires).
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tire...ire.asp?id=111
Da Shadow, rather than put any more money or effort into the front end right now, add a set of 3-3 Ohlins to the rear; it will bring the geometry back to nearly stock, the ride will improve tremendously, and you get to keep the cool lowered look.
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tire...ire.asp?id=111
Da Shadow, rather than put any more money or effort into the front end right now, add a set of 3-3 Ohlins to the rear; it will bring the geometry back to nearly stock, the ride will improve tremendously, and you get to keep the cool lowered look.
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