O.K. guys, my little brother, (by age AND size!) just bought a new Electra Glide Classic and is having trouble getting flat footed with it. He already has the reduced reach seat and shorter air shocks but is still not comfortable with it. He is 5'6" with a 30" inseam. Any suggestions?

 

Tell him to deal with it and wear boots with taller soles. Im 5'5" and all I did was just get my seat redone. If you know how to distribute your weight effectively, there is no need to be flat footed.

Yes it sucks that I am not able to muscle my bike in certain areas, or even back it up sometimes, but you just have to deal with it.

 

On my '11 UC I used the street glide (1" shorter) shocks in back; progressive monotubes (1" shorter) up front and a seat mod by MCC.
Of course, taking that 45 pound pizza box off the top didn't hurt either.

This got me where I wanted to be for the least amount of money.

HTH
Hoggly

 

We recently got a Road Glide. I want to be able to ride it now and then, but am only just under 5'-4". SO .. I found an old shoe cobbler a few towns over, brought him my favorite boots and he put 1" more on the sole and heel. I haven't taken the RG out for a ride with them yet, but did get on it and lift it up and can feel the difference! Still not as FIRMLY flat footed as I'd like to be, but much, MUCH better. Only problem might be is getting my left foot to be able to slip under the shifter. Hubby may have to raise it slightly, lol!

We didn't want to get a new seat, because the stock seat is VERY comfortable!

 

He could lower the front end 1". That'll bring him down another 1/2" and will help. Let him ride it a while. The seat will break in and lower him a little more. Ride time will make him more comfortable and confident also. Like viscarmb said, get taller sole/heel boots. I use Red Wing logger boots.

You don't have to flat foot to ride and operate a bike safely but everything works better if you can. I speak from experience as I'm 5'6" with a 29" inseam as well. When I first got the bike I had it lowered 1" front and rear and had a Reach seat fitted. After riding it a while and getting the taller heel/sole boots, I reinstalled the stock suspension and have no problem flat footing or handling the bike.

 

I am 5'5" and have the reach seat and HD profile rear shocks and I am flat footed on my Limited.

 

I am 5'7" with a 30 inch inseam and weigh 148 lbs and ride a bone stock Ultra and have no problems. I can ride it in tennis shoes and still get my feet down flat on the ground. I have seen female motor officers about 5'2" and not much over 100 lbs riding electraglides and they seem to have no issues. Tell brother to go out and practice. Ride it. He'll get the hang of it.

 

First, get the seat modded by Mean City Cycles - get the super narrow mod.

It will lower the seat AND narrow it to keep it from pushing your legs out. The seat isn't really that high, it's just wide.

If that's not enough, get Harley Trail Boss boots - I went 1 size bigger and put in a nice thick insole with arch and heel support. Those boots have a 2" heel, and a pretty thick sole. With the added insole, you can get about 2.25" out of them.

If that's not enough lower the front and back suspension 1". As others have suggested, Progressive 1" shorter monotubes in the front...you can get 12" SG shocks for the back to save money - they're cheap and easy to replace later with something better.

With all those, I got the seat down low enough where the bike doesn't feel top-heavy to me anymore. Do the suspension last because you lose some lean angle when you do it. It's not much, but why do it if you don't need to? It's also by far the most expensive part.

I wouldn't listen to anyone who tells you to ride the bike outside of your comfort zone or beyond your abilities. That's just asking for trouble and you don't need to prove anything to anyone. Hey look...a little girl can ride it...whatever. I've seen little girls do all sorts of things I wouldn't. Just because someone else did something stupid, doesn't mean you should. If you crash it, it's YOUR bike and YOUR hospital bill so do what you're comfortable with.

Eventually, once you get comfortable on a big bike, maybe you won't need to lower it, but that's later, not now.

 

I am 5'7" inseam 28" first thing i did was add the HD kickstand exstention $30
Then i sent my seat to MeanCity Cycle , they lowered and narrowed my stock FLHRC seat a cpl inchs and added memory foam for comfort.
This was SUPER THRIFTY way cheaper than buying a new low seat .
Total cost INCLUDING SHIPPING was just under $150 , fast turn around.

Then i bought some 11" Bitchin Bagger Drop Shocks. They are stock Air shocks cut down diffrent spring and oil. a stop so no worrys about bottoming out and tearing up your wiring like with drop blocks.

I also have boots with thick sole and heel.

 

I am 5,4" with a "short" 29" inseam....I have a 2012 Ultra Classic that I bought in March of this year. Currently I have almost 8000 miles on it, Bought the super reach seat when I bought the bike...big mistake! Kept "crushing the boys" Took the seat back and went with the reduced reach seat. No I cannot flat foot it, but I really couldnt flat foot the Heritage before it and don't think I was able to flat foot my Sporty either. Bottom line is that it really is not true that you need to flat foot but you do really need to be comfortable. Yes I have to be carefull when parking and turning but really it's an Ultra Classic, not exactly a sport bike is it?? Tell your brother to go out on some interstate rides and then work up to winding roads once he starts to feel comfortable it will all be ok. Also I would suggest to tell him to watch the "Ride like a pro" video on line, there is a girl 4foot something riding an electra glide....if nothing else he will get some good safety ideas and maybe some inspiration. Best wishes and have some fun.