2011 street glide for vertically challenged ????
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 114
Likes: 4
From: Bartlett IL
2011 street glide for vertically challenged ????
Hey fellas. Just recently purchased a 2011 flhx. Came with a few goodies on it including a 21" front wheel. Love it to death, (my first harley) but being that I'm somewhat vertically challenged at 5'6", i'm not able to flat foot it, and such a big heavy bike makes me a little nervous on my tippy toes. Went to my local harley dealer to look at the reduced reach seat, but honestly, it was uglier than sin. Guy there gave me a # for a lady to talk to as far as trimming the foam down. Gonna have that done this week, along with buying some riding boots with a nice thick sole and heel. In anycase, looking for some help, and suggestions as far as possibly lowering it also. I'm a total noob to the harleys, so I'm not even sure where to start other than here. Any help, or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Here a quick pic of my new baby....
And stop looking at the rear wheel. First things first.....
Here a quick pic of my new baby....
And stop looking at the rear wheel. First things first.....
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 123
Likes: 2
From: Maryland
Search Progressive Suspensions Monotube Front Shocks. Lots of places to but them. Your dealer probably sells them. They are a replacement for the current front end set up and can be bought and installed in lower than stock configurations. They are not as cheap as lowering blocks but I can tell you they made all the difference for me.
Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: SC
First off, nice bike! Second, I'm 5'7" and ride a 2012 Street Glide which is also my first Harley. I've ridden a 2011 and a 2010 Street Glide as well, none of which have been lowered in any way. Put some miles under you and I think you'll get more and more comfortable with every mile. Good luck!
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,548
Likes: 4
From: Southern California
www.ccseats.com They are built much more narrow in the nose and made all the difference for me and my 29" inseam.
Pictures on the link below.
Pictures on the link below.
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Road Master
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,091
Likes: 1
From: new jersey
i'm 5'6" with a 30" inseam..and i ride a 2010 street glide... i changed to a 2011 seat and it was much better...but i know you already have one.
2 things stand out to me....
1. you have a 21" front wheel and to me it doesn't look like the forks were lowered (mono-tubes) so you are actually dealing with a bike that sits roughly 1.25" higher then stock in the front end.. the 120/21" tire has an overall diameter roughly 2.5" larger then the stock 130/18" tire.. so even though it looks cool you are dealing with a worse then stock situation... sit on a stock SG in at the dealer you should feel the difference... This can be corrected by having you fork lowered..a common way to do that is to install "monotubes"..by Progressive Suspensions.... this is a drop-in fork spring kit that comes with a level of adjustabilty when installing...there are spacers that can be added to "drop' forks.... a 1" drop would put you close to being back to stock..you can do more drop if wanted..
2. for a guy that is 5'6" those are some pretty tall looking bars... to me they look 12" or maybe higher... this is probably causing you to reach a little to get to those bars.. and that can cause you to be a little off balance... i put 10" bars on my bike and i love them..but if your bars are higher then your shoulders it can cause your bike to be harder to handle..
I would suggest looking into the monotubes first, like i said get the bikes geometry back to where it should be...and kit should perform better then stock so that would be an added bonus.... then like other said get some good boots..like a logger or even something with a platform sole..... honestly i ride with a boot with a liitle bit of a heal but mothing crazy and i am fine on the SG...
As for the bars...try the other things first...if the other stuff doesn't work maybe look to change the bars but that will not be cheap... alot of labor
2 things stand out to me....
1. you have a 21" front wheel and to me it doesn't look like the forks were lowered (mono-tubes) so you are actually dealing with a bike that sits roughly 1.25" higher then stock in the front end.. the 120/21" tire has an overall diameter roughly 2.5" larger then the stock 130/18" tire.. so even though it looks cool you are dealing with a worse then stock situation... sit on a stock SG in at the dealer you should feel the difference... This can be corrected by having you fork lowered..a common way to do that is to install "monotubes"..by Progressive Suspensions.... this is a drop-in fork spring kit that comes with a level of adjustabilty when installing...there are spacers that can be added to "drop' forks.... a 1" drop would put you close to being back to stock..you can do more drop if wanted..
2. for a guy that is 5'6" those are some pretty tall looking bars... to me they look 12" or maybe higher... this is probably causing you to reach a little to get to those bars.. and that can cause you to be a little off balance... i put 10" bars on my bike and i love them..but if your bars are higher then your shoulders it can cause your bike to be harder to handle..
I would suggest looking into the monotubes first, like i said get the bikes geometry back to where it should be...and kit should perform better then stock so that would be an added bonus.... then like other said get some good boots..like a logger or even something with a platform sole..... honestly i ride with a boot with a liitle bit of a heal but mothing crazy and i am fine on the SG...
As for the bars...try the other things first...if the other stuff doesn't work maybe look to change the bars but that will not be cheap... alot of labor
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 114
Likes: 4
From: Bartlett IL
Thanks for the replies fellas. As far as putting miles on it and getting more comfortable, I've put a little over 500 miles on it since I got it on monday. As far as a new seat, I'm gonna give the lady a shot at shaving it some for me. For $125, its worth a shot. Now, as far as the apes go, they are 16", and believe it or not, I think they are perfect. Sitting relaxed on the bike, my hands are a tad bit lower than my shoulders, and my arms are not fully stretched. I am totally comfortable with the bars. My only issue is that I cannot flat foot it. $125 I'll give the seat shaving a shot. $150-$200 For some new boots. Then its just a matter of lowering the front end an inch or so I guess. As far as the monotubes go, is this something that needs to be installed at the dealer, or is this something that I would be able to tackle myself at home? I am by far a master mechanic, but I'm no dummy with the wrenches either....
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 516
Likes: 1
From: Damascus MD
Great looking bike. Subscribing to this thread. Lots of good info Im looking at doing myself. Is this the lower kit you guys were mentioning? Ive also read up on Mean City Cycles and how they offer seat mod packages for a very reasonable price I plan on doing. I'm 5-8 and had my bike lowered an inch in the back and plan on putting a 21" on the front but dont want to compromise the ride so I was looking at lowering the front, blacking out the front end as well. Good luck.
http://www.meancitycycles.com/
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/220-137
http://www.meancitycycles.com/
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/220-137