Lowering 02 Sportster
Harley Shocks & Harley Chassis IssuesDiscuss Lowering 02 Sportster in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; WANT TO LOWER THE REAR OF MY SPORTSTER, I HAVE IN MIND PROGRESSIVE 412 11 1/2" TO REPLACE THE 13 1/3 STOCK SHOCKS. WILL THIS AFFECT THE STEERING GEOMETRY, WILL ...
WANT TO LOWER THE REAR OF MY SPORTSTER, I HAVE IN MIND PROGRESSIVE 412 11 1/2" TO REPLACE THE 13 1/3 STOCK SHOCKS. WILL THIS AFFECT THE STEERING GEOMETRY, WILL I HAVE CORRESPONDINGLY LOWER THE FRONT FORKS, WILL THE BIKE FALL OVER AS IT WILL REDUCE THE ANGLE OF LEAN ON THE KICK STAND? OR AM I BEST LEAVING IT AS STANDARD? BRIGGER
Yes, You are dropping 2 inches in the back. Add that to how much it drops when you sit on it. My buddy dropped his girls sporty so she would not have to 'tip toe'. He also went with the Progressive shocks. I didnt much care for the look of it and asked about the Handling. I was given the keys. It did not feel right on the corners. I didnt trust it.
He ended up lowering the front. I had him buy new springs to get the best ride instead of chopping them off. Springs are designed to use all coils not part of them. Rides nice now. Also he put on a shorter kick stand. The bike looked like it would fall if the wind blew. If you had to park on a little up slope you would be fixing paint.
Lowering the rear alone will affect the steering geometry. It will increase the rake of the forks which will slow down the handling a little bit. If you want to keep the snappy steering response you have now you will need to lower the forks a like amount- but then you could have serious ground clearance issues which could take all the fun out of curvy roads. Also, yes you will need to shorten your kickstand. I would advise leaving it alone because it would compromise many of the things that make a Sporty so much fun.
Hi Guys, Thanks very much for the reply, its given me a little to think of. nothing is easy is it...? I just wanted to be able to put my feet on the floor, and give the bike a more angular look with the additional rake... Best save the £££££'ssss
Cheers Brigger
Lowering 02 Sportster 
Linear Mode
