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This is what my bike looked like right after I got it home and off the trailer. I have changed a few things but basically the same. What I am talking about is that the bottom of the frame is sitting nose up. I know it may be hard to tell in this pic. Also I am six feet tall and my feet don't completly touch the ground.
If I understand you correctly, you have 2 inch over fork tubes on the bike now?
This is going to make the front of the frame sit higher.
Installing a rigid section on the rear will only make the rear sit lower, or to put it another way it will only make the front appear to be higher yet.
Your front wheel is a fixed diameter. Your fork tubes are also a fixed length.
The only way to level out the frame is to rake the neck or install original length fork tubes back on the bike.
About $120 for a pair of standard length chrome tubes.........But your front end is not original, so the price may differ.
It is a good idea to get the frame level for another reason. I have heard of oiling problems for the front cylinder on Sportys with extended front forks.
2 inches is not that much, but a frame is usually raked to compensate for the fork length, otherwise it raises the front of the frame up. And that may lead to cylinder wall scuffing on the front cylinder from what I know of it.
pg
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__________________
Rolling down the highway on two wheels since 1957...
Owner Red/White 1971 XLCH & 2003 FXDL-Silver over Black
Is there an easy way to rake the front myself? I noticed that the neck looks like it is cast iron. I have enough metal work experience to know that if you try to weld cast you have to heat it and even then you are not guarenteed that the weld will hold. I do know that I can buy stock springs for my frontend from Jireh. Would installing these shorten the front enough to level it out or is there more to shortening forks than that? I talked to some older bikers at a local shop and they said that I could probably cut either the spacer of the tubes. All I want is to have a level frame and to not ruin the engine after I get it on the road.
Is there an easy way to rake the front myself? I noticed that the neck looks like it is cast iron. I have enough metal work experience to know that if you try to weld cast you have to heat it and even then you are not guarenteed that the weld will hold. I do know that I can buy stock springs for my frontend from Jireh. Would installing these shorten the front enough to level it out or is there more to shortening forks than that? I talked to some older bikers at a local shop and they said that I could probably cut either the spacer of the tubes. All I want is to have a level frame and to not ruin the engine after I get it on the road.
No on buying different springs. The springs are not the problem...... The tube length is the problem.
Cut the spacer of the tubes?!!! Huh?.......That makes no sense to me at all. If that is what they told you they do not know what they are talking about. The only way to make forks shorter is to replace the tubes. Period.
No, the frame neck is not cast iron, but rather cast steel. Necks are often raked to compensate for extended fork tubes. This is done by welding the raked neck back on to the frame.
This alters the frame however and is the reason I would never do such a thing to an old original frame. But that is just my preference.
When I bought my Sporty from the original owner he had put 8 inch over tubes on it, did not rake the frame (thankfully!) but had thrown away the original tubes. What an imbecile!
Here is a pic of the bike taken 22 years after I bought the bike.
It still has the 8 over tubes on the front end. Notice how high the frame sits in front? This also contributed to the severe scuffing of the front piston wall due to improper oiling.
When this pic was taken I was starting the rebuild of the bike. The first thing I bought was a new pair of standard length tubes.
See how the bike sits level with the std tubes?
Opps! Bad choice of pics. That one looks like the rear end is lower and it is. Notice I have aluminum struts in place of the shocks which I had not purchased yet at the time of the pic. I had just cut them a random length. The shocks made the frame sit perfectly level. I even remember setting a carpenters level on the lower frame tubes to check that.
pg
__________________
Rolling down the highway on two wheels since 1957...
Owner Red/White 1971 XLCH & 2003 FXDL-Silver over Black
About the cutting the spacers comment, I dont know if they were talking about cutting the bottom of the forks off or if some bikes come with a spacer in the tubes that maybe could be cut to lower the height. I have seen some lowering kits that come with a spacer that you cut according to a chart to set the amount that you want to lower the front. I just dont want to have to rebuild the motor because of the oiling issue that your talking about.
As a practical matter you are not going to be cutting the fork tubes to make the forks shorter. Not if you intend to use the tubes as fork tubes anyway.
Here is what the forks look like inside. I may have posted this earlier. If so, my apology.
As you can see there are no spacers inside the forks. The tubes get a small threaded bolt in the bottom end so there is no cutting off the end of the tubes here. The top of the tubes are tapered to fit into the top fork yoke, so no cutting there either.
pg
__________________
Rolling down the highway on two wheels since 1957...
Owner Red/White 1971 XLCH & 2003 FXDL-Silver over Black
The only thing about my frontend is that it is a 2 inch over FXST from Jireh. It is not stock. I don't know if that will make any difference about trying to lower my bike.
my recommendation as a fellow owner of a '74 kick-only, is to fabricate (or find) a rigid strut of some sorts to put in place of the shocks for now. that will give you the chance to preview the hard-tail feel, and give you room to see/feel different heights (depending on how long the struts are) I'm a broke-ass so i just left my struts on instead of paying for the bolt-on or weld-on hard-tail. i'll try to attach a pic (wish me luck,lol)
it's funny that i have a beautifully chromed/polished big-motor FXR, and a sweet bagger all flat-black......BUT everyone loves the 'ol ironhead!! I love it!! not knowing how far you're willing to go with lowering, here's how u go as low as possible without hitting or relocating your fender.....
1. support bike with appropriate jack under frame to remove load off shocks so you can remove them.
2. remove upper and lower shock bolts, both sides, being sure bike is secure (i know their skinny and like to teeder)
3. leave bike jacked up for the moment and place a 2 foot length of hose on top of the tire. (I recommend 3/4" outer diameter hose to allow for tire swell at higher speeds)
4. with hose laying on tire (not sideways, but lenghtwise following the center-line of the tire) lower the jack. this will set the fender 3/4" off of the tire, and tell you you wont make contact.
5. with fender bottomed out on hose and tire....now measure the distance between the upper and lower shock mounting holes.
6. add 3" to that measurement, and you now have the lenth of ur struts!!
7. now find center of your strut (when u get one) and center your hole measurement on the strut. (the added 3" should allow for etra "meat" around the holes)
i just noticed the pic on the previous page, your front end looks like it's at least a 2" over stock length if not more. Mine never sat that tall, and it was 100% before i masacred it, lol. Not to fear! I have a fix 4 that too. again, it's a fix on a budget and not meant to be an upgrade by any means.
where your fork tubes go through your upper and lower triple trees, there are pinch-bolts. Again, support your bike with a suitable jack and then loosen these pinch bolts. spray some PB blaster or something to help free them and ease their movement. and slowly lower the jack. the fork tubes will rise up through the triple trees. make sure both protrude above the top tree equally to avoid poor(er) handling. I'd buy a lowering kit though, or cut my springs n add some pvc but that's enough 2 keep u busy a bit
