Added a 21" to my softail slim. Front lowering advice needed...
Evening,
I had my 2017 Softail Slim lowered 2" front and back before I picked it up from the dealer (see below)..
I finally got around to installing my Ridewright 21x3.5 front wheel with a 130/21 tire and now the thing needs to come down atleast another inch or 2 to level the bike out (see below).
All of the lowering kits I see available are for 1" or 2". Does someone make a 3" or 4" lowering kit ? Can I modify what's already on the bike somehow to get the front end alittle lower ? I remember Cole Foster of Salians Boys out in CA doing some trick with a PVC spacer and thicker fork oil but I cant find it anywhere online. I plan to do front and rear air eventually but not now...
Anyone ?
Last edited by SlimBarberJoe; 04-28-2020 at 05:48 PM.
pull the caps off your fork tubes and there should be a PVC spacer in there. you can cut it down/get rid of it to get your bike lower. just watch out if your fork tubes are too long you may bottom them out so you may have to go to a shorter fork tube.
Looks Great! I've been looking to add a 21in front wheel as well. Are you going to keep the front fender or leaving it off?
Thanks for the kind words. The long term plan for the bike calls for new front and rear fenders, full air ride, and a new paint job. But for now the bike will either
run no fender or see if the stock one can be modified work with the 21..
Thanks for the kind words. The long term plan for the bike calls for new front and rear fenders, full air ride, and a new paint job. But for now the bike will either
run no fender or see if the stock one can be modified work with the 21..
Sounds like you and I have similar plans for our slims. I went with the Ricks 200er rear fender with the 200mm tire. I didn't use air ride I decided to use the progressive 465 rear shock to lower the backend. I did do custom paint. Its nothing major, the bike is still black but with a blue speckle when the sun reflects off. I plan on doing the 21in front tire with a stage 2 or 3 kit, probably when they reopen soon. They do make an extension kit for the stock front fender.
pull the caps off your fork tubes and there should be a PVC spacer in there. you can cut it down/get rid of it to get your bike lower. just watch out if your fork tubes are too long you may bottom them out so you may have to go to a shorter fork tube.
Have you done this before to any of your bikes ? Any experience good or bad ?
you mentioned that you bought the bike lowered 2 inches in the front. Some lowering spring kits come with a pvc spacer that you cut to length to set the height. its worth a shot to see if your lowering kit has the pvc spacer.
Finally got the bike home from the shop after getting the 21" installed..
I love the look of the wheel, how it matches the stock rear HD wheel perfectly, and isn't a DNA fat spoke like everyone has..
I still think the front end could go down another 1/2" to make the bike abit more level. I'm still on the fence with the overall look I want to go with on this bike so
it looks like I'm going to make some fender spacers and run the stock fender for the time being.
Thoughts ?
Last edited by SlimBarberJoe; 05-10-2020 at 04:50 PM.