Ok guys. I love the look of 1.5'' lowered from stock. But after riding that way for more than a week on crappy L.A. roads, my back just can't abide.

I don't want to mess with that part of my body, so I'm going to raise the bike up a half inch. I have adjustable Arlen Ness lowering bolts doing the job.

But I want to make sure I'm absolutely following the instructions correctly.

I would first bring the wider bolt in this pic (one furthest from the shock itself) a few turns toward the rear of the bike. Correct?



I would then bring the black bolt in this pic (the one with the rubber stopper mated to it) a few turns also toward the rear of the bike. Correct?



You do this equally for both shocks. Correct? And the idea is that both bolts press firmly against the stop between them. Correct?

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

That sounds right to me. then measure, if you can get a small scale in there, to make sure the length of the shock bolt sticking out the end is the same.

 

Good idea, QC. And thanks. I might be able to get a caliper ruler under the bike and take an exact measure on the length of the shock bolts sticking out the end to make sure they are equal.

 

Anyone else want to confirm? Not that I don't trust QC. haha.

 

It might help to change your bump STOP first. I switched my rocker one for a thinner 07 dovetail one based on input from this fine forum and it worked sweet. The rocker one was huge thick for no reason. Only seven bucks. Good luck.

 

Correct procedure. You will notice a nice difference with 1/2" up.

 

Thanks guys. Much appreciated.

 

Update: Raised the bike a little yesterday. It's about 1'' lower than stock now. Rides real real nice. No more back-breaking bumps on the big city roads.

The method was correct. It just wasn't easy to get this done. Accessing the bolts under the bike are a pain in the **** to do on the floor. Especially when the bike is lowered significantly, there is just not enough clearance.

Heck, I had to ride my bike up on a plank just to get the lift under it, she was so low!

Then the lift rails were situated in a way where they blocked access to the middle nuts on the lowering bolts. This was not a big issue during installation. But with the bolts tight and thread locked, it made things tough.

I couldn't relocate the jack, because then I would have placed the lift rails on the shocks. Didn't want to do that.

Finally, I took a trip to Harbor Freight and bought some angled flare nut wrenches. (The wrench had to have open ends because the lowering bolt would otherwise prevent access)

I was able to get a decent turn on the middle bolts, and switch to a regular wrench. Then I used a deep socket wrench on the nylock nuts, which was relatively easy.

I was able to get a caliper ruler under the bike and make sure the excess bolt lengths above the nylock nuts were exactly equal.

Now that I have the method down, however, I can play with heights whenever I like. Within reason.

I'm good with an inch lower than stock right now. I might go down a little lower, like a 1/8 to 1/4 inch for a fine tune. But I'll do that after riding at this height for a while.

Thanks again for the help, dudes!

 

Have you ruled out getting the shotgun shocks? Sounds like they would be perfect for your situation.

 

I am SO glad you brought it up 1st Wide_Open!!! It was all I could think of as I read down each and every posted reply. I was sure I would catch crap if I did bring it up and I was the only one to do so. We all know how money can be tight SoCalSoftailSlim but I would also suggest seriously thinking about the Shotgun Shock. I think all the roads around the country are Chit anymore. I think all of our elected officials in D.C. seem to think our infrastructure doesn't need or require any repair or maintenance. Just about anyone you talk to anymore does not have a lot of good to say about the condition of the streets and roads we all drive on. With the Shotgun Shock you can adjust, all on the fly, for any conditions you would ever run up against as well as any passengers on the back. It's also a TON of fun too! I know after a few hours I had to get off of the bike and walk around a bit. Now? well, I still have to get off of the bike every few hours but that's because now I always have to go Pee, not because my back hurts! It sucks getting old!!!