Whats up... I'm new to this Forum thing so bare with me... I want to lower my Deluxe 2 in the back and 1 in the front. Any suggestions? Brands? Do's and Don'ts?
Thanks.

 

How about a few more details. Do you want to lower it due to being vertically challenged or just for looks? The Deluxe already has the lowered rear shocks from the factory. My wife is 4' 11" and she rides a stock Deluxe. You can get closer to the ground with a reduced reach seat-probably the cheapest option. If it's a "look" you're going for, then check out Shotgun shocks or similar air suspension systems. Pricy, but with the push of a button the bike will rise or lower. There are also front fork lowering kits/springs. Check out the HD parts and accessory catalog and/or talk to the guys at the parts counter. Good luck.

 

Welcome. Shotgun Shock rear air ride. It's lifetime warranty. No better customer service anywhere and it covers looks, ride comfort and safety all with the touch of a switch as your going down the road. I had a friend do it for his wife on her new Deluxe and she loves it and it fits her all the way around. For the Front, Progressive gas monotubes. You can drop those up to 2" too. NOTE: The more you drop them on the front though the stiffer the front end will be but with the SS on back it compensates for that very well. Google it or ask anyone here who has one or even those who have had other air ride systems and then gone to the Shotgun Shock. Then there are those who do not have one who will tell you they are to pricey, not needed, not worth it or all you need is lowing bolts and so on. If it is "pricey", personally, I find it worth every penny. I couldn't run these pipes and get in and out of my own driveway without it. It's not just for "cool", it serves a purpose both in form and function.

 

Tony, right on que. LMAO!

 

Thanks alot guys... ya I just looked up the pricing. Very expensive, but with a brand new bike, I do wanna get it done the right way. Is there a downside with getting the lowering bolts/kit, until I can afford the SS?

 

The lowering kits work but I would think a lowered deluxe would result in lots of floor board scraping & a pretty stout ride. I had my Heritage down about 1.5" & it's now back to stock & the Heritage is 1" higher than the Deluxe. My back thanks me & my floor boards thank me. And that's with Progressive 422's.

 

Sure, you can lower the deluxe using lowering collars (Dead Creek Cycles Lowering Collars are great) or the lowering bolts but the bike will not ride that great and if you do ride two up, you will bottom out.

Knowing what I know now, I would have bought the Shotgun Shock as my FIRST mod.... its worth every penny.

 

Have you considered something short of a 2'' drop?

Dead Creek makes some nice stuff. But what worked for me was the Arlen Ness lowering kit for Softails.

They are all of 60 bucks and adjustable to ANY height down to a 2'' drop from stock. The reason that mattered was because I found there to be a sweet spot at about 1.20'' dropped from stock.

You still get a nice aesthetic, particularly if you have a Softail that is already kinda low from the factory - like the Slim or Deluxe.

And, it's not so low that you bottom out while riding two-up, or have a really uncomfortable ride when riding solo. I ride on some of the worst-maintained roads you can think of here in L.A., so this mattered. Possibly, I scrape the boards a little more than I used to with stock height. But I kinda like that. haha.

Scraping boards is not unique to lowering bolts, of course. You'll do that at stock height sometimes, and of course, with any other lowering method.

The SS looks like a very nice product, but is still the most expensive single purchase I could think of for my bike. And apparently some reliability issues have surfaced, though the maker of the shock rectifies them very quickly under warranty. I actually have the money to buy that system, but haven't really felt a burning need to since the Ness bolts are doing the trick for me.

Good luck whatever you decide! And make sure to come back here for help on the install of bolts, or the SS. Plenty of resources here to help you with either.

 

True dat! I scrape my footboards at will and can throw sparks. And My Dlux is at stock height. Nothing like turning through an intersection downtown with a bunch of tourist standing at the lights and scraping all the way through a corner! I am putting on the Dead Creek kit over the winter, so I can only imagine the scraping I'll end up with. Now... if anybody has a bead on some magnesium strips I can glue on to throw sparks!!!

 

I'm not sure why you say these types of things? There are no "reliability" issues that have "surfaced". LOL One guy, who puts 20,000 miles a year on his bike had some issues. First, how many people do you know that put 20,000 miles a year on his bike? Second, he was dealing with a older system that JD was apparently trying to make work. Now that it didn't, JD sent him a brand new shock AND all the crap that comes with it.... in other words, a whole NEW SYSTEM.

If you have the money like you state, not buying the shotgun system is truly your loss.