My wife is due to take delivery of her SuperLow any day, although she is taller than 5' 2". These things have only 2" of rear suspension travel, so I really suggest trying something else. A reach seat is a great idea, to put her in a better place on the bike, but the suggestion to wear thick soled boots is the best thing to do. Buy proper sturdy bike riding boots with plenty of ankle support.

I've ridden bikes for over 40 years and don't ever remember flat-footing any of my many bikes. The other thing for your wife to do is get out there and ride! Get used to riding the bike and controlling it, as there is much more to getting competent than putting both feet down.

Encourage her to go out by herself, so she is not permanently under scrutiny by you or her friends. She can do simple errands, visit friends across town, normal ordinary trips that get her out for a few minutes often, rather than riding long trips rarely.

Give her an encouraging hug from all of us!

 

Thanks everyone. From what I read, the superlow is the same height as the low, they just changed the name. Plus it's not super low either, it's 25.5" seat height from what I remember. She is planning on getting some thick soled boots so that should help, but I don't know if she wants a new seat or not. I dunno what to do. I can't find any shocks or relocation brackets that say they fit this new model. The shock measured 11.5" eye to eye just like my dyna, looks like the same shock almost. I'll wait until she gets new boots and then go from there. I appreciate the recommendations.

 

Boots is best! Along with plenty of encouragement.

SuperLow replaces the Low, but is different in many ways, with new wheels and low profile tyres, improved suspension and geometry, so it should ride much better than a Low, even if it is no lower. It is Super that Harley has put some effort into making a low riding bike ride well. 'Ours' (my wife's) is due any day now, so I hope soon to check it out myself!

 

Lower that bike any more and you might as well put training wheels on it for all the lean angle that'll be left. I think lowering it will create a far more dangerous situation (no cornering clearance) than a little tip-toe problem at stops.
Boots will help but too tall of a sole puts a lot of leverage against the ankle. One misplaced foot or a slip could really wretch her ankle pretty bad.
The seat is the best option. If that doesn't work she'll have to either get used to it or, gasp!, buy a different bike. My wife is 5'2 also so I know full well how hard it is to find a bike to fit someone that short. She (my wife) was not fond of my Sportster at all.

 

I agree with Captain Chaos. I am 5 foot 1 inches tall and bought the super reduced reach seat for my SuperLow. Now I am flat footed just with the seat. I have also purchased custom boots from Wesco. They are pricey but will give me another 2 1/2 inches in the heel without the sole being too tall. I have a friend that had her boots resoled with a lot of height. She dropped her bike several times. I would not get the bike lowered.

 

I read all the reviews of the new Super low starting with Cycl world's. Every one of them complains about very bad cornering clearance. Starting with the little steel rods nthat stick out from the footpegs that grind first, and continuing until the exhaust scrapes. I'd heed the warnings already in this thread about lowering the bike even more. I'm sure it could be done- but making the cornering clearance even worse than it is would be dangerous.

But there are good points to the Superlow. The suspension is reported to give it a much better ride-maybe better than any other Sportster, and along with the radial tires, everyone gave the bike high marks in these areas. The big tank is a also a big plus. The only glitch is the cornering clearance. If I had one, I'd get flatter bars more like my 2006 XL883 has, but that's just me.

I bet if she test rode one of the other models like mine, with shocks that feel more like solid struts, she'd really like that Superlow.

jon

 

Well done Lonnie, at last the voice of experience. There is only so much we butch blokes can pontificate about on such a topic!

 

Hi,

Do not lower the SuperLow!! The bike will scrape like crazy if you do. My wife has one, I have some experience riding it as well, it handles great in turns stock but is all ready too low for an agressive rider to lay into corners. The bike is perfect for newbie or less aggressive riders. My wife is 5'2" as well and is flat footed with her Harley boots (1.5 heel).
If the boots don't do it, go for the reach but DO NOT LOWER THE BIKE!! By the way, this bike is super easy to handle so your woman has made a godd decision unless she is a kick *** rider. I have other posts on here about the concern with the foot peg to shifter/brake position so you may want to search that-- easy fix though.

Good luck, give me an email shout if you have questions

Dave

dhoughto@cisco.com

 

If you have a good HD dealer and the seat is in stock, they would throw it on and see if you like it. Mine did when i was buying the bike and wanted an upgrade seat.

 

Dave, I totally agree with the peg to shifter/ brake position. I finally was able to get out and ride my SuperLow. I almost dropped the bike because the stock pegs were in the way. I do have the super reduce reach seat which may also contributed to the problem. Now I have froward controls which are more comfortable and no peg obstacles when I put my feet down.