My wife just bought a 2001 xlh1200 with original shocks. The bike is too high. Tip toes vs flat footing! I'm figuring 412 Progressives, but I'm wandering how low to safely go. I know there is an angle involved, but how can I figure what length shock to reduce by about 2"?
I'd imagine an 11" from a 13" doesn't lower by two inches, right?

 

lowering the shocks will make the bike bottom out more often and ride even more rough, if that matters.
i changed mine out and added an inch. now i never bottom out and have a great ride. to get closer to the ground a better choice, imo, is to change out the seat.
your dealer would be able to fit a seat and adjust the bars, if necessary, to help her flat foot the bike without shortening the shocks.

 

I have to agree & disagree with Wanabe. I agree on switching out the seat.....But for shocks, look for some 11" Street Glide air shocks. That's what I'm probably going to be switching to. Right now I'm running 10" Lick's Gen I Short Shocks. I rarely bottom out with the 10"s, but it is definitely a rougher ride. For the seat, look for one that is a little bit narrower in the section where her legs will be when she's standing so her legs go down at a straighter angle.

 

Confirming my suspicions. Thanks guys! I'll have to go back and measure the shocks, as I've now been informed the previous owner was a rather tall man, and he probably swapped out the stock to actually raise the bike.

 

Besides getting a different seat, an possibly instead or in addition to changing the shocks, lower blocks will get you lower and usually improve the ride.

 

great advice- air shocks give the best of both worlds- you can lower the bike when looks are more important than ride, and you can raise it when the ride is more important that looks. to me, around town looks are more important and on the big road, the ride is more important. thx for that addition wvhogrider!

 

I'd use a set of shocks from a Low or a Custom they both measure 10.75, or you can send your shocks into Skullman and have them shortened, I've done this several times and it works great and it's cheap.

 

What're nightster shocks 11"? I don't know what this bottoming out stuff even means. The only part of my bike that scrapes is my exhaust. I've never "bottomed out".

 

I don't think it works quiet like that...more air will only make it firmer I believe, not raise the bike.