So I have the double whammy of being short 5'6" and having short legs. I have an 04 Road King Custom and have tried pretty much everything far as shocks go. I installed Progressive spings in front when I put my 21 on and that helped. I tried the Monroe Air Ride thing and with the shocks pumped up all the way it road great but with enough air let out so I can be flat footed around town I get a real bad clunking from even the smallest bumps, very unsettling. I tried 1" lowering blocks with my stock 12" shocks and changed the oil in them witch was the best ride and I could touch pretty well but having the blocks really bothered me so I took them off. I now have a set of Progressive 11.5" 412's and while the ride is good I still cant stand flat footed. I ride 2 up with the wife most the time and combined we weight about 360#. Oh and I have a Sundowner seat that a local shop trimmed the sides on for me witch helped a bit. I still have the Viair pump and rest of air ride installed on the bike in case I decide to try a pair of Blistein or other air ride shocks if recommended. Try different air ride shocks? Or should I send stock shocks to Bitchen Baggers to get reworked/lowered? Or???? Any advice/experience would be great thanks.

 

Sounds like you have tried everything except these: Seriously, not like these but there are shops that can and a 1" insert to your sole to give you a little more. I am 5'8 and have the HD premium low front, 12" premium hand adj rear with 1 " block and CVO seat, sits low and back. I am very comfortable when I have my boots on. Never ride without them.

 

Try the Progressive 944's, lowered my bike 1" and far superior ride to the stock air shocks.

 

Hahaha yeah think I have an old pair of Doc Martin Creepers around that look something like those! LOL But seriously I do wear good boots and it helps. Would prefer to wear my vans or adidas for comfort but dont on the Road King only on my Fatboy.

 

Thanks for the advice. Not comparing the 944's to 412's but I actually really like the ride of the 412's I have now but need to get the bike a bit lower than what it is and the 944's are actually a 1/2" longer.

 

Might depend on your inseam. I'm the same height and had my King lowered 1" front and rear when I bought it. Also had Mean City Cycles mod my OEM seat and am flat footed.

I recently put a 21" front wheel with a Progressive lowering kit and changed my rear shocks to 12" Ohlins. I can flat foot with tennis shoes, but yeah, those Elton John shoes will help.

 

Do you put down 1 foot at a stop or two? If two, try keeping that right foot up on the brake pedal. Which, imo, is where it should be anyway.

 

I actually only lowered my front about an inch to make up for the 21 but thinking about cutting a little more off the spacers to see how another 1/2" feels. Oh and my inseam is a 28, I wear a 29 in jeans and they're a bit baggy.

 

Yeah I use one foot at a stop and have no problem with that i've even gotten used to the dang rear floorboards hitting the back of my legs. My issue is backing up and low speed maneuvering I just dont feel secure with not having both feet on the grounds. I just got the Road King recently and am used to my Fatboy. Even though the Fatboy does have Legend Air Ride I dont need it to be flat footed but it helps and the bike rides so much better with it.

 

I'm 5'5", with a ~27-28" inseam on an 04 RK as well.

I've a number of seats, including a Corbin Close and a HD Reach. My Comfort Stitch (which may be a reach variant) works the best for me. It's comfortable and almost the same height as the Reach.

I'm back to stock suspension height after lowering it several different times. Yes, lowering help me almost flat foot the bike on level ground. But the ride isn't as nice, and ground clearance is an issue for me.

In the end, a reverse gear was the best bike purchase I made. With short legs, even level ground is hard to back on with my feet. Add a little gradient, and I'd be stick. Having an adventurous spirit, I use it even more.

Taking a Ride Like a Pro course was the best rider purchase I made for getting comfortable with wrestling the big heavy bike around at low speeds. Yea, I may still duck-walk it at times. But not nearly as much as I used to, as I'm more comfortable with maneuvering it around parking lots and such.

YMMV