Since I got my road Zeppelin seat, I have been thinking about lowering the rear end the cheap way, by kicking back the shocks with the lowering brackets.

I may not do anything, I'm getting used to my new higher stance, but in some situations, I feel a little unstable. Only want to drop an inch or so.

What are the drawbacks to doing this, can it hurt anything? How does it effect the ride quality?

 

There are two big negatives.

- Reduced height means reduced lean angle. This means that you're more likely to drag stuff through the corners.

- Dropping the rear changes the effective rake and trail at the front of the bike, which will require more effort to get the bike into a turn.

Ironically, I just raised my bike up an inch in order to gain more cornering clearance, but I also have a 34" inseam.

 

lowering brackets=wheel rub=shorted wiring harness=no rear lighting=you are in trouble.

 

+yes don't waste your money.

 

So far all of the negative comments are going to apply no matter how you lower the bike, including the stock Street Glide. Also rider and passenger weight has an effect.

Advantage of brackets = low cost. Ride quality equal to stock.
If you replace with lower stocks (SG) the ride will be comparable to a SG.
If you replace the shocks with high performance aftermarket shocks ($$$) then ride quality may improve.
I have the lowering blocks on my Ultra for 25,000 miles, I still have lights and I only grind metal occasionally.

 

Did you notice any handling differences? one of the posters said it would be noticeable in turns due to rake change. How much did you lower it? Did you only do the rear?

I like the cushy ride from the stock air shocks, I take it that doesn't change.

 

An inch on you bike would be no big deal, no more than an inch. you would be around same height as a street glide. But it would be a little noticeable.

 

I had 1.25" drop from Tamrack machine works on my wide glide. I set the spring rate up by one notch. Never had any issues. Gettig ready install one on my electra when it comes in.

 

2" lowering blocks with the stock air shocks work great on my 97 Ultra. I had to take the air to 30# to cut down on bottoming out when 2 up, but it was only happening occasionally. Upon inspection, the rubbing on mine was just about the battery area inside the fender. I don't ride as hard on the Ultra, so I have yet to scrape anything on twisties. When I get the curly black hair and want to test the chicken strips on my tires, I ride the FXR

 

I had a 97 Road King with the 1" lowering brackets and only bottomed out with two up and luggage and big bumps. As long as you remember it's a bagger and not a sport bike I think you will be OK. Besides for the price ($90 or so) take a chance. You can always resale them for $50 if you don't like them.