Lowering an 883N: any kit available?

damoru · #1 21st November 2009

Aka Iron

well, I'm looking for a lowering kit for both rear and front end. I was thinkin' in 11" rear, and... Something that matches with this for the front. I would like to get the rear fender closer to the wheel, and lowering the whole thing too.

I suppose that if I find an "all in one" kit, I could save some $. I'd like progressive feature.

Looking in Ebay I didn't find anything. Always front or rear, never together

Wow, I think that my English skills are as complex like a 4-year boy. Sorry fir this!!

colonelangus · #2 21st November 2009

tamarack rear lowering blocks i have a set on my nightster.as for front just take the forks apart and cut down the fork spring spacer <tube>

Shu · #3 21st November 2009

You may be able to add a lower leg spring below the emulators. Just pick up one from the dealer the same as already is in there and double them up. This will lower by one inch, then set your upper spring preload with the spacer.

Toolgirl · #4 24th November 2009

Has anyone tried a kit like this?? It looks simple, and it's inexpensive, but I'm wondering how safe it is, and whether it affects the shocks' ability to absorb impacts.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Sport...#ht_2175wt_941

black_n_orange_08 · #5 24th November 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toolgirl

Has anyone tried a kit like this?? It looks simple, and it's inexpensive, but I'm wondering how safe it is, and whether it affects the shocks' ability to absorb impacts.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Sport...#ht_2175wt_941

I've got a set of these hanging on the wall in my garage that I can't give away. They change your shock angle to a point where they don't work effectively, and put it in a strain and will eventually cause them to bow until they bind.

Maybe you should look into a BURLEY "Slammer" kit. Try the Google bar at the bottom of the page.

snowman · #6 24th November 2009

The only issue I can see with this kind of kit is it puts the tire a lot closer to the fender (and everything under it), without stiffening any suspension rates. This means that if you hit a certain bump with stock shocks and took 2-3" of suspension travel to absorb it, when you install this kit and go over that bump, that's not going to change until the tire slams into the fender...

If I was going to slam a bike, I would look at getting shorter, stiffer shocks in the 11" range...

Toolgirl · #7 24th November 2009

Believe it or not, I have 11" Progressives now and would like my bike to be a little lower - I'm 5' 3". I'd eventually like to put a more comfortable seat on, which means it will lift me a little higher, so that's another reason for needing the bike to be lower.

I saw a thread about 10" Lick's and have posted a question there, but have yet to get a response as to how those ride. Any idea about the Lick's?

snowman · #8 24th November 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toolgirl

Believe it or not, I have 11" Progressives now and would like my bike to be a little lower - I'm 5' 3". I'd eventually like to put a more comfortable seat on, which means it will lift me a little higher, so that's another reason for needing the bike to be lower.

I saw a thread about 10" Lick's and have posted a question there, but have yet to get a response as to how those ride. Any idea about the Lick's?

I've heard good and bad... They definitely ride stiffer and should, but some folks don't seem to mind that level of stiffness to look good, or in your case, flatfoot the bike... Read this:

http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/s...d.php?t=366438

There's more in the suspension section...

Toolgirl · #9 24th November 2009

Great, thanks for your help guys! Sorry to hijack this thread.

XLXR · #10 25th November 2009

There are several issues to consider when lowering a bike. No matter what else you do, you will have less cornering clearance. One guy reported getting thrown off his bike when his peg caught a manhole cover while leaned over in a corner.

The shocks act as the travel limiter for the swing arm. The shocks bottom out and prevent tire or anything else from rubbing or hitting. Nighsters have a reflector under the fender that can hit the belt guard and break off. EFI bikes can hit the ECM under the seat.

Most riders with short legs are also light weight, 140 lbs. Most short shocks have stiffer springs which make the ride ever worse for light weight riders. One way around this is to use longer shocks with lighter springs and then use lowering blocks to get your feet back on the ground.

Lowered bikes may also need to have the kick stand cut shorter.

See the link in my signature, there is a section on lowering a bike. Be sure to read the Sportytrace and Whittle beast threads. There are also links to the Progressive website. You can always add rebound / top out / lowering springs to the forks to lower them. The springs are 1" long and you have to remove the damper tubes to get them in.