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[Sil]

I am a bit of a short ass, whenever I come to a stop I am resting on the balls of my feet, can I get a variety of suggestions on how I can lower myself so that my feet are planted solidly on the pavement, I do not want to change my stock seat as I like my CVO 2011 Street Glide to look as original as possible. Please help. Thx

[Mandrew13]

Consider sending your seat to a place like mean city cycles; they can shave it down and narrower to help your reach.

[Sil]

Thank you for the reply, will they know how much to shave if I tell them that I need 1 more inch to touch the pavement solidly?

[grc]

What kind of footwear do you use?  And please don't say sneakers.

The best way to get your feet flat on the ground is to modify the seat, and wear real riding boots with a thick sole and heel.  The worst way is to modify the suspension, which is already lowered in the rear on a SG.

Jerry

[GregKhougaz]

Thank you for the reply, will they know how much to shave if I tell them that I need 1 more inch to touch the pavement solidly?

The above comments are spot on.  Hopefully, you can find a good upholstery shop in your area. They may not just remove foam, they can replace your foam with much better foam.  That should easily get you the inch you are looking for. 

You also may want to keep your seat original but ride with something like this:  Corbin Seats For '09-'13 CVO Street Glide.

[OBB]

What kind of footwear do you use?  And please don't say sneakers.

The best way to get your feet flat on the ground is to modify the seat, and wear real riding boots with a thick sole and heel.  The worst way is to modify the suspension, which is already lowered in the rear on a SG.

Jerry

^^^ This is spot on. I used to wear Icon riding boots all the time one mine. First time I bought a new pair of Redwing lineman's boots for work and road the bike to work, I noticed a huge difference. I remembered "aka The Grouch" making the comment in a thread when I was thinking of lowering my Ultra an inch. Now it's all I wear when on the bike.

[Mano]

Hey Sil,

You don't say how tall you are but I have the same scoot and totally love the seat not just for its looks but comfort. At almost 100 000KM the seat is the least of my worries.

I am 5'7 and below are the boots that I wear. I would think even if I had shorter legs that these boots would be just fine.

Get yourself some good boots.

[rheiner]

You can do what I did but for a different reason. I also have a 2011 cvo sg. I didn't like the ride even after putting on a high end suspension. So I went with a different wheel and tire (approved by HD). The Oem wheel and tire is a Dunlop D407, 180 55B/18.the tire diameter is 26.33 inches. I replaced it with a compatible wheel that was on my cvo ultra classic,  a D407 180 65B/16. The diameter is 25.18 inches. You'll lower the bike by almost an inch,  not quite. In my case I moved up to a 13 inch shock so it was a wash.

[Mandrew13]

Thank you for the reply, will they know how much to shave if I tell them that I need 1 more inch to touch the pavement solidly?

Yes, when you set up your order, you will give them your inseam and weight so they know where and how much to shape.

[cahdbiker]

Sil, go to a local upholstery shop. They will pull the seat and contour it to your needs. I left my bike at the upholstery shop and before he reinstalled the cover I went for a test fit. Needed to shave a little more and make it a little more narrow at the front and added a gel pad. Heater still works fine. Just for the record I am 5'9" at can put both feet flat on ground even if I wear tennis shoes. I love my Red Wings, but around here they are too hot in the summer.CAHDBIKER

[Sil]

To everyone who contributed to my dilemma I want to thank you all!!! I am going to a seat upholster and have my seat modified that seems to be the consensus, I do wear H-D boots with a thick sole which did help its the first thing I did when I bought the bike. thank you all brothers!!!

[skratch]

You can do what I did but for a different reason. I also have a 2011 cvo sg. I didn't like the ride even after putting on a high end suspension. So I went with a different wheel and tire (approved by HD). The Oem wheel and tire is a Dunlop D407, 180 55B/18.the tire diameter is 26.33 inches. I replaced it with a compatible wheel that was on my cvo ultra classic,  a D407 180 65B/16. The diameter is 25.18 inches. You'll lower the bike by almost an inch,  not quite. In my case I moved up to a 13 inch shock so it was a wash.

your math is off just a tad.  the overall diameter is about an inch more, but you have to half that figure.

[rheiner]

your math is off just a tad.  the overall diameter is about an inch more, but you have to half that figure.

You are correct about needing to half it. I also made a mistake with my facts. The Dunlop 16 inch wheel has a tire diameter 25.33 inches. The 18 inch wheel has a diameter of 26.18 inches. So I was right that it is a little less than an inch but I did have the numbers reversed. Additionally, if you put the 17 inch wheel on the front, to match the rear wheel, that diameter tire is 25.20 versus the 19 inch wheel that's on the 2011 CVO is 25.39 inches, so you also gain a little bit more there.

[dirtdobber]

About the only thing I can add is making changes to the seat is about all you can do without spending quiet a bit on parts.
I am 5'7" and use the reduced reach seat. Like you I think the CVO seat looks much better.
By being short you may be able to use memory foam in the seat for comfort and lower it some. The CVO seats are a type of frame hugging seat. This means you are limited to how low you can make it and keep comfort.
If you like the seat appearance maybe something from C&C seats. They are true frame huger seats and comfortable for me.
If you make changes in most cases to lower the bike you will most likely run into some sort of clearance problems through the curves.
Changing wheels can be costly. But by the same token it would be cheaper for tires as the CVO wheels are custom sized and at this point in time not much offered other than the HD tires that are really costly.
By going to a 16 rear and 17 front you will have a better choice in tires.
HD has gotten out of control on their tire prices.

[Rooster]

Hey Sil,

You don't say how tall you are but I have the same scoot and totally love the seat not just for its looks but comfort. At almost 100 000KM the seat is the least of my worries.

I am 5'7 and below are the boots that I wear. I would think even if I had shorter legs that these boots would be just fine.

Get yourself some good boots.

You must have some tough feet to wear those boots. I have a pair and although they help get my heels to the ground better I cant stand to wear them very long.