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[Tannehill Kid]

My wife is looking at getting 2012 SESG and really needs it to be lowered a little to be flat footed. She is 5'4'" and just doesn't feel confortable sitting on mine(2012 SESG).  She said she would rather not change the seat out to make this work.  Was wondering if anyone had lowered one with good results. Did a search and most most mods were done in 2010 when the SESG first came out and was wondering if someone had come up with something new.

Danny

[RedDevil]

My wife is looking at getting 2012 SESG and really needs it to be lowered a little to be flat footed. She is 5'4'" and just doesn't feel confortable sitting on mine(2012 SESG).  She said she would rather not change the seat out to make this work.  Was wondering if anyone had lowered one with good results. Did a search and most most mods were done in 2010 when the SESG first came out and was wondering if someone had come up with something new.

Danny

The '10 and '12s all have the same suspension components, so what was done on the 10s can be done on the 12s.

[Aussie]

I would like to know what was involved in lowering the SG to.

[VaEagle]

Food for thought....I believe the SESG already has a lower suspension vs. stock. I don't know if I would go any lower on suspension because you would loose ground clearance and suspension travel would be even shorter and would bottom out quicker making for a harsher ride.
I know your wife doesn't want to change the seat but that would be the best way to lower without sacrificing rideability. Maybe the stock seat could be narrowed to improve reach?
She could also look at thicker soled riding boots.

Then of course you could look at one of the companies that has air shocks and an on board compressor so the bike could be lowered in a parking lot and raised with the push of a button for the road.

[plasmadaddy]

Food for thought....I believe the SESG already has a lower suspension vs. stock. I don't know if I would go any lower on suspension because you would loose ground clearance and suspension travel would be even shorter and would bottom out quicker making for a harsher ride.
I know your wife doesn't want to change the seat but that would be the best way to lower without sacrificing rideability. Maybe the stock seat could be narrowed to improve reach?
She could also look at thicker soled riding boots.

Then of course you could look at one of the companies that has air shocks and an on board compressor so the bike could be lowered in a parking lot and raised with the push of a button for the road.

What he said 

[hbens]

An aftermarket company in New Smryna Beach Florida specializes in making bikes ridable for women (or shorter people). I don't know the name of the company but you can do a search on it.

[dirtdobber]

A good, motorcycle seat company can lower it. I had my Ultra done 5 years ago. very comfortable and looked great

[petewerner]

  I got the Harley reach seat and not only does it set u lower, but it is also narrower so your legs are not so spread that it adds to the problem of touching the ground, with both feet and can stand and your butt is up off the seat. That was $250. cheap and works great feels great and can ride all day without and comfort issuers, better than the stock seat for me and especially for the passenger with a really nice perch!!
  I also worked my way into Arnott's Aldan's, 11 way rebound as well as a 11.6 extended. I run it at about 1/2 stroke which lifts it to less than 1" from the stock position(11 FLTRx) but makes the airbag happyest
 If I'm out with some friends that go fast, it turn it to 9 and fill the air bag until it is just extended but no extra pressure build up beyond 90psi. It is about factory high and has a much better controlled ride and if I really need to manuver it around, dump the airbag and shazam u feel 6' tall and the bike is really low and very easy to move around!!!!

[Deep Blue Dives]

The seat will be the cheapest alternative.  My bike had the shocks set up for the lightest load when I purchased the bike - I was so use to my softail, that I wasn't prepared for the road noise to come straight up through the bike and felt it all the way up my back.  Fortunately I am tall enough to increase the shock load to help with this.  If the bike were lower, I would make sure that you don't already lose the short range of the suspension.

[smiley1049]

I just looked up fork assembly for SE Street Glide and SE Ultra for 2011 both take the same fork assembly 48790-09 , 48789-09

[Tannehill Kid]

Thanks for the suggestions.  The wife has kinda giving into the idea of changing the seat out.  Have any of you change out a seat for reach or being able to stand flat footed reasons?  If you have what seat did you use and was it confortable?

[JCZ]

My wife (and several other women here in Nor Cal) use the Corbin Classic Solo Close.  It moves them forward a couple inches and the tongue of the seat is much narrower.  And we both have the Harley Davidson Touring Pullback bars which are 2" up and 2" back from stock.

She has hers pulled back far enough that she is able to continue to use her fairing mount mirrors.  I went to handlbar mounted mirrors.

A number of members with the SESG have the Harley Touring Pullbacks.

[petewerner]

Thanks for the suggestions.  The wife has kinda giving into the idea of changing the seat out.  Have any of you change out a seat for reach or being able to stand flat footed reasons?  If you have what seat did you use and was it confortable?

Igot to have the Harley shop take one out side and slap it on my bike for me to feel, I rode it around the block and was sold!! Narrow tongue, this lets u reach closer to strait down. This gave me a much better feel when doing anything on the bike including ride, brake, shift, and rest your feet on the footboards. That narrowing is great, in addition it lowers your riding position as well as moving it forward.

http://www.hotbikeweb.com/products/1007_hbkp_new_hd_super_reduced_reach_touring_seat/index.html

[grc]

I just looked up fork assembly for SE Street Glide and SE Ultra for 2011 both take the same fork assembly 48790-09 , 48789-09

The SESG comes with standard height front forks, but 1" shorter rear shocks.  She could lower the front 1" to match the 1" lower rear, but I wouldn't recommend lowering the bike any more than that unless she only plans to do low speed parade type riding on nice smooth surfaces.  Ground clearance and lean angles become marginal rather quickly as you lower things, and of course the ride eventually starts to feel like a rigid frame bike.  There is no magic that will allow a significantly shorter suspension to ride and work as well as a longer travel suspension.

If it were me, I'd do the seat mod and get some thicker soled riding boots first.  If that still didn't quite fix her problem, then I'd look at lowering the front 1".  If all of that still didn't fix the problem, I'd suggest looking at different models with a naturally lower seat.  How does the Convertible fit her?


Jerry

[Midnight Rider]

Probably the cheapest solution is the HD Reach Seat, though I've never cared for the look, personally.  The Corbin Reach seat is the other alternative, and she could get it with stitching to compliment the bike's colors.  Thick soled boots will also help some.  You can also send the stock seat off to somewhere like Mean City to be modified.  Installing the Progressive Monotubes in the front forks (the 1" lower version) would accomplish two things...give a better ride, and lower the front to match the rear, which, as mentioned, is already 1" lower.

From there, the costs go up pretty dramatically.  Installing a true air ride suspension on the rear, that is totally adjustable by having an on board air compressor and a handlebar mounted switch, will definitely get you there.  I have the same issue on my full height suspension SERGU...having a 29" inseam, and not liking the whole bike lowered an inch due to ground clearance in turns, I have used the Legend Air Ride rear shocks on two different bikes now.  The Arnott system mentioned above is similar in function, allowing the rear end to almost instantly be lowered up to 3.25 inches (on a full length suspension), or 2.25 inches on an already shortened rear suspension.  These systems will allow both feet to be more firmly attached to the ground when walking the bike around trying to get parked, etc.  Plus, you can lower it a bit (not all the way down, or it rides like a hardtail) from redlight to redlight, or in heavy traffic.  But mostly, the issue is getting a firm plant when parking the bike, backing it up, etc.  These shocks work, but expect costs from $1100-$1600, and that's if you do the work yourself, which is easy.