First harley,looking for advice.
- Thread starter Rick Henderson
- Start date
Rick Henderson
Member
You bet, I was kinda thinking about some kind of carriage bolt so the thread we'd would be on top instead of between the tire and fender
Is there any way to soften the rear suspension and remain somewhat lower than stock? Right now it's at a kidney destroying position.
Is there any way to soften the rear suspension and remain somewhat lower than stock? Right now it's at a kidney destroying position.
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Hi Rick, and welcome.
If my memory serves me right, your 883 Iron came stock with the low suspension. If lowered further, you really should get it back to stock height. You might get away with reducing the preload on the shocks, thus raising the bike slightly. There should be five positions available and the wrench is clipped under the front of the seat.
You might also want to verify the rear tire is the stock size. Too tall a tire could be the cause of the seat mounting bolt striking the tire, or even a too long bolt. Tire size should be 150/80B-16, either Dunlop or Michelin stock.
Eventually you might look at Progressive Suspension rear shocks and front springs. Progressive 412 work well and unless yours has the cartridge system in the forks (don't know when Harley started using that, my 2016 Sporty came with it), their progressively wound springs work well. There is enough vibration in the Sportster line already.
Also, pick up the Parts and Accessory catalog from the dealer's parts area.
If my memory serves me right, your 883 Iron came stock with the low suspension. If lowered further, you really should get it back to stock height. You might get away with reducing the preload on the shocks, thus raising the bike slightly. There should be five positions available and the wrench is clipped under the front of the seat.
You might also want to verify the rear tire is the stock size. Too tall a tire could be the cause of the seat mounting bolt striking the tire, or even a too long bolt. Tire size should be 150/80B-16, either Dunlop or Michelin stock.
Eventually you might look at Progressive Suspension rear shocks and front springs. Progressive 412 work well and unless yours has the cartridge system in the forks (don't know when Harley started using that, my 2016 Sporty came with it), their progressively wound springs work well. There is enough vibration in the Sportster line already.
Also, pick up the Parts and Accessory catalog from the dealer's parts area.
Rick Henderson
Member
Rick Henderson
Member
Hi and thanks, there is a aftermarket lowering kit installed. So I will be removing that. It rakes the socks out to such a steep angle that it renders them us less. When I purchased the bike, the previous owner had also removed all the hand controls from the bars except for the brake an clutch and so I had to buy them from harley and have them reinstalled. I bought the new tires then and they were Dunlops and in the stock sizes. The seat screw has evidently been rubbing the tires he had too, because the screw had a deep wear pattern on the threads. I'm trying to upload a video so you guys can listen to the idle and look it over. If you see anything that requires attention that would be great. I'm loving the bike even with these little problems. Thanks again!
Breeze3at
Experienced Member
Welcome Rick; The seat should be held on with a drop in nut, that is held by a clip underneath, less than $5 at the HD store. Post when you get it & we'll tell you the easy way to install it. As for your idle sound, go to YouTube and type "sportster idle" there will be a bunch of clips to listen & compare.
Rick Henderson
Member
Hey thanks, you guys really come through! Checked out several sportsters on YouTube and I guess I'm okay. Just hard to get used to the odd VTwin idle. Thanks for your help. I'll post some pics soon!