Rear suspension drop

[Mopaw]

I am looking to drop the rear suspension a bit for a better foothold standing still. Can anyone recommend a shorter shock? What is the minimum shock length before the tire contacts the fender? Thanks for the input!

[98valk]

best thing to do is narrow your seat so your thighs are straighter towards the ground

[WintrSol]

Lowering the rear makes the bike less nimble, which isn't a problem if you don't enjoy the twisties. So, I also think a different seat would be the better solution.

[HayHauler]

You can purchase Progressive 11.5" rear shocks to lower the back.  You can also loosen the fork clamps and "slip" the forks up about 1/2" which will lower the front as well.  This almost keeps the original geometry in sync.
I know this because my current bike was set up that way.  I ordered 13" Progressives for the rear and put the front forks back to the stock location, because it was way too low and scraping pegs in the mountains was scary for me.  I was worried about hard parts scraping and unloading the rear tire, so I returned mine to stock.

As always, your mileage may vary.

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Jess from VA]

This past year, I took off the Progressive Suspension (heavy duty) 13" (OE length) shocks and replaced them with some standard duty Progressive Suspension 12.5" shocks on my Interstate (heavier than Stds and Tourers).  They were old but in good shape with no apparent leaks.  I wish I had done more precise measurements before the swap. 

The 12.5's lowered the rear more than a half inch.  Closer to a full inch or a little more.  I can't explain it other than the fact they were standard duty, old and the weight of the bike.  My other Interstate already had 12.5" shocks on it, and side by side it sits a bit taller in the rear than the one I recently changed the shocks on.

It made it easier to get my 29" pants inseam legs down flat footed, and much easier to get the bike off the kickstand.  The bike still leans over very well, but will drag my floorboards just a bit sooner in hard leans (rarely happens anymore).  What I'm not crazy about is the standard suspension shocks are a bit more mushy and when I hit bumps or a dip in the road, the bike will wobble a bit and bounce up and down (2-3 times) more than the HD shocks did.  Nothing I can't live with.  And this bike already had the Ultimate Lowboy seat (1" under stock seat height).

I would not put lower than 12" shocks on any Valkyrie.  And HD replacements will likely sit the bike a bit taller than standard duty shocks of the same length (and be more precise handling wise). 

 

[Joe333x]

Do yourself a favor and skip the progressive shocks, I bought the 12.5 ones for my bike and I absolutely loved the height but the ride was rough and one ended up blowing out. Spend a little more and get the YSS from Traxxion, they are adjustable but I found the stock height perfect. They are a little higher than the 12.5 progressives but shorter than stock 13. Here’s the link https://traxxion.com/product/yss-shock-absorber-honda-valkyrie-96-03/

[John Schmidt]

For years in back I ran 12" Progressives with I/S springs. It gave me just the right height for my inseam(29") and left the forks at stock height. I had a set of I/S shocks already but found them too stiff for solo riding so swapped the springs over to the Tourer version. Had to build a tool to compress the shocks so I could change the springs. Put many miles on it, never an issue dragging the pegs on a normal ride. If I felt like it, I could lay the bike over on a curve or turn and still scratch the tarmac.

I sold that bike last summer and went to a trike...age related decision. The guy I sold it to was shorter than me and rode it home over 200 miles. Told me it felt great cuz he could flat-foot it at every stop.

[Jess from VA]

I wasn't trying to tout Progressive Suspension shocks.  They have always given me good service.

I've heard good things about Traxxion and would get them if I needed new ones.

My post was more about length and spring rates and lowering, not brand names. 

[Joe333x]

I wasn't trying to tout Progressive Suspension shocks.  They have always given me good service.

I've heard good things about Traxxion and would get them if I needed new ones.

My post was more about length and spring rates and lowering, not brand names. 

Totally! I didn’t take it as you were touting them, I’m just disgruntled with them because one blew out in less than a year and they wouldn’t honor the warranty because I bought them on Amazon even though they were shipped and sold by Amazon not a third party they still called it a third party so I’d suggested anyone going with progressive to just order straight from them if you want them to cover them.

[Jess from VA]

That's a pretty crummy deal (sidestepping warranty on new shocks).

One wonders if it was clear on Amazon if buying from them meant no warranty.

You would hope with a quality product you wouldn't need warranty, and that a good company wouldn't sidestep their warranty.  

Good to know, except I think I'd get Traxxion anyway, if I needed them.  

I still have the (used) good HD 13" and a set of 12" standard duty Progressives out in my bike shed (which I would probably never use) (with a whole pile of other bike parts stuffed in bins.  Including for my old Harley.  I'm a packrat. )

[Joe333x]

That's a pretty crummy deal (sidestepping warranty on new shocks).

One wonders if it was clear on Amazon if buying from them meant no warranty.

You would hope with a quality product you wouldn't need warranty, and that a good company wouldn't sidestep their warranty.  

Good to know, except I think I'd get Traxxion anyway, if I needed them.  

I still have the (used) good HD 13" and a set of 12" standard duty Progressives out in my bike shed (which I would probably never use) (with a whole pile of other bike parts stuffed in bins.  Including for my old Harley.  I'm a packrat. )

lol same I still have the oem shocks with shot bushings as well as the blown out progressive shocks.

[Jims99]

I tried the 12” shocks on the rear and went back to stock. I’m also 29” inseam and had better luck changing the seat. I went with the ultimate lowboy, still a bit wide but I fit much better than stock. Also skinnier seat on the interstate made a big difference.