Shocks

[Mallett]

Hey y'all, I'm new to this group & a new Valkyrie rider. I have a question about shocks. The bike I just bought has a pair of Works 13" shocks on it. I'm a 5' 8" tall & weigh about 180 lbs.  I would like the bike to be a little lower. I can put my feet flat on the ground but would like a little bind in the Knees. What length & shock would y'all recommend for me?

[Willow]

I'm 68 inches and 190 pounds.  I wouldn't mess with the shocks.  My wife's Standard has shorter shocks and I really don't like what it does to the handling.

I ride on an Ultimate Lowboy and I flat foot my bikes easily.  I believe that would be a better route for you.

Incidentally, the shocks you have are expensive and high quality.

[old2soon]

The stock length is 13". I think various mfgs have different lenghts down to 11 or 11 and a half inches. I'm a smidge over 6' 2" tall so i'm good with stock length. Maybe just maybe some of our height challenged folks will ring in with what works for them. Maybe a 1 inch drop for you might be the ticket. If yer running a D/S rear or a 200 series rear you might need to delve into this a little deeper before a shock change. 2 up most of the time solo pull a trailer-too many variables that only you know the answer to.   RIDE SAFE.

[Mallett]

Thanks Willow, my last bike was a 98 Harley Springer & it set pretty low to the ground. How much would effect the ride of the Valk if I just went down to 12"??

[Willow]

Give yourself some time to get used to the Valkyrie before you consider swapping out those fine shocks for something less.

An Ultimate Lowboy will drop you one inch.  You can do a "nose job" on an OEM saddle and gain about the same improvement.

There are solutions, but at 5' 8" you don't need lower shocks.    

(My wife's shocks are 11.5" and once attempted to throw me off an Interstate ramp.)

[Mallett]

My bike has a Corbin seat on it which I think is a little wider than the stock seat..most of my riding is solo & I don't pull a trailer..Thanks for y'alls feed back...knowledge is king...

[old2soon]

+1 on what Willow says. He gots lots more experience on the fat girls than i duz. Do some research on the tech board for lowering the lady. I know in the little while i've been here it's been addresed more than a time or two. RIDE SAFE.

[chrise2469]

The other thing you might consider is what the preload on the shocks is.  Depending on the type of works shocks there may be an adjustable preload.

If the last owner was a big dude/dudette the preload may be too much for your weight.  If your willing to wait a few weeks, you can always send the shocks back to works and they can revalve and adjust for  your weight and riding style for under a hundred bucks.

Here's a link to the general instructions which discuss how to check preload
http://www.worksperformance.com/pdf/instructions/General%20Instructions.pdf
and works homepage
http://www.worksperformance.com/html/home.html

[Jess from VA]

Another remedy is to ride to stops with left foot (only) down and right foot on the brake pedal (MSF style, or at least it used to be).  This is really a better riding technique than both feet down, even on a heavy bike.  Practice it for one day ride, and see if you don't do better.  Just remember to slightly lean her left on each left foot plant, and leave the right on the peg/brake.

I'm 5'9' and ride two 13" shock interstates, and would never lower the shocks.  In fact, I traded away a pair of 12.5's on my 2d bike because the boards drug sooner than I was used to.

Your profile doesn't say where you live.... if it's in FL where you have to go 200 miles to the nearest curve, then maybe it doesn't matter, but......