How to lower Harley FOR FREE

How to lower 2000-2017 softail free
All you need to know of the fastest easiest way to lower your Harley Davidson softail without spending money
Rules and avoid common mistakes

[@markhooshmand5712]

Thank you so much for your video, I just lowered my Fatboy the way you show us and it worked perfectly. Much love and respect all the way from Sydney Australia.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you for your feedback! Enjoy, and ride safe!!

[@ico0113]

First time for me watching your video and not the last time I’ll keep watching them keep them coming,I have two fat boys Flstf and for sure I’m lowering them Thanks

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

thank you! I appreciate that and hope you like it. its not a slam but definitely better than stock.

[@cbrmike67]

Tried this method with my 2012 softail slim and damn it looks so much better I dropped 1 3/4 using some washers I had . It did not cause any issues with the kickstand with the 16 inch wheel. Had to use a 2x6 to set it down on the rear wheel to get the lift out.😆 Great very easy to understand video.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you I appreciate the update!

[@DJHalstead90]

Doin great bro!! Love the commentary and explaining things! Jeep's lookin good and sounds great!!!! Keep up the great work🎉!!!

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you! I appreciate that!

[@michaelgreen7028]

Good video Pal. Short, clear, concise. Thank you for the information.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you!

[@CodeyTew-ir6oe]

Great videos, simple to understand for the normal guy!

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you!

[@mahumbug1234]

Great simple concise advise. Great video. Gonna give it a go. Cheers from the land Downunder 🤙😎

[@Richard_Lush]

Awesome. Going to try this. Thx! I love cheap fixes.

[@BrianCarter-gh2vb]

keep the videos coming ! enjoy your work !

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you! I will do!

[@user-vy3en5gq4o]

I thank you , it's my first softail , been riding sporters for years , always wanted the hardtail look with the rear fender license plate under look . But was always worried about the seat height. I also installed alow profile seat.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

No problem happy to help! Let me know if you have any other questions. I love softails especially their heritage!

[@hogrydr100]

Damn, it doesnt get any simpler than that. i found this video just in time b/c i recently purchased a bike and waiting on shipping to get here. once its here, this is the first thing im going to do to it. thanks so much

[@brucemorrette4875]

I don't know if you noticed but when you take out those rubber washers to lower your bike there is an oblong hole so your shocks will bounce up and down (hopefully not because of the weight) but I don't think so ...be careful

[@dsfmrs1295]

I was a bit skeptical at first but damn that works great. Awesome video brotha

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you!

[@billylanthripp199]

Worked great thanks for sharing, might want to add more key words to make it easier to find video. I bumped into it by luck!!! I took the free route and it worked awesome dropped bike 1.5 inches...thanks again

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I really appreciate that! Where do you suggest I add more keywords? I have quite a bit in the tags but maybe more of a description?

[@edgartena6062]

Great video thanks for the tip.

[@andysmith3843]

I've got a 2013 fxst and I'm going to do exactly what you have I've got the HD extension kit but like you said it labour intensive so cheers for the video you get my thumbs up chap. That colour of you bike I absolutely love I've always always wanted a green bike seeing yours if you could by chance let me know the details I'll be going ahead with the change on mine cheers again.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/raetp5iNZ7iEa8ksi=KV4NJhg7wdZhF49T Thank you! There is the video the day I painted it. It’s a custom mix from extra colors I had left over.

[@user-cz1oh9xj8t]

Thanks Bro you helped me 100% Thanks... If you will do a videos on puting on new apes and the lines ....

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you! Glad I could help. I got calls about doing apes all the time, next time I have one in the shop for that I got you!

[@baustin2402]

Thanx for the "SOLID" info fam!!! Think I'll do it! 👍

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

No problem! It’s still riding great!

[@Robert-yu9my]

Thanks Bro your channel is great...!!!

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you! I really appreciate that!

[@changomanaco2]

Hell yeah thanks bro! I’m subscribing! 🤘🏾

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it.Thank you for subscribing!

[@robertedwards4494]

Appreciate the tip!

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you! Glad I could help!

[@73macrino]

Great tip bro!! Thank you.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Happy to help! Thanks for your comment!

[@mcmark5927]

Great idea, going to save me lots of time.

[@MiguelSanchez-uu7fc]

thanks for the video very informative!

[@goldrusher7554]

Nice! I love it!!

[@RickDelmonico]

3 modifications required. Spacer in front of inner bushing. Shorten bushing barrel. Thin outer bushing. I did mine yesterday, You have to pull the shocks off of the bike. There is a step in the shock shaft that holds the inner busing in place. Your method allows the bushing to fall out most of the way. I have a 2007 Deluxe. My bushings are captured properly. Without capturing the bushing, the shock shaft will wear against the hole in the frame.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

@@RickDelmonico absolutely incorrect. It is done exactly as I said it is. I have done it to 2 other softails since and this bike is still set up like this to this day. Any additional work you did you chose to do!

[@RickDelmonico]

@@dixiegaragecustoms There is a step in the shock shaft that holds the inner busing in place. Your method allows the bushing to fall out most of the way. I have a 2007 Deluxe. My bushings are captured properly. Without capturing the bushing, the shock shaft will wear against the hole in the frame.

[@andreasporch788]

Does bike bottom out on tire over bump.

[@user-wb9kw9es4z]

Mine has a sleeve around the threaded shaft that seems to fill in a gap between the frame (hole) and the threaded shaft. It sticks out into the rubber grommet. It won’t let me attach a photo. You didn’t mention any inner sleeve. It looks like if I take it out, the shaft will be able to move inside the hole. If I leave it in, the washer won’t go all the way up against the frame, accomplishing nothing. What did you do about the sleeve? 2013 Softail slim

[@derrickshorter5842]

Great video but i went with legends airride on my 94 Harley-Davidson softail heritage classic flstc and i love it

[@panheadsforever74]

Pretty smart, i like it,thanks man. Nice trick for free.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

thank you!

[@mattc3656]

Putting washers in there stops the shock from pivoting with the swing arm therefore something is going to break eventually!

[@dwightsmith654]

Question,do you tighten up the two front nuts? At the end of the shocks or is that for adjustment.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I put loctite and tightened them just enough to have the bolt at the end of the nut. About where they were from the factory.

[@akakaiiz]

That’s awesome 👏 definitely happening

[@pmotosgarage]

looking to do this tomorrow to my 2002 fxst. question is do i leave that black rubber gromet and put flat washer over that or do i get rid of the black rubber and just use washer?

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Get rid of the black rubber pieces. The goal is to have the nut right up against the frame/washer and have the nut as far up at the end of rhe bolt as possible. Don’t forget loctite

[@diegofauvrelle]

This is an awesome tip, by chance… do you know the size of the washer? M12?

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I don’t know what size I used, sorry I just grabbed from a hardware box I have.

[@Harleyman51958]

Very cool that killer!

[@michaeltodd2677]

So there is a metal sleeve that connects the rear and front grommet. Removing the front grommet will leave slop in the post on the front post. How did you make it so there is no slop in the front post

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I don’t remember a metal sleeve. If there was one then I just left it there. I have no slop or any other problems

[@Harleyman51958]

I did to my Fay boy and it worked thanks

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you for the update!

[@user-vy3en5gq4o]

Hi I removed bushing , but still not low enough. In that one kit you have to remove sleve , behind front nut , I wonder if I also removed sleve over threads, it would go lower and still be safe

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I don’t know that that would make a difference. You could do this same thing with progressive 422s and truly slam it which I ended up doing and it is basically a ridged now, But this is just a quick and free way to bring it down some.

[@keliinui01]

I tried it o my 2013 Breakout. There's a space that seems like it needs to be filled on the shock side if the frame mount. Did you leave the metal sleave on?

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I did leave the metal sleeve on. never did anything to that side of the frame.

[@user-vy3en5gq4o]

I watched some of the other videos on how to lower , and the one with the 120 dollar kit ,no shock removal , when they took the front bushing off it seemed that there's a sleeve over the threaded rod , inside the bushing....your way , I believe you let the sleeve on the threaded rod.....is that right?

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Correct! I didn’t touch anything on the back side, no need to. Once the bike is jacked up all of the weight is off the shocks and you can remove the nut no problem.

[@juanarevalos7366]

I have the same thing with a sleeve left off where the bushings would be. Now there is a gap between the sleeve and the nut of free play (06 softail) is the sleeve supposed to be removed?

[@user-vy3en5gq4o]

What keeps the nuts tight against the frame? Won't nut and washer move forward when weigh applied.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

The weight is on the washers against the frame. The travel is the opposite direction of what you are picturing.

[@user-vy3en5gq4o]

Thanks for a quick response.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

No problem! Let me know if you have any other questions!

[@MrFatboyfun]

Without the rubber mounts won’t it damage the shocks?

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I don’t see why it would. Still no problems!

[@pericreticos]

Thank you

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Thank you for watching!

[@carlosfgarcia87]

Just reaching out to see how the lowering idea is holding up??

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Still works perfectly! Zero problems!

[@patrickrider2039]

Have you had any adverse affects from doing this? Thinking about doing it to my bike. 2007 FXSTC

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Zero problems! Still all good

[@patrickrider2039]

@@dixiegaragecustoms did it to my bike last night. Crossing railroad tracks is a bit rougher. But so far so good. I tightened the nut behind the crossmember to take out some up and down wobbly slack. But I’m a 300 pound man and it seems to be fine. Rode it hard down a backroad up to about 80 for good test hahaha

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Hell yeah that’s how you do a test drive lol well good man glad you like it! Like I said I’m not all that heavy and to me it was still a perfect ride.

[@micksilvester]

Can you do a video for a M8 Softail?

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Maybe..🤔 I have a customer with a heritage m8. I’ll see if he wants to lower it.

[@denniscraig648]

Don’t you need a spacer between the shock stem and the backside of the frame piece on opposite side of where you took the spacer off.

[@adammccormick2257]

I was thinking the same thing, this way the nut isn't tightened against anything...

[@joshramsey8450]

Can you do this trick with the washers and a get the rear end lower, and then adjust the shocks softer too and get even lower?? That’s what I’m thinking. I have a 2000 fxstb. What do u think

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

You can still adjust preload and it may make a difference I’m not sure how much honestly but please let me know so I will have a answer for this next time

[@joshramsey8450]

So update - I just tried this on my 2000 Softail FXSTB And it’s not working for me. I think this is the problem all the other ppl are havin too. I take the nut off, I see how you can take the little rubber bushing out of that cup washer and just flip it over and you’d take all that space out and lower the bike. But on that threaded rod there’s like a steel bushing in there that pops thru the bracket thru to the front side where the nuts are. It’s looks to me like it’s there to keep the threaded rod centered in the hole, so the threads don’t get destroyed. So you cannot just flip the cups over and put the nuts back on. (At least with my bike). You would have to drill out a bigger hole in the cup washers, or get washers with a big center hole that fits on

[@joshramsey8450]

Actually shit I thought I had a way around it by drilling out the cups or getting large washers, BUT now I’m also seeing the steel bushing around the threaded rod, sticks out the front the same distance as the cup washer and rubber bushing are thick. So if I put on flat washers, I wouldn’t be able to thread the nut all the way down flat anyway. Man I wish I could attach pictures. Well shit now I guess I’m stuck with spending all that money on the stupid lowering “kit” Unless you have any other ideas. Thanks again. Love the videos dude keep it up. My kind of people - straight wrenching ADDICT lol

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I only had one other person that couldn’t get it at first and he finally realized he was misunderstanding how the shocks on a softail work they are backwards from a normal shock setup. I believe you are overthinking it. All that has to be done is remove cup washers, put flat one in their place and leave the nut as close to the end of the threads as possible.

[@joshramsey8450]

Yeah no I understand how they work. It’s just deceiving when you first take those cups out. I finally realized last night how to make it work and then I felt like an idiot haha. When you first flip the cups over and put the nuts back on, that steel bushing around the threaded rod holds them out away from the frame like 3/4” and at first I was like wtf I can’t get the washers and the nut down flat to the frame. And then I realized you don’t have to get them flat down to the frame!!. You just put the cups on, tighten the nuts down good w locktite , and then when you lower the jack and put the bike back down those rods get sucked back in a little bit and THENNN the washers sit flat to the frame. And your bike IS 100%. Like 1 1/2”-2” lower. It works. Bike looks awesome thanks so much for showing man. Saved me 150$ or whatever and I love workin on my bike and making shit work with what I got. So big props to you my friend. Thank you again

[@user-uh1gj9kx5c]

Does it cost any riding or performance problems?

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Still none for me. Like I said at the end of the video I’m a lighter guy no problems. You can adjust preload.. covered all in the video

[@craigpennington1251]

Why would you lower it. They scrape parts as it is.

[@64Goef]

2007 Night Train, tried to do this but when removing the rubber grommet it seems a bushing is remaining. According the drawings of the shocks it looks like a long bushing all the way through the frame to the other side grommet [the shock side]. Or has each grommet its own bushing? For now it looks not possible to do this mod for my bike. Any knowledge on this would be highly apreciated. Thanks.

[@Harleydavidsonguru]

It works just like he said. Don’t worry about the extra bushing on the back side, or the metal sleeve. Just remove the factory washers and bushings and put flat washers. Not a slam but a good clean drop much better then factory height.

[@64Goef]

@@Harleydavidsonguru Thnks, will give a try again.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Seems like he beat me too it! All correct there. It’s not a major drop somewhere between 1”-1 1/2” but for the price it’s the best alternative I could come up with.

[@64Goef]

Looking at the expend view drawing its the nr 3 bushing that is sticking out when removing the cupwasher with grommet. Do i just pull out the bushing? Thks again for your help

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Pull out the bushing and flip the cup washer. Or replace the cup washer with a flat washer

[@MOOKS65]

How tall are you . Would this suit 5ft 4 in tall person all short person

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I’m 5’8”.It will bring the bike down about an inch to an inch and a half. I would think that would be enough. I recommend trying this first since it’s super cheap and if it’s not low enough then spend the money on a drop kit

[@jasonmoore200]

Doesn’t the rubber garments make it ride smoother

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Like I said at the end of the video. It didn’t change the ride for me at all but I’m not a heavy guy.

[@ronaldpoddig6188]

I'm working on a 1967 Chevy K10.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

I love those! So badass

[@ronaldpoddig6188]

Holy crap. I just did the $20 kit on mine and it didn't seem like it lowered it at all. I adjusted the preload so that may have affected it. I'm gonna try your way.

[@dixiegaragecustoms]

Preload does make a slight difference. Definitely worth trying. Since this video I have done progressive 422 drop shocks and still did this with them bike is super slammed now

[@vincentyap3188]

dude you not a short dude why you want to lower your bike

[@grahamnorton1064]

Hey, good vid, a yank with a brain