Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Getting feet flat on the ground

I just looked at a 2007 speedy today and love the bike..My only problem is I'm only 5' 4" ..my feet touch the ground but not flat footed..Dealer said after bike and seat break in things will get lower..Is this true .. also is their anyway to lower the bike.. Thanks Mike

Did you check to see if the shock preload was at its lowest setting? And, yes, between lowering blocks, shaved seats and shorter shocks you can lower the bike a good bit and still have a quality ride.

They don't really get much lower on their own though , I think that is what you are asking. They are easily lowered though and I don't touch flat footed either. You don't really hold up much weight if you are riding correctly the weight is on the suspension and your feet are just balancing it for the most part. Wendy is 5'1 and I did lower hers and put floorboards on and adjusted the dontrols back as far as I could to make it comfortable for her.

Yea.. I guess that was what I was asking...Dealer said they don't offer any lowering kits for triumph ..I can't believe this is true seeing how their are so many after market parts out their..Maybe dealer just doesn't know any better..But we only have one Triump Dealer in NJ..Lots of other dealers for other bikes but only one Triump Dealer..

Well the lowering can be acomplished several different way or a combination of those ways. There are lowering blocks you put on that will lower the back end and still keep the stock shocks. I don't recomend that one on personal preference. There are shorter shocks out there from several different suppliers. I like Hagon but for a little more money progressives are available too. You can shave the foam on your seat or buy a lower profile seat by a few different manufacturers Corbin being the most popular but also pricy. To lower the front you can cut new spacers that go on top of the fork springs that are shorter than stock, or there is a lowering kit for the front forks , or you can have Forks by Frank cut your fork tubes or copy them but shorter, or slide the fork tubes up through the triple trees. You run into scraping problems if you lower both ends too much,if you lower the rear more than an inch you also run into chain guard clearing the fender problems and chain clearing the Freak bracket and maybe the air box but not sure since any bike I have lowered had that out already. Those issues are easily fixed but you need to be aware of them. You could also take the rear shocks apart and cut the springs.

There is some of the info for you to consider. You will find plenty of help on this site so ask away.

WOW..You really know your stuff and thanks for all your help..Your right about their being lots of knowledge here That's why I posted here and not some where else.. plus it seems like their are lots of good people here willing to help ...Thanks again Mike

The Corbin split seat is at least an 1" lower and moves you slightly toward the front which might help as well. I'm using the stock seat but got this info from others on the forum that have the Corbin. There are also other low profile seats available - a very easy way to drop the sitting position.

What dealer did you go to? There's 4 dealers in NJ that I know of. Freehold in Freehold on Rte. 9, Jack Trebour out in Ledgewood on Rte 46, Mt. Holly in Vincentown on Rte 206, and Green Brook in Greenbrook on Rte. 22.

My feet only just touch the ground too (about half my foot). But due to the well balanced aspect, I rarely have trouble and tend to sit at traffic lights bobbling from one foot to the other.
Having a pillion on gets my feet right on the floor, so you need to think about how much you lower just incase you ever have a pillion on.

Nick

thicker soled boots

I Went to the dealer in Mt Holly...Didn't know we had more dealers in NJ Thanks.

Mike, I too had many of the same concerns, 5'4" with 24" inseam......... Corbin seat helped move me closer to the controls and the ground, Still cannot foot flat, but all you really need is a good strong toe hold, the rest is balance..... (which has been slipping away of late.) Ride safe, lots of good info here, not from me, but, there are some smart folks here, helpful too.

I didn't think anyone else had the name Angus.. I've never meet anyone with that name...It was my father's name and is my middle name..I guess it's ment for us short people..LOL

Angus Young was short too

Mike i got a set of progressive from i of the guys on this site that close to new you wouldnt belive,bein a light weight my self its hard to believe the difference between them and the stock shocks its good to have rear surspension on a motor cycle so buy the bike go the aftermarket and shorter shocks be prepared for the odd muffler scrape lol and enjoy the ride

Angus is a nick from my fav guitar player, Don't worry about getting completly foot flat, I scape up the drive if going too fast without lowering, some of the custom seats can lower you enough to get comfortable, Ride safe, Enjoy!

Mike- I'm 5'3" (and 1/2 ). My 06 America didn't lower upon any break in....2 weeks ago I put on the Progressive 412 shocks, and I am one happy girl. As well as bringing me down to mostly-mostly flatfoot (on the lowest setting), the handling of the bike is improved- feels tighter and stickier in the corners.
Also, when parking on gravel, uneven surfaces/grass, etc., I can manuever the bike better as I can now use my leg strength to leverage the bike around. (I feel less like an flailing turtle, which my ego appreciates.)

My stock seat has also been customized- an inch+ off the foam, mostly towards the front, which also dropped me a bit- it wasn't enough, hence the shocks. Initially I reused the stock seat cover, but then a friend made me a leather cover.

Just buy the bike, and make it your own!

Check out Freehold Triumph !!

if you eat more it will help compress your shocks.