i test drove the bike. Rides in a straight line like a dream. Feels more cushy than the metrics I'm used to. Big obstacle from taking advantage of this great deal is I scraped the heck out of the floorboards. Half the corners I took scraped. One corner, I didn't know if i was gonna make it because there was no more leaning to do! I've tried to track down information on how to address the issue. The ideas I've heard so far are below. Which do you think will help the most?
1. Adjust the way I shift my weight when cornering (sounds like a pain)
2. Adjust the shocks (looked for some videos on youtube. I might be able to figure it out, but does it help?)
3. Check the tire pressure (easy enough)
4. Get forward controls. (Will this really help and any recommendations on what i'll need?)

Thanks for any information.

If the bike has been lowered, its gonna scrape! Take a close look at the rear shocks. They may simply be shorter than stock. Could have a lowering kit on it. Spring adjustable, or Air. Some air adjust have an onboard pump. usually mounted just in front of the rear tire. (then there will be a unlabeled switch somewhere.)
1. Nope, unsafe!
2. A BIG YES!
3. Pre ride check.
4. If the boards are scraping, removing them just makes more expensive parts scrape.

Some consider floorboards a wear item. You could just put some magnesium or titanium below the boards... Puts on a great show. But the Cops will have fun catching you! Oh, the Fire Department too!
Welcome to the forum! Please keep us informed on the outcome.

 

thanks for the replay. I'm looking at pegs to replace the floorboards. They claim to increase lean angle. I believe it atm because the scraping is happening at the rear of the boards where the the pegs wouldn't be. If i start scraping the pegs, then i'll look into suspension?

 

why the heck is the lean angle so little? Hundred year old company can't make a bike that can turn? I've sat down and had a chat with the grand daughter of Mr. Davidson and fell in love with the company, but this seems like a basic need to turn a corner. I guess dyna went away with the emission standard engines?

 

Again, If the bike has a lowering kit, or aftermarket suspension, or modified suspension, then how would it be MoCo's (Harley Davidson Corp) fault? We are discussing a 2012 (an 8 year old ) bike right? That is the one big difference between metric bikes and Harleys... Its not often you can find a new used H.D. that hasn't had "some mods"! Perhaps the previous owner of your bike liked the DRAG look? Or he / she is vertically challenged yet wanted to flat foot at a stop. At any rate, the bike was manufactured within the lean limit specified in the owners manual. If it has been changed after it left the factory, well? I would put money on, that suspension is not stock. I very strongly suggest that you get a Harley Service Manual for it! NOT a Clymers or Chiltons, they have some bad torque specs and wiring mistakes. The Service Manual will give specific instructions on how to set up the suspension for your weight. These are the most customized bikes on the planet. It's not H.D's. fault that you don't like the previous owners style... Now have some fun and make it to your own style...

On my Ultra with stock suspension, i have learned that scraping sound tells me "That's enough!" I have touched at speed, only a couple times. However riding my buddies SG (Street Glide) (same frame) I can scrub going around the neighborhood at 20 mph. All because his has a lowered air ride. Which is aftermarket. It's all in what you want it to do and look like!

 

I don't know if you are aware of it or not but, the Heritage Softail was made to "look like" a early Hard tail springer, which were the king of cornering, back in the day! But rode worse than a buck-board due to no rear suspension. That bike will corner if your willing to put the right suspension under it! Give it a day or three for some of the super wrenches to chime in on this tread. I personally have owned only vertically shocked bikes. Lets hear from those who know the lay-down style.

 

I second the lowering kit. The Heritage stock suspension has considerable ground clearance so it's a good bet this one has been lowered if it's scraping the floorboards.

 

The older Heritage Softail are known for scraping. I have a 2016 and have scraped the bottom muffler but not the floor boards. The 2018and newer have a different suspension, frame and are supposed to be a greater lean angle.

 

I'm seeing an unofficial chart of lean angles putting this bike at about 25 degrees. eek. I really want to make this work though.

I know the original owner. He didn't even know what engine size he had and there's certainly no kit. It's in my garage and I just double checked. The suspension setting appears to the untrained eye to be factory and compressed. I don't know really how it works, but I do know the bike rides very cushy. If I find the right way to make it stiffer, would that increase clearance? I know there's a chart about how many times to turn each nut for your weight...

Also, I have a 1' x 1' lift and jack stands I would use on my old bikes to do motor work. The shocks on this bike seem to be in the middle where I would use the jack and they hang just a bit below the frame. Anyone have advice there?

 

I used to peruse the HD website a lot. Looking at new bikes, comparing bikes, so forth and so on. But...., haven't done that in several years now that I finally got the bike that I love and cherish--and have no interest whatsoever in getting a new or newer bike. Anyway, not sure about these days but it used to be when you were researching bikes on their website you could go into "specifications" and get all kinds of info, measurements, etc. And the specifications area would list the max lean angle, for both the right and the left side, and seems to me the softails all had the LEAST amount of lean angle, by several degrees, of all the HD models.

 

 

Yeah all the specs seem to be the touring models have around 29 degrees. The old dynas had like mid 30s, but since dyna doesn't exist anymore, i'm not sure there's a big twin with the lean i'm after. Anyone have thoughts on this pedal i'm showing above?

 

I doubt that your feet will slide off of those ...

Welcome from PA!

 

Well I bought it. Still gotta figure out how to better this lean issue.

 

24.4 right
25.9 left

Make sure the boards are lubricated and move.

2012 Harley-Davidson FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic – USA Specifications/Technical Details
US MSRP Price: Vivid Black $17,349, Solids $17,734, Two-Tones $18,054, Custom Colors $18,224 USD

Dimensions
Length 94.5 in. (2400 mm)
Overall Width 37.6 in. (955 mm)
Overall Height 55.2 in. (1402 mm)
Seat Height:
– Laden2 25.5 in. (648 mm)
– Unladen 27.1 in. (688 mm)
Ground Clearance 5.1 in. (130 mm)
Rake (steering head) 31°
Fork Angle 31°
Trail 5.8 in. (147 mm)
Wheelbase 64.5 in. (1638 mm)

Tires (Dunlop[emoji2400] Harley-Davidson[emoji2400] Series, bias blackwall front and rear):
– Front – D402F MT90B16 72H
– Rear – D401 150/80B16 71H
Fuel Capacity 5.0 gal. (18.9 L) (warning light at approximately 1.0 gal.)
Oil Capacity (w/filter) 3.5 qts. (3.3 L)
Transmission Capacity 1.0 qt. (.95 L)
Primary Chain
Case Capacity 1.0 qt. (.95 L)

Weight:
– As Shipped 730 lbs. (331.0 kg)
– In Running Order 761 lbs. (345.0 kg)
– Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 1160 lbs. (526.0 kg)
– Gross Axle Weight Rating:
– Front 430 lbs. (195.0 kg)
– Rear 730 lbs. (331.0 kg)

Engine
Engine Air-cooled, Twin Cam 103BTM
Valves Pushrod-operated, overhead valves with hydraulic, self-adjusting lifters; two valves per cylinder
Bore x Stroke 3.875 in. x 4.38 in. (98.4 mm x 111.1 mm)
Displacement 103 cu. in. (1690 cc)
Compression Ratio 9.6:1
Fuel System3 Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Air Cleaner Paper, washable
Lubrication System Pressurized, dry-sump

Drivetrain
Primary Drive Chain, 34/46 ratio
Final Drive Belt, 32/66 ratio
Clutch Multi-plate, wet
Transmission 6-Speed Cruise Drive[emoji2400]
Gear Ratios (overall): U.S.
– 1st 9.311
– 2nd 6.454
– 3rd 4.793
– 4th 3.882
– 5th 3.307
– 6th 2.79

Chassis
Frame Mild steel tubular frame; rectangular section backbone; stamped, cast, and forged junctions; forged fender supports; MIG welded
Swingarm Mild steel, round tube sections, forged junctions; MIG welded
Front Forks 41.3 mm telescopic, “beer can” covers
Rear Shocks Hidden, horizontal-mounted, coil-over
Wheels4 (Tubeless Chrome Aluminum Profile Laced option):
Steel Laced
– Front 16 in. x 3 in. (406 mm x 76 mm)
– Rear 16 in. x 3 in. (406 mm x 76 mm)

Brakes:
– Caliper Type 4-piston front and 2-piston rear
– Rotor Type (diameter x width): Patented, uniform expansion rotors
– Front 11.5 in. x .2 in. (292 mm x 5.1 mm)
– Rear 11.5 in. x .23 in. (292 mm x 5.8 mm)
– Anti-lock Braking System: Available

Suspension Travel:
– Front Wheel 5.1 in. (130 mm)
– Rear Wheel 4.3 in. (109 mm)

Performance
Engine Torque5 (per J1349):
– North America 96.9 ft. lbs. @ 3000 RPM (131 Nm @ 3000 RPM)
Lean Angle (per J1168):
– Right 24.4°
– Left 25.9°

Fuel Economy6 (EPA urban/highway test) 42 mpg (5.6 L/100 km)

COLOR OPTIONS
Solids
– Vivid Black
– Big Blue Pearl
– White Hot Pearl
Two-Tones
– Ember Red Sunglo/Merlot Sunglo
– Midnight Pearl/Brilliant Silver Pearl
Custom Colors
– Tequila Sunrise/H-D Orange

U.S. MSRP
Vivid Black $17,349
Solids $17,734
Two-Tones $18,054
Custom Colors $18,224

Electric
Battery (per Battery Council International Rating)
Sealed, maintenance-free, 12V, 19-amp/hour, 270 cca
Charging Three-phase, 38-amp system (439W @ 13V, 2000 rpm, 489W max power @ 13V)
Starting 1.2 kW electric with solenoid shift starter motor engagement
Lights (as per country regulation):
– Headlamp (quartz halogen) 55-watt low beam, 60-watt high beam
– Tail/Stop Lights 8W/28W (5W/21W)
– Turn Signal Lights 28W (21W) self-canceling
– Indicator Lamps: High beam, front fender running lights, neutral, low oil pressure, turn signals, engine diagnostics, security system7
(optional), 6-speed, low fuel warnings

Warranty
Warranty8 24 months (unlimited mileage)
Service Interval9 First 1000 miles (1600 km), every 5000 miles (8000 km) thereafter


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Gotta remember it's not a metric.

 

Does it have floor board extenders? That will make them scrape at a less lean angle.

 

nope. Good idea though. At this point, i'm looking for a way to just have pegs,but the with the way the floorboards having 2 attachments, it's proving hard to find.

 

i don't understand how this stock heritage is rideable. I'm afraid to find a turn that i need to lean more

 

It appears that the former owner did not have a problem with scraping the (right) floorboards. The trailing edge looks to be full thickness.

By the way, going from floorboards to pegs has never been a problem.

Perhaps you could look here and see what might fit - Ronnie's Harley-Davidson® Ecommerce - New & Used Harley-Davidson® Motorcycles, Service, and Parts in Pittsfield, MA, near New Ashford, Windsor, Lenox and New Lebanon

You may want to call Low Brow, Revzilla, JP Cycles, or other builder/suppliers. They can also tell you what will and will not work.

Try as you may, you cannot push a Caddy like you can a Ferrari ...


Cheers,
Smoketown

 

I mean, how fast you taking these turns?

I will say though, boards will scrape before pegs every time. On my softail, I have mini boards on forward controls and I never have scraped anything, though I generally don't run a corner like I am on a sport bike, but I've taken a relatively aggressive turn before. I also keep my suspension tight enough for 2-up. I tried to Google the listed max lean angle for mine and couldn't find anything, but I am sure it's more than what's listed for a stock Heritage (though not by much).

You can shift your weight a little, it's no big deal. Actually, when cornering, I personally use a sort of (but not really) "dirt bike style" lean (I stay vertical, lean the bike under me, if I need more turn and don't want to lean the bike further, I just lean forward a little more and shift just my upper body over in the direction of the turn with my butt still planted in the seat). That's just how I comfortable doing it on my bike (and I started out like how most I see ride where they keep their body perpendicular to the bike rather than the road).

But yeah, you don't even have to shift your weight much, I never even needed to lean off of the seat.

But, the bike is made for cruising, not carving. Though, you can still carve on a Harley... plenty of videos out there show some deep carving (and some scraping, and even on baggers, though most deep/fast cornering is on Sportsers and older Dynas).

There's plenty of super tight turns I have taken without issue at speed, and I know plenty that have no issues not scraping (or not scraping much) on a Heritage. Even ridden with a few that are more aggresive than I am with their shocks set up for chushy solo riding.

The other option, aside from leaning more, is to slow down. You know how to trail-brake?

A typical Harley is never going to handle like a crotch rocket, that's just facts. Cruisers in general are not going to handle like a sport bike; it's not what they're made for.