rear fift kit / hugger
 

:confused:I have been thinking about a rear lift kit and a hugger but I have a few questions. I was looking at the rear shock and linkage and I don't have a clue how one would be installed, can anyone suggest a good kit/location on the web to grab one (or both items)
Also, if I lift the rear will this make the stock seat even worse? As it is I slide into the tank and my back aches after a while of city riding due to the bad angle and my wife complains about more or less the same (bad riding position).
I have been thinking about a Sargent seat mostly due to the neat storage tube found underneathe:), though the Corbin looks nice too with the backrest option for her. Will one of these seats help if I install a lift kit on the rear of the bike?
As price is always an issue, does anyone have an old/extra Sargent or Corbin seat to sell (to ship to europe) or a lift kit for that matter. Perhaps it would it be better to take one new and accept the cost as it is:confused:
I guess the warranty is a bonus in that case.
Thanks guys... and ladies. Are there any women here riding the SH/FS?
I'd be interested to know how the fairer sex feels about this bike.
Thanks again
S-S

Lifting the rear was easy....

Where the top shock mount is, you can add a shim or washers under it... 6mm seemed to be the common measurement...

But as I have learned over the last week, you are changing the geometry of your bike... So read up on things before doing it...

That's just it, WHERE do I put the spacers? Maybe I'm missing something here, but I don't understand how to add spacers and still conect the shock to the mount. Or is that Î'm just overlooking something which is just too simple?

You are most probably making it to complicated, yes... ;)

There is a bolt going through the frame, with a nut on top... Loosen the nut, and lift the rear of the bike... The bolt slides down, leaving space between the frame and the shock mount... Insert a "U" shaped spacer and re-torque the nut... It's that simple... ;) There is enough thread for a decent sized spacer... 5-10 mm is a good number...

HA, it was just yesterday I got down on my knees to size it up and I realized the bolt was holding everything up there. Then I spent a hour trying to figure out how to lift the rear, but having read your post I guess the tail end is light once the shock moves freely and doesn't lift the wheel along with it.
A U shaped spacers huh... 5-10 mm... I thought the same and was looking around for regular washers, but I had 8mm (hole)which wouldn't slide over the bolt. I was going to add roughls 8mm (height). Having all this figured out and feeling like a chump at taking so long to see the dang bolt, I have to ask, is it worth raîsing it 8 mm? I mean is that even noticable in the big picture. I see the lift kits offer up to 3 cm!

The rear rises approximately 3.88 times the spacer thickness. Therefore a 8mm spacer raises the back end + 31mm. I'm at 5mm and not sure if I would go much beyond 7 or 8mm. Afterwards, check that your swing arm isn't contacting the exhaust support bracket bolt attached to the rear set.
For all those that increase ride height, leave your chain looser than normal. Raising the rear changes the swing arm angle downward, effectively shortening the wheel base somewhat. When the rear shock compresses, the swing arm lengthens and if the chain is too tight, it will prevent full movement. If in doubt as to how loose it should be, install the front stand and sit on the bike and with the aid of an assistant or 2, further compress the rear until the swing arm is fully extended, then check chain tension. In the un-sagged position, the bottom part of the chain will touch the exhaust pipe. If the chain is too tight, at the least, you will wear out your chain and sprockets, at the worst, you will snap a chain and possibly take out your crankcase. I used this method this year on a friend's bike and was astonished as to how loose his chain had to be to allow full swing arm movement.

Ok, so if I understand what you are saying, I can add just a 5mm spacer and the rear will rise 3.1cm... So 5mm is certainly my goal as 3.1 is ample. My next question is to the spacer itself; I'm having trouble finding a metal U-shaped spacer. In fact, I have no idea what so ever as to where I would ever get one. I live in Switzerland now and around here, the do-it-youtself market is limited as it is more of a pay-a-guy system.
If I want to add 5mm worth of washers as my spacer, how in the world can I drop the shock without the bike collapsing? Yesterday I tried a metal rod benethe the seat jammed in front of the rear pegs, jacked up on blocks on two chairs, droped it off the swingarm lift and it seemed alright although a touch unstable, will this do the trick? Detach the linkage, drop the shock down, undo the bottom, allow the top mount to come down with it, insert spacer, raise it again through the hole and lock it in!?
I mean it sounds easy, but at the same time, I didn't even see the top mount nut at first, so maybe I'm over looking something here. I figure at most, I would have to take away the headers as well. Not keen on the thought but even if I buy a proper spacer online, you STILL have to drop the shock to change out the top mount right...
GAWH! I miss being home where my best friend was my mechanic-ish sidekick.
Also, I have my shock preset +2 with stiff rebound, will this help regarding the slack of the chain?

my mistake. 5mm = 1.94
I'm shooting for 5, not 8.

AH HA... take that bike! whapa sha whapa sho... and DONE.
Thanks to everyone for your advice etc. Here's what I did.
First to raise the bike to lower the shock via top mount bolt. Alone with a beer, I set up the two chairs again with blocks of wood on either side, ran a metal bar infront of the rear pegs/muffler mount (higher on one side to make it fit while bike was on lift), dropped the bike off the swingarm lift all the while jamming another piece of wood under the bar on one side while lift was at it's apex to make up for the height difference while the bike/lift was in the normal 'lifted position'. OK, so the bike is in the air with the tire off the ground, lift taken away and tank propped up. Then, not HAVING U-shaped metal spacers, I had to get creative, I took a 2mm spacer and got out my handy grinder (first time out of the box) and chewed out enough metal to make it look u-shape-ish; ok 2mm down a few more to go. I then cut the end off a crappy old wrench that came with my 'whippersnipper' and ground down all the rough edge. Ok spacer #1 = 2mm, spacer #2 = 2.5mm. I then got out some two sided tape to keep them from slipping while putting them in place/tightening the nut.
SO, now it is all done and the bike is out of the clouds and back on the flat stuff. I checked the chain, should be ok. I dialed up the front forks a bit, to match the rear shock for rigidity (more or less).
End result, 4.5mm/1.746cm spacing effect via two makeshift spacers, tape, a jerry rigged bike lift, the will to take a chance and a beer.
S**t, only NOW do I think "should have taken some pictures". I'll leave it to your imaginations.
Thanks again everyone!

next question: how do you like the results?!