I know this topic has been beaten to death, but I'm still not sure what is the right Air Ride for me. Plus I want to share what I have found so far about the SAS suspension.

Last week I was certain I wanted the SAS system, until I spoke to them yesterday to place my order. I had a few questions about adjusting the ride height and dampening, to my surprise Eric at Custom Cycle Controls said that this may not be for me after I told him what I wanted. I told him I am a short rider and I wanted to be able to lower the bike 2" down from stock height so I can easily push the bike back. Currently my bike is 1 5/8" down from stock and at times can not get enough traction from the ground to pushing back. I also told him that I often ride in the twisty hills and am always dragging by floorboards so I'd need to get it back up to stock. But most of the time I would like to ride it at it's current height. He said the SAS can slam the bike low and get it back high, but it is a harsh ride in between. He said it's dampening only works when the bike is all the way up – raised. He said the SAS dampening is controlled by an adjustable valve that controls the rate of air coming in and out of this valve. He said I would first need to set the compressed shocks to the desired maximum ride height by using the threaded eyelets. So basically it's all the way up to ride or all the way down for show, but no riding in between. Their flyer reads "Simply add more air to the unit to reach your desired stiffness, and release the air to drop your bike."

I used the forum search and there are a few who said the are going to get and install this SAS system, but no follow through of the finished install or feedback on the ride.

The SAS had so may great features, but this is a deal breaker for me. Oh well, back to the quest... The other brands have ugly compressors and hoses that can fail but I guess in the end it's the ride that counts. If you go to these sites there is so little information on the product feature or technology. I want to know if the hoses fail does the bike bottom out? Which has the best adjustment on dampening?

Air FX: http://www.airsystemsengineering.com/
Arnott: http://www.arnottairride.com/product....asp?makeId=16
Hi-Lo: http://www.bikebuddypro.com/productspage.php
Progressive AirTail: http://www.progressivesuspension.com/airtail/index.html
Platinum: http://www.platinumairsuspension.com...m_Softail.html
Legend L3: http://www.independentcycleinc.com/

 

i know your frustration .. I came pretty close to pulling the trigger a few times last year on a couple of systems only to then get some really bad review.... given up for the time being and grinding the boards.

 

i have the sas on my softail. i first had the lowering blocks on it and the bike rides no worse then with the air then the lowering blocks. the install is very easy. i also noticed when the old lady rides with me, it seems to be smoother. i ride with the system at all different heights and dont have any problems at all

if you want me to call you pm me so i could explain better

 

...

 

I have the Progressive Airtail on my 02...I can ride comfortably anywhere from 40PSI to 120 depending on my mood and knowledge of roads...It will run all the way out but I will be dragging the fishtails on the road..They drag pretty good at 40.

An yes, if a hose breaks, the whole system dumps.

 

i have the progressive air ride. very comfortable for me. good luck.

 

I was hoping someone that installed the SAS would read this post. There are a few guys that installed this system but they never wrote feedback on the forum. Eric at CCC was the one who told me about the "harsh ride" if the suspension is not all the way up. It was Aaron King from CCC who wrote to me on 5/07/07 – "the ride firmness is controlled at ride height. once the bike stops "lifting" you are simply pressurizing the chambers, more pressure = firmer ride, dump some air out & the ride softens."

Yeah, the new Legend L3 looks good. I know some people on this forum had issues with the older Legend and the pogo effect. But I think the Deflective disc dampening in the L3 fixed that. Deflective disc dampening is used in high-performance car shocks for consistency, only draw back with Legend is the price– $1600

The Progressive Airtail was my first choice but I didn't like the look of the switch and gauge box. It's still a consideration.

 

A friend of mine was just at SAS this week to get his system fixed...It had a flaw in production and they took care of it under warranty...He did a ride from Alberta Canada down to Gatlinburg, Tn and then took the Southern route out west then north back to Alberta...That's a 7500mile trip with SAS..He likes the system, and has no comfort issues.

 

t-rob has the sas and has post info on it...you may che k the lo ked nt thread...maybe phuckthis can help you out

 

Progressive Airtail, very nice system. Didn't use the switch and gauge box, found places around the bike to mount the controls and gauge.