I have recently tried Pro-Action and Super Shox. I like the way both brand of shocks make the bike handle but both were deficient in handling the terrible NJ roads. The bumps felt very sharp and the larger road seams gave a jolt. In that respect they performed no better than stock air shocks. As a matter of fact I thought the air shocks ran smoother.
My next move may be the HD 13" hand adjustable shocks.
Can those using those shocks please chime in with a brief review of how they ride?
Thanks

 

I am using them on my '15 Limited.

They are better than the factory air shocks for sure.
How much better, is a matter of personal opinion.

It is very hard to tell someone these shocks (or any shocks for that matter), will ride exactly the way they want.
What might be a nice acceptable ride to one person will be too stiff to someone else.
There are going to be some road jolts, that no matter the shock are going to be rough.

I ride 2-up 98% of the time, and wife is very happy with the ride.

 

I've got them on my 2014 Limited. I'm reasonably satisfied but if Pro-Action didn't make you happy, you're certainly not going to be happy with the HD Showas. They tend to ride very stiff at the suggested settings. I find that ignoring the suggested settings chart & instead setting them for about a 1" sag, they give a reasonable ride with good control.

The ProAction units have both preload & rebound adjustments. That makes them much more difficult to get that perfect set up. Again, these need to be set up for proper sag first, then tweak the rebound to get the desired result.

Sounds like you need a set of Ohlins & the expertise of Howard at Motorcycle Metal?

 

I had them on my 2013 flhx and thought they were to stiff on the softest setting, that was riding solo and I am 210#. Had the same thing with the progressive 944. Right now using the air shocks with the oil changed while I save the pennies for the Ohlins.

Just a note all of the above mentioned shocks were the 13" inch not 12"

Ron

 

Good info so far. It sounds like mostly all aftermarket and HD hand adjustable shocks ride stiffer then the stock air shocks. Would that be a correct assumption?

 

We are the same weight and it appears your experience with the Progressive and HD shocks mirror my experience with Pro-Action and Super Shox.
I'm not going to drink the Motorcycle Metal (ohlin) cool-aid because I'm beginning to deduce that I would obtain the same result (stiff ride)
I really liked the way the shocks I've tried made the bike handle but they killed my back over certain type bumps that the air shocks floated over.
It's a shame I cant find both. So far it's been one or the other.

 

Same comment here about the hand adjustable. I found them to firm for one up riding but good to very good when riding two up on the first click. I solved all of my issues when I installed my S36e Ohlins but the true balance did not occur until I replaced the front as well. Now one up or two up my bike rides in my opinion how it should have rolled out of the showroom. Wish I could have purchased the Ohlins S36DR1L and the Ohlins Front Fork Cartridge Kit but the funds were not available due to my other obsession with snowmobiles.

 

I have them on my 14 CVO Limited. I junked the air shocks because I got tired of putting air in them a lot. I actually went with the Ohlins and I didn't like them. Went to the HD 13 inch air shocks. Did they blow me away? No. But they have been the best ride so far and I am going to stick with them. I am 200 and I go with the recommended setting. Took my wife for a ride last week. She is about 110. Didn't change anything first. Bike was even a little more comfortable, so I guess I could go down a notch if I wanted to.

 

Agree 100% with what RollaMo said above...

The air shocks have 2 problems IMO, very narrow band where they feel good (if you can even find it) and don't bottom out...and then keeping psi set there is tough as it seems to leak out slowly over time...so when I bought the bike new, just had air shocks and struts replaced with HD Premium from day 1...the struts and the rear adjustable work very well together...