Would anyone be able to compare the newer street glide rear shocks the older air shocks. I have a chance to pick up a pair of 15 street glide shocks . I was wondering if they would be an upgrade compared to the stock 2012 air shocks.

 

The '14 and up Street Glide comes in two versions.
Regular Street Glide: 12" air shocks, just like the previous Street Glide has.
Street Glide Special: 12" Premium Hand Adjustable shocks.

In order to get a good ride, you need suspension travel.

The Street Glide is more about looks than comfort.
And it comes down to personal preference.

Not everyone is affected the same way by the ride.
What is acceptable to one, is way too harsh to someone else.

But to answer your question, they are considered an upgrade to the air shocks.
They will probably ride a little better than the air shocks, but don't expect too much.

 

The ones I am looking at are the adjustable ones. On one side there is a dial to adjust preload ( I assume ) and the other one is just the shock

 

I had the hand adjustable shocks on my CVO Road King. Air shocks on the new Limited. I realize that the low profile tires on the king would have made it ride a little rougher, but I can say that the ride between the two bikes is night and day. I personally would NEVER run a bike with the HD hand adjustable shocks again. Some people might like them, and they were very easy to adjust, but I could never get them dialed in to give the bike a smooth ride. It always beat me to pieces.

 

Which version did you have?

The Premium Hand Adjustable Shocks come in two versions.
12" and 13"

I have the 13" version on my Limited, and the ride is better than the factory air shocks.

As I stated earlier, suspension travel is everything

 

But you also stated that not everyone is affected the same way on ride. I would advise to go with a true air ride or a set of 944,legends or the crowd favorite ohlins

 

I had the hand adjustable on my 2013 CVO RK, loved them. When we got the 14 Limited the first thing the GF said is "this bike doesn't ride as well.".

If you know how to adjust the shocks they are great shocks.

 

Would there be any issues with Fitment on 13 and down bikes? I want to make sure they fit since it has the **** for adjustment. No issues with the 12 SG bags.

 

If you want you can try these shocks I have them on my 2013 Limited and love them. Suspension Technologies -- Products

 

I have a 14 SG which comes with the standard 12" air shocks. I am on the heavier side at 280lbs and recently bought a set of the 12" premium hand adjustable shocks. And they are night and day better for me. I would always bottom out on bigger bumps and dips even with 50lbs in the air shocks. These new shocks seem to be much smoother and I have yet to bottom them out. I really like them and picked them up cheap(IMO) for $250 locally. One of the best mods I bought for my bike. YMMV