oh and far as this statement
i never called you at night
i cant, because i work nights
hours on the phone, negative. i talked to you 2 times at about 20 min each, and a 3rd time when i called you after i got them and was getting ready to install. you were busy (which i understand) and were off the phone in under 5 min.

from hearing all the praise on here, i was wondering when my call for the initial setup was gonna come, i just decided to call you instead.

 

id also like to say one other thing.

he wanted an honest review of his product and him.. he said good or bad he wanted an honest review.
i put my experience up here and he gets super defensive and turns everything around on his customers.

 

Okay, my turn. I bought the #2-3 Ohlins almost two years ago after suffering through the stock 12" SG shocks for a few months, then a set of Progressive 440 12½" (std. springs), the latter being much better but imperfect. Junk? No, but definitely not top-tier either.

I've worked with aftermarket shocks on bikes and cars for decades and know a bit about them. Howard didn't give me a hard time, possibly because I knew what I was after and basically had my choices narrowed down by the time I made the first phone call. I decided on the cheaper line (#2) and he didn't try to talk me out of that decision based on the reasoning I gave. Salty? Maybe a bit, and he did denigrate my Progressive shocks which I attributed to his honest opinion rather than part of a sales pitch, but he didn't give me an unfavorable overall impression at all. What's for certain was that I knew that I wasn't being BS'd and I was getting useful info in the several discussions I had with him prior to ordering.

Anyway, the bottom line was the received product, and if I felt any minor negative vibes during the research and ordering process they were quickly forgotten after one ride on these shocks. I installed them properly, made no adjustments at all, and still marvel at the ride quality and control I get on any road surface. I've ridden on all sorts of roads in that two-year period and have yet to bottom-out or find a road that these shocks couldn't handle with complete aplomb. Case closed, so call me a happy customer and a member of the Ohlins Fan Club. What I got were possibly the best shocks available for an FLH at a very good price, IMO. BTW if you order from Howard ask for an HDForums discount.

 

I spoke to him once, you do have to have thick skin, or I suppose you should just be someone who is ok with not hearing things sugar coated.. I wasn't ruffled, I actually was happy to hear his confidence. I suppose if someone says "I'm 175 lbs, the roads I ride aren't terribly rough, I want a ride in the sportier more than soft range, what would you recommend?" Could be another approach that creates less tension. I don't think it means that someone doesn't deserve the shocks if they don't put in the effort to research. On the other hand, I see his side of the story as well.. He may not want to be responsible for a recommendation that you don't like. Do the research yourself, and make the decision on your own..

 

i do see his side, he is confident about his product, he doesnt sell ****, and he is very honest.

i have no problems with people being upfront with me, as i am the same way and am regarded as an ******* most of the time.

im just callin it the way i see it.

like i said and everyone else has, Ohlins are the best shock for the touring bikes period. bar none, ill never own another shock.

 

To clarify Howard, 1) I was directing my question to Hoblick for my own edification. 2) I have no connection to the ("your") companie(s) I linked, I simply explored different vendors for shocks. I have no personal knowledge on their operation, if they build shocks or not. 3) You are incorrect, I do wish to investigate that is why I've asked questions on this forum, and looked at various sites (yours included), etc. 4) The drop down menu, as I mentioned was at Ohlins USA, which listed HD 022 (The convienience of a drop down menu is not necessarily a bad thing in my eyes or Ohlins USA, apparently).

To say I do not understand or wish to investigate is not true. I was not asking about building shocks to my specifications, I was simply searching for a shock designed for my bike.

 

Ohlins are great. Custom built Ohlins are the best. I ran them on my racebikes.

I've sold software for the last 4 years and generally my answer was yes, yes it can or let me tell you everything you need to know. Not literally but that was basically the point. The customer was treated like royalty. Why, well for one thats my style but two I desperately needed sales to keep my business alive. I think Howard knows what he needs to keep his business going. Does he come off defensive here, I'd say yes. Do I care, nope. His style is different than most but he definitely doesn't have customers saying hey, you sold me A and I wanted B. If his style bothers you head on down the road and buy other shocks from someone else. I'll probably do a lot of research and then give him a call. I like direct.

 

So...the bottom line and only thing that really matters at this point is............> YOU ARE HAPPY with your shocks. However, getting to that point was a little frustrating and painful for you because of your level of mechanical skills. Been there done that with other things.

IF... and I say IF with money aside, you would of had them installed by a mechanic that knows suspension, your scenario would probably be different.


BTW: Nice scoot.

 

i had no issues with install. im acutally very mechanically inclined. as stated before i do all the work on every bike ive owned. im just a little **** when doing installs with stuff to make sure i get it right the first time. and i wanted to be sure the initial setup of the shock was done correctly.

im not butt hurt about the situation, just giving an honest review for future customers. so they know what they are waling into. some may take him offensively, and others wont.. as you can see from the this thread there are different views on howards communication skills.

 

All I can say is my first conversation with Howard was like talking to a long lost friend. Of course we talked suspension but the conversation also extended to talking about favorite Northern Ca roads and some of the interesting people we've crossed paths with. I called about a year later with a tech question and left a message on a Sunday evening. He returned my call within minutes. Just my $.02.

Ron Gilbert