Can anybody shed some light on the differences in the Streetglide Special's coil shocks verses the air shocks on a standard Streetglide?

Is the handling different or the ride smoother with the different shocks mounted on your bike? I ride two up mostly and the air shocks are somewhat harsh. Not real bad but it could be a little smoother.

 

MUCH better overall than the short air shocks. Had them on my 09 SG. Will be putting them on my 14 limited asap.


Cue the Olins fans.

 

I came from a '12 SG with the air shocks and now have a SGS with the Premium hand adjustable shocks. The air shocks on my last bike were fine if the air pressure was correct. But it always seeped air and had to be checked daily. They would also bottom out riding 2 up when hitting a dip or a rough patch.

The Premium Ride Adjustable shocks were firm and stiff at first until getting some miles on them and can still be a little on the firm side riding solo. But riding 2 up and broken in they ride nice. Have yet to bottom out with them 2 up. The ride is a much sportier feel and control. The bike feels planted much more than the air shocks.

 

+1 on Roger That's comments. The ride softens a bit over time but still remains a little harsh on rough roads. The bike does seem to grip the road and respond better with the premium shocks. I'll take the performance along with the harsher ride over the air shocks.

 

You may be able to find the Hand Adjustable shocks used as people upgrade to Ohlins or whatever.

I had Air shocks on my 11 and they just suck. My special came with the hand adjustable shocks and its much better, but I still feel there is room for improvement.

 

I expected a dramatic change when I went with the premium adjustable on my 14 SG. Just a shade better than the air shocks but I will give them time to smooth out as many on this board have said. The SG is by far the roughest riding bike I have owned in my 55 years of riding.

 

Just curious is anybody had anything else to share. I wonder if the $$$ is worth picking up a set of used ones for my standard SG.

 

Some like them, some don't. Depends a lot on your riding style, *** sensitivity & billfold thickness. I've got a set of the 13" premiums on my '14 Limited with over 9kmi on them. Biggest issue I've had is the PITA removing & reinstalling the left saddlebag every time I need to adjust for changes in load (1 up vs 2 up). They do require some miles to "settle in" - they seemed more sensitive to preload adjustment when brand new vs now with miles on them. Well worth it to me.

Remember, a used set was removed from someone's bike because they weren't happy with them.

 

I put the HD Premium 13" on my 2011 RK and thought they improved the ride quite a bit. I did the premium front at the same time. I ride solo 99% of the time so adjustments were not an issue.

I am missing the Premium ride supsension on my new Limited. I will upgrade over the winter, but I might go with the Ohlins HD159 on the rear this time. Not that I wasn't happy with the HD Premium, but I am curious to see what if rabid Ohlins fans are right.

 

The 2014 SGS is the roughest riding bike I have ever ridden, hands down! Which includes: a Heritage, a Road King, a Wide Glide, several sport bikes and a Ducati. Even when I first took it out for a test-ride before buying it, I thought that the dealer must have had the adjustable shocks setup for a heavy-weight rider. Because the very same streets that I just road there on with my Heritage, were suddenly rough as heck. Cracks in the road that I never even noticed were there before were now jolting and some sections of the road even had air between me and the seat. I figured that something had to be wrong with the setup.

After three more test-rides I bought it anyway, mostly being enamored with the amenities of the SGS, but when I rode it to work the next day on my usual commute, my heart really sunk. Yes, it was much quicker and more nimble than my Heritage, but the harsh ride really had me doubting the decision I had made to trade-in my Heritage. In fact, I'm still trying to come to terms with it. There are a lot of pluses, but also a few minuses. The crappy ride being a BIG one. I cannot help but thin, that if I weighed 260 lbs. then my big *** might load-up the shocks a little better, but since I only weigh 160 lbs., the bike doesn't seem to even know that I'm on it.