Race Tech FTW!!!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,900
Likes: 8,006
From: poway
i understand you are giving props to a product you recently acquired, but how did you experience so much 'wobble and pogo stick reactions' from your front stock suspension? i am asking mostly because i have the same bike, with stock suspension and i just want to know if i should be worried. and right now i am at approx 6200 miles.
I agree with Bill G on this one.. If the bike feels fine to to you. don't worry about it.. As you gain more experience, if you start pushing the bike harder, you might experience some instability. Bike ain't gonna toss you on your head.. At that point start looking at improvements.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 3,684
Likes: 4,294
From: Northeast, NJ
I'm running the Race Tech Gold Valves and springs also. Much much better than stock. Would recommend any day of the week as a front suspension upgrade. My gripe is, dialing it in is a PITA since it requires a tear down whenever I want to make an adjustment. While the RT upgrades are great, I'm thinking hard on the Andreani front cartridges specific to the Switchback as A.) I think it will deliver an even better ride and B.) it is fully adjustable on the fork cap.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 508
Likes: 31
From: California
i understand you are giving props to a product you recently acquired, but how did you experience so much 'wobble and pogo stick reactions' from your front stock suspension? i am asking mostly because i have the same bike, with stock suspension and i just want to know if i should be worried. and right now i am at approx 6200 miles.
Personally, I think the stock 49MM suspension is awful. If my 39MM forks with only a simple drop-in off-the-shelf spring was THAT much better...
RT valves or Ricors - I haven't tried the Ricors, but either way - for the relatively low investment money wise, I would highly recommend upgrading the front. It just helps that Race Tech is basically in my backyard!
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 149
Likes: 27
From: Quiet end of Silicon Valley
The stock suspension is fine over all and you have nothing to worry about. If his suspension was wobbling there was probably something else wrong. The poster was probably riding the bike in a more aggressive manner pushing the stock suspension to or past its limits.
Is there better suspention out there, of course there is and I am sure the stuff this guy bought is way better and performs way better than stock suspension. Like many that feel good about there new suspension he is running the stock equipment down, maybe a little more than it deserves. If you ride reasonable your bike will be fine and you will have nothing to worry about.
Ride Safe,
Bill G
Is there better suspention out there, of course there is and I am sure the stuff this guy bought is way better and performs way better than stock suspension. Like many that feel good about there new suspension he is running the stock equipment down, maybe a little more than it deserves. If you ride reasonable your bike will be fine and you will have nothing to worry about.
Ride Safe,
Bill G
As posted here and elsewhere the stock suspension is set for those who ride on smooth roads and moderate speeds. Rough roads at any speed overwhelm the suspension easily and if you add any speed to that equation it can get quite uncomfortable.
The front forks have oil passages that allow oil to move back and forth slowing the movement of the wheel, this is dampening. The oil passages are too small to allow quick movements of the front wheel so you end up with a harsh ride over bumps, even small ones.This is being overdamped.
I believe the springs are too light and don't slow the movement enough initially and aren't in a hurry to return the wheel back to where it should be which sometimes includes contact with the road. You are undersprung.
The same goes for the rear shocks.
The damndest thing is that then these same bikes just wallow at higher speeds.
I had the front forks of my Nightster worked on and all the suspension guy did was open up the oil passages to allow more oil to move, changed the oil weight, and increased the spring weight and it was a night and day different.
Harley also puts the hurt on riders by shortening the suspension travel to get that look and low seat height. There is a cognizant decision to reduce the suspension effectiveness for aesthetics, a Harley trademark.
The good news is that the MoCo is paying attention to a new breed of rider that does expect better suspension so they introduced it in the Sportster line, the FLD, and now the FXDLS.
I'm pretty sure that better suspension is coming to all lines. The aftermarket is making a killing and the MoCo won't stand on the sidelines forever.
Do you remember when H-D brakes were just simply the worst? They've come a long way in the last 10-15 years.
Just my $.02 worth.
Chonk
Last edited by Chonk; Aug 4, 2016 at 01:54 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 564
Likes: 48
Hmmm... have to take some exception to this. The stock suspension on most Harley's is well below par. This is legendary for those of us who ride a variety of bikes and can compare suspensions.
As posted here and elsewhere the stock suspension is set for those who ride on smooth roads and moderate speeds. Rough roads at any speed overwhelm the suspension easily and if you add any speed to that equation it can get quite uncomfortable.
The front forks have oil passages that allow oil to move back and forth slowing the movement of the wheel, this is dampening. The oil passages are too small to allow quick movements of the front wheel so you end up with a harsh ride over bumps, even small ones.This is being overdamped.
I believe the springs are too light and don't slow the movement enough initially and aren't in a hurry to return the wheel back to where it should be which sometimes includes contact with the road. You are undersprung.
The same goes for the rear shocks.
The damndest thing is that then these same bikes just wallow at higher speeds.
I had the front forks of my Nightster worked on and all the suspension guy did was open up the oil passages to allow more oil to move, changed the oil weight, and increased the spring weight and it was a night and day different.
Harley also puts the hurt on riders by shortening the suspension travel to get that look and low seat height. There is a cognizant decision to reduce the suspension effectiveness for aesthetics, a Harley trademark.
The good news is that the MoCo is paying attention to a new breed of rider that does expect better suspension so they introduced it in the Sportster line, the FLD, and now the FXDLS.
I'm pretty sure that better suspension is coming to all lines. The aftermarket is making a killing and the MoCo won't stand on the sidelines forever.
Do you remember when H-D brakes were just simply the worst? They've come a long way in the last 10-15 years.
Just my $.02 worth.
Chonk
As posted here and elsewhere the stock suspension is set for those who ride on smooth roads and moderate speeds. Rough roads at any speed overwhelm the suspension easily and if you add any speed to that equation it can get quite uncomfortable.
The front forks have oil passages that allow oil to move back and forth slowing the movement of the wheel, this is dampening. The oil passages are too small to allow quick movements of the front wheel so you end up with a harsh ride over bumps, even small ones.This is being overdamped.
I believe the springs are too light and don't slow the movement enough initially and aren't in a hurry to return the wheel back to where it should be which sometimes includes contact with the road. You are undersprung.
The same goes for the rear shocks.
The damndest thing is that then these same bikes just wallow at higher speeds.
I had the front forks of my Nightster worked on and all the suspension guy did was open up the oil passages to allow more oil to move, changed the oil weight, and increased the spring weight and it was a night and day different.
Harley also puts the hurt on riders by shortening the suspension travel to get that look and low seat height. There is a cognizant decision to reduce the suspension effectiveness for aesthetics, a Harley trademark.
The good news is that the MoCo is paying attention to a new breed of rider that does expect better suspension so they introduced it in the Sportster line, the FLD, and now the FXDLS.
I'm pretty sure that better suspension is coming to all lines. The aftermarket is making a killing and the MoCo won't stand on the sidelines forever.
Do you remember when H-D brakes were just simply the worst? They've come a long way in the last 10-15 years.
Just my $.02 worth.
Chonk
Last edited by Bill G; Aug 6, 2016 at 03:48 AM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 19,900
Likes: 8,006
From: poway
Hmmm... have to take some exception to this. The stock suspension on most Harley's is well below par. This is legendary for those of us who ride a variety of bikes and can compare suspensions.
As posted here and elsewhere the stock suspension is set for those who ride on smooth roads and moderate speeds. Rough roads at any speed overwhelm the suspension easily and if you add any speed to that equation it can get quite uncomfortable.
The front forks have oil passages that allow oil to move back and forth slowing the movement of the wheel, this is dampening. The oil passages are too small to allow quick movements of the front wheel so you end up with a harsh ride over bumps, even small ones.This is being overdamped.
I believe the springs are too light and don't slow the movement enough initially and aren't in a hurry to return the wheel back to where it should be which sometimes includes contact with the road. You are undersprung.
The same goes for the rear shocks.
The damndest thing is that then these same bikes just wallow at higher speeds.
I had the front forks of my Nightster worked on and all the suspension guy did was open up the oil passages to allow more oil to move, changed the oil weight, and increased the spring weight and it was a night and day different.
Harley also puts the hurt on riders by shortening the suspension travel to get that look and low seat height. There is a cognizant decision to reduce the suspension effectiveness for aesthetics, a Harley trademark.
The good news is that the MoCo is paying attention to a new breed of rider that does expect better suspension so they introduced it in the Sportster line, the FLD, and now the FXDLS.
I'm pretty sure that better suspension is coming to all lines. The aftermarket is making a killing and the MoCo won't stand on the sidelines forever.
Do you remember when H-D brakes were just simply the worst? They've come a long way in the last 10-15 years.
Just my $.02 worth.
Chonk
As posted here and elsewhere the stock suspension is set for those who ride on smooth roads and moderate speeds. Rough roads at any speed overwhelm the suspension easily and if you add any speed to that equation it can get quite uncomfortable.
The front forks have oil passages that allow oil to move back and forth slowing the movement of the wheel, this is dampening. The oil passages are too small to allow quick movements of the front wheel so you end up with a harsh ride over bumps, even small ones.This is being overdamped.
I believe the springs are too light and don't slow the movement enough initially and aren't in a hurry to return the wheel back to where it should be which sometimes includes contact with the road. You are undersprung.
The same goes for the rear shocks.
The damndest thing is that then these same bikes just wallow at higher speeds.
I had the front forks of my Nightster worked on and all the suspension guy did was open up the oil passages to allow more oil to move, changed the oil weight, and increased the spring weight and it was a night and day different.
Harley also puts the hurt on riders by shortening the suspension travel to get that look and low seat height. There is a cognizant decision to reduce the suspension effectiveness for aesthetics, a Harley trademark.
The good news is that the MoCo is paying attention to a new breed of rider that does expect better suspension so they introduced it in the Sportster line, the FLD, and now the FXDLS.
I'm pretty sure that better suspension is coming to all lines. The aftermarket is making a killing and the MoCo won't stand on the sidelines forever.
Do you remember when H-D brakes were just simply the worst? They've come a long way in the last 10-15 years.
Just my $.02 worth.
Chonk
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