Lowered the Low Rider.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Richmond, VA
Lowered the Low Rider.
Very disappointed.
I'm new to your forums, so I want to say hi and start asking questions. I recently bought a '96 FXDL Low Rider off ebay for $5,500 with only 12K on the ticker. I promptly started modifying her. One of the first mods was progressives lowering kit, front and rear. I installed their drop in lowering kit for the front forks, and 12 inch 412's on the rear. I like the front end now but hate the rear shocks. With just me on them they are ok, but with both me and my 200 lb wife, they sucked. Per progressives instructions I swapped in there heavy duty springs. Now with my wife on the back they are OK, but ride like crap with just my 195lb *** on them. Not trying to bash progressive, just dissappointed in the rear shocks as the stock 12.6 Showa's seem to work a hell of alot better under a much wider range of conditions. So I'm basically going to reinstall the stock Showa's and ditch the rear progressives. I want to purchase and install these in conjunction with the stock 12.6 shocks and am looking for peoples experience with them:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT
Based on the volume of this site, I'm sure alot of you guys have tried them. Just looking for feedback, opinions and thoughts on lowering a Low Rider and adding 400lbs of passengers to it. Should I be looking for different 12 inch shocks, or do most of you have good luck with these lowering blocks and the stock Harley shocks???
Thanks, Neil
I'm new to your forums, so I want to say hi and start asking questions. I recently bought a '96 FXDL Low Rider off ebay for $5,500 with only 12K on the ticker. I promptly started modifying her. One of the first mods was progressives lowering kit, front and rear. I installed their drop in lowering kit for the front forks, and 12 inch 412's on the rear. I like the front end now but hate the rear shocks. With just me on them they are ok, but with both me and my 200 lb wife, they sucked. Per progressives instructions I swapped in there heavy duty springs. Now with my wife on the back they are OK, but ride like crap with just my 195lb *** on them. Not trying to bash progressive, just dissappointed in the rear shocks as the stock 12.6 Showa's seem to work a hell of alot better under a much wider range of conditions. So I'm basically going to reinstall the stock Showa's and ditch the rear progressives. I want to purchase and install these in conjunction with the stock 12.6 shocks and am looking for peoples experience with them:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT
Based on the volume of this site, I'm sure alot of you guys have tried them. Just looking for feedback, opinions and thoughts on lowering a Low Rider and adding 400lbs of passengers to it. Should I be looking for different 12 inch shocks, or do most of you have good luck with these lowering blocks and the stock Harley shocks???
Thanks, Neil
Last edited by bikerlaw; Sep 3, 2009 at 11:06 AM.
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 682
Likes: 1
From: Wichita, KS
Neil,
Nice looking scoot there! Sounds like you found out what a lot of other folks have found out about Progressive shocks, especially 412's. They are no better quality that the stockers, period. A good quality YSS, Works, Penske, or Ohlins will set you back more $, but you'll be happier in the long run. They are more expensive because they are better built and built just for you. Where as Progressive is off the shelf. As to the lowering kit, I'd save my coin and add it to a quality set of shocks myself. They will likely make your stock shocks worse than they are now, because of the change in geometry.
Good luck!
Mike
Nice looking scoot there! Sounds like you found out what a lot of other folks have found out about Progressive shocks, especially 412's. They are no better quality that the stockers, period. A good quality YSS, Works, Penske, or Ohlins will set you back more $, but you'll be happier in the long run. They are more expensive because they are better built and built just for you. Where as Progressive is off the shelf. As to the lowering kit, I'd save my coin and add it to a quality set of shocks myself. They will likely make your stock shocks worse than they are now, because of the change in geometry.
Good luck!
Mike
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Ultimate HDF Member
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From: Richmond, VA
Thanks. I've already lowered the front. I did it all at once in the hopes of "doing it once and doing it right". Live and learn I guess. I thought I was getting top shelf stuff, but now I am finding out thats not the case. I'm a Shovelhead guy, so modern tech was not in my vocabulary and progressive's were always huge improvement in the Shovelhead world, when compared to the 30 and 40 year old shocks they came with. Shovel guys rave about 412's so they seemed like the natural choice. I wish I would have done the research first. Honestly, I didn't care what they cost when I bought them. I thought I was buying a good shock, but I care what it costs when I have to pay for shocks a second time...if you know what I mean. Its funny, this whole mess started over me simply wanting a shock with a chrome cover. Thats all I wanted, now I have a bike that I'm unhappy with its ride quality. I love the look of a slamed bike though, so at least thats a plus.
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 682
Likes: 1
From: Wichita, KS
Well, if it's a full chrome cover and nice ride you want. And money isn't a huge object, how about air ride? Arnott or similar? I don't think the MFG's I mentioned earlier have full covers.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Mike
Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Mike
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Richmond, VA
Excellent advice. Thank you for the replies. I need to spend some time and do the research to see what will make me happy. Never thought about air shocks till you guys mentioned them. Tomt, thanks for the 418 advice. It sounds like they are good shocks. I sent a bitch letter to progressive explaining my problem, but haven't heard back yet. I'm gonna hear what they say before I make any descisions. Hell, to top it all off, when I first installed them, a rock got caught inside the cover (I live on a gravel road) and it was rattleing around like nuts. I thought I had ruined the shocks by having the heavy duty springs installed on the shock bodys wrong (LOL), so this mess is just irking me right now.
Neil
Neil
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I can't figure out how the Progressive 412's get trashed so much around here. I love mine. I swapped my 12.6" stockers for 12" 412 heavy duties and lowered the rear some and still got a better ride and handling. I weigh 219 and my wife is 125. I have the preload set in the middle and never have to change it even when she rides with me.
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Richmond, VA
Believe me when I say thats all I have heard in the past about progressives. All the people I know loved them. Thats exactly why I bought them. Just for "me", they were not what I needed. Like I had mentioned, with just me on the bike with the standard spring they were fine, and with the heavy duty spring they are decent with the wife on the back. Its outside those peramiters that they just seem to suck. Plus, am I wrong when I say that the 412's have only 1.9 inches of travel. Maybe not, just askin'? Believe me, I simply started this thread to ask about the lowering blocks. I figured that was my next option.
Last edited by bikerlaw; Sep 4, 2009 at 03:17 PM.
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Joined: Jul 2006
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From:
I also removed my progressives and went back to the stock 12" Harley shocks for my '06 Street Bob. The stockers are more comfortable over the bumpy, pothole infested roads in this part of Pennsylvania.
It's not really a fair comparison tho. My progressives were lower at 11.5". I wanted the slam look and thought the variable spring rate and IAS damping (440s) would help to compensate for the lower suspension. I'm sure it does to some extent. But if I buy another set of progressive shocks they will definitely be the stock length (12").
It's not really a fair comparison tho. My progressives were lower at 11.5". I wanted the slam look and thought the variable spring rate and IAS damping (440s) would help to compensate for the lower suspension. I'm sure it does to some extent. But if I buy another set of progressive shocks they will definitely be the stock length (12").