I just picked up my 2013 Fatbob a couple weeks ago. Of all the bikes Ive had, this is the first one I just cant get off of. I absolutely love this bike. Of course I can never leave anything alone so I did the prerequisites of exhaust and intake.

One of the main goals was to decrease the amount of chrome on the bike though. Just too much for me on there. One place where there was way too much was the rear shocks. They werent bad for comfort but I just wanted to get rid of the chrome. I also really like the look of the exposed spring, gives it the look of a classic bike.

I ended up going with the 444's which apparently replaced the old 440's. I was going to choose the 430's but I figured for the little difference, I would opt for the one with the "FST" technology. They came in and the install was something that could be done in the dark. Very simple and it only took me 15 minutes for total both sides. One of the other really nice things about these shocks is that they are easy to adjust. The collar is at the top and can be rotated with your hands, no need for a spanner wrench.

I went for my first ride yesterday with the bike on the new shocks. The first thing I noticed was the lack of a "dip" when rolling off the edge of my driveway. Through my ride I sort of aimed for some of the visible bumps in the road(not potholes though, Im not stupid). The shocks were awesome at absorbing multiple bumps in a row without bottoming out or punishing my lower back on the 3rd and 4th bump. On portions of roads that had kinda of whoopdie-doos the bike never lifted or felt like it squatted. It also never felt too stiff though. The bike felt very planted in the twisties too when pushing it nicely. Although one thing I can say is with the amount of absorbtion the shocks have, I feel a little less connected to the feel of the rear tire. I dont know if thats terrible, Im just used to feeling everything on my Diavel.

The only fault I had with the rear shocks is that it brough too much attention to the poor OEM front shocks. With the rear being super comfortable, I now felt everything in the front and how bad the front shocks were at absorbing the same bumps.

All in all I highly recommend these to anyone looking for an upgrade to the originals. Whereas Ive read some of the lower models in the Progressive range dont feel any different than stock, these definitely do. If you are going for the long haul of ownership on these bikes, this is something worth considering.

 

Nice review and thanks for the info. It seems like a toss up on here when it comes to progressive. Either people love them, or think they are terrible. I guess one would just have to try them for themselves to see which camp they were in. Lol.

 

I did try them for myself, i'm of the dis-like mind for prog. sold my 440's cheap. first buyer 100$ here you go buddy.

HyperM3 I'm glad they work for you, everyone has a different take .

 

I just put a set of 444's on 2 weeks ago. Night and day over the stock and 412's I have had on the bike. It is so much nicer not to either bottom out or have my butt flying in the air. No more sore back, no more feeling every bump. The new technology really makes a huge difference. I even have the adjustment backed all the way off and the ride is great!

 

Picked up a set of 13" 444's for a good price and installed them tonight. Only got out to ride for about an hour, but so far Im impressed. The bike feels planted and corners 100x better than it did with the air shocks I had on there or the 412's I had on prior to those. The 444's soak up the bumps much better too.

Went and hit some high speed corners that I new had bumps in them that would make the back end kinda squirm. That feeling is completely gone now. Was able to hold my line with no effort and the bike didn't get upset at all.

 

May i ask the best place to buy the 444's?

 

Direct cycle parts

 

That's on my list to get next. Thanks for the info man.

Phatperformanceparts.com has the for around $450 shipped, but directcycleparts.com is the Same and their website is easier to find the parts.

 

Just upgraded to front and rear Progressive's It's like night and day.