Really need some opinions on rear shocks
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,181
Likes: 98
From: north of the south pole
Ive been through the mill on lowering shocks.....to tell you the truth..most of them suck.....lowering blocks are worse, because they change the angle of the shock which degrades the performance of the spring in any shock and makes them much softer, increasing bottoming out and damaging the fender wiring if any of it runs over the top of the tire, like a Street Bob. I know this from experience, I burnt through the wiring, bottomed the front left corner of the fender on the belt guard..nothing but problems......If you are going to use lowering shocks, te ride is gonna suck anyone so spend as little as possible, Progressive makes the shocks for Drag Specialties, Biker's Choice and Custom Chrome. They look just like the Slammer Shocks, because Burly is owned by Progressive....basically they are 412 shocks with no bottom cup. I had them on my Street Bob, the road like **** but the bike looked cool slammed down.....If you ride your bike a lot you will hate them and so will your back....if you ride back and forth to the beach, bars and bike nights then you can probably survive with them....
Any shock is a compromise. Either you get a soft ride that bottoms out when you ride hard over big bumps or you get a stiff ride, but one that won't bottom out. Of course the shorter the shock, the quicker it'll bottom out.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,335
Likes: 3
From: Ca.
I too, like the slammed look but didn't want to decrease my shock travel that would translate into a shitty ride. I'm running a switchback so it will be different than a street bob's geometry somewhat (or so I assume)
so...to kinda get the look and not change or degrade the ride, I changed out my springs in front from the stock progressive wound ones to a racetech flat wound which raised the front end one inch. Then I put progressive 12" 430's on the back which greatly improved the overall ride from stock but the same height of the 12" (stock) shock. Finally, I did a 2" tank lift and changed out the pipes to black.
Bottom line, it rides better than it ever had and still kinda/sorta appears to be lowered in the back.
What keeps this thing from looking better is my damn seat. That mustang is real comfortable but looks like hell.
Looking for 2 years now for a way to keep the nice ride of that fugly mustang but somehow make it look decent.
Like I said, still looking.
before:
after:
so...to kinda get the look and not change or degrade the ride, I changed out my springs in front from the stock progressive wound ones to a racetech flat wound which raised the front end one inch. Then I put progressive 12" 430's on the back which greatly improved the overall ride from stock but the same height of the 12" (stock) shock. Finally, I did a 2" tank lift and changed out the pipes to black.
Bottom line, it rides better than it ever had and still kinda/sorta appears to be lowered in the back.
What keeps this thing from looking better is my damn seat. That mustang is real comfortable but looks like hell.
Looking for 2 years now for a way to keep the nice ride of that fugly mustang but somehow make it look decent.
Like I said, still looking.
before:
after:
Last edited by FBinSoCal; Aug 8, 2013 at 11:55 AM.
Why would you lower a bike? If you are looking for a crappy ride that looks good, get a softail. I run 412s that are 12 I/2" to raise the bike. The reason I ride a Dyna instead of a Touring or Softail is 98% of my riding is in the mountains. I keep up with BMWs on a regular basis.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,749
Likes: 16
From: sand mountain Alabama
This is my experience with lowering blocks.
Shocks compress up and down. The more the angle the less weight it takes to compress the shocks.
If you use lowering blocks I suggest using HD springs.
We have used 11 inch shocks on my wife's wide glide. It looks good but due to bad roads they were bottoming out a lot and the pipe scraped on right turns. Solo it was good but 2 up they did not do so well.
The 11 inch 412 did good on my other make of bike.
Shocks compress up and down. The more the angle the less weight it takes to compress the shocks.
If you use lowering blocks I suggest using HD springs.
We have used 11 inch shocks on my wife's wide glide. It looks good but due to bad roads they were bottoming out a lot and the pipe scraped on right turns. Solo it was good but 2 up they did not do so well.
The 11 inch 412 did good on my other make of bike.
Novice
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
From: Minnesota
Ran 412 10.5" on a non-HD cruiser two up (combined weight around 300lbs). I didn't have any problems outside of the occasional ridged highway crack or pothole, and that was on a 240mm 18" rim, so minimal sidewall forgiveness.
Pairing shocks with a lo pro solo seat for 1 up runs is also a good idea. Most times shave at least an inch from your ride height.
Pairing shocks with a lo pro solo seat for 1 up runs is also a good idea. Most times shave at least an inch from your ride height.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 144
Likes: 1
From: Long Island
I swapped out my stock shocks on my 2010 Fat Bob for 11" Progressive 412's (not HD). I am about 225 lbs and I find the ride actually improved a bit and I ride 42 miles from Long Island to Manhattan on my bike. The roads up here SUCK! I hit all sorts of crazy bumps and have not had a problem yet.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 121
Likes: 1
From: Aalborg, Denmark
I was in your shoes one year ago.. Reading one thread after another. I desided to try the progressive 11" 412. I run them on the hardest setting. Otherwise i bottom out. I weigh 87kg. On the hardest setting i have never bottomed out. If you are planning to bring your wife then my advice is to go with the heavy duty model. I havent tried the burly 10,5" but i can only imagine the travel would be to short for most people. I have never had any clearance problems with the 11" progressive.
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Tourer
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 332
Likes: 2
From: Levittown, PA
Thank you everyone for your responses! After much thinking and considering my options, I decided to go with the 11" 412's!
I love the stance of the bike on the burly's but with a passenger, I just think that extra 1/2" would make a difference... Judging by the number people I found running the 412's and the reviews I read other places... I think it will be the perfect shock for me!
I ordered them from revzilla.com $269 with free shipping and the even paid my PA sales tax! Ordered them yesterday around 11am and today at 1230 they got here! Amazing! I will be installing them and a license plate relocation next week! Reviews to follow!
Thanks again everyone!
I love the stance of the bike on the burly's but with a passenger, I just think that extra 1/2" would make a difference... Judging by the number people I found running the 412's and the reviews I read other places... I think it will be the perfect shock for me!
I ordered them from revzilla.com $269 with free shipping and the even paid my PA sales tax! Ordered them yesterday around 11am and today at 1230 they got here! Amazing! I will be installing them and a license plate relocation next week! Reviews to follow!
Thanks again everyone!