Progressive monotubes
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 449
Likes: 4
From: Florida
I am interested in these as well. I have had Ricor's on b/o with WPS for some time now, but I have installed several monotube kits in touring bikes and have heard no negative complaints so I would assume they are great in the Dynas as well.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 196
Likes: 1
From: Amersfoort, The Netherlands
Progressive monotube ride report
Well, I finally got to get some miles on my bike with the Monotube kit and I’m sold, I love it!
From the beginning I hated the stock suspension so the Intiminators from Ricor where one of the first mods I did in 2010. They where a huge improvement over stock, and still are imo.
Though I was very happy with them, they never gave me that wow feeling I got when I installed some good rear shocks. I tried different preload settings and oil weight and found out that for some relaxed cruising I preferred 5w oil and for peg scraping rides through the mountains I liked the 10w better. As I like both riding styles I actually changed oil sometimes when I went for a trip through the Alps. Also, in some occassions when there were a couple of road bumps or holes in a row, the fork sometimes bounced quite hard. Other than that they work really good, and with 10w oil you actually have less brake dive than with the Monotube kit.
I followed the thread where people installed the Intiminators with straight rate springs and was leaning towards that direction because I believe they have a good thing going on there. Then I read about the Progressive monotube kit and decided to give it a try.
And I’m glad I did. After trying different preload settings to get my sag right, they did give me that wow feeling. And my preference for the 5w and 10w feeling is now managed by two turns of the adjuster. Best way to describe it, it feels like a good rear shock installed in the front.
I did nearly 200 miles on different roads. I hit smooth roads, gravel, tarsnakes, potholes and speedbumps (we have a lot of those in Holland) and the fork absorbed them all. The bike felt very reliable and stable with good feedback. Response is fast and predictable and I had a lot of fun looking at my sliders working while riding.
Installation was easy and took me about 1 ½ hour, including cleaning of the tubes. It helps to have an impact wrench to loosen up the damper rod bolts.
As I said before, every part of this kit seemed to be of very good quality. The kit was packed in a huge box and comes with a nice installation tool and a pair of top-out springs in case you want to lower the front.
So I’m really happy with this kit and though I still love my Ricor rear shocks, those nice new all black Progressive 970 shocks start looking better and better….
Cheers, Hans
From the beginning I hated the stock suspension so the Intiminators from Ricor where one of the first mods I did in 2010. They where a huge improvement over stock, and still are imo.
Though I was very happy with them, they never gave me that wow feeling I got when I installed some good rear shocks. I tried different preload settings and oil weight and found out that for some relaxed cruising I preferred 5w oil and for peg scraping rides through the mountains I liked the 10w better. As I like both riding styles I actually changed oil sometimes when I went for a trip through the Alps. Also, in some occassions when there were a couple of road bumps or holes in a row, the fork sometimes bounced quite hard. Other than that they work really good, and with 10w oil you actually have less brake dive than with the Monotube kit.
I followed the thread where people installed the Intiminators with straight rate springs and was leaning towards that direction because I believe they have a good thing going on there. Then I read about the Progressive monotube kit and decided to give it a try.
And I’m glad I did. After trying different preload settings to get my sag right, they did give me that wow feeling. And my preference for the 5w and 10w feeling is now managed by two turns of the adjuster. Best way to describe it, it feels like a good rear shock installed in the front.
I did nearly 200 miles on different roads. I hit smooth roads, gravel, tarsnakes, potholes and speedbumps (we have a lot of those in Holland) and the fork absorbed them all. The bike felt very reliable and stable with good feedback. Response is fast and predictable and I had a lot of fun looking at my sliders working while riding.
Installation was easy and took me about 1 ½ hour, including cleaning of the tubes. It helps to have an impact wrench to loosen up the damper rod bolts.
As I said before, every part of this kit seemed to be of very good quality. The kit was packed in a huge box and comes with a nice installation tool and a pair of top-out springs in case you want to lower the front.
So I’m really happy with this kit and though I still love my Ricor rear shocks, those nice new all black Progressive 970 shocks start looking better and better….
Cheers, Hans
Road Captain
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 646
Likes: 16
From: South FL
Starting to regret my purchase of the straight rate springs and intiminators.... Haven't installed them yet so I suppose I could sell them and jump ship to these new cartridges.
Good to hear they are working as expected though.
Good to hear they are working as expected though.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 196
Likes: 1
From: Amersfoort, The Netherlands
Unless you changed your forklegs, that kit is not gonna fit your bike... It's for a Softail...
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 676
Likes: 2
From: Glendale, AZ
So...dont the softtails have the same wide-glide front end? I thought the difference was more along frame/rear suspension/oiltank lines?
Last edited by DesertDyna; Jul 1, 2014 at 02:49 PM.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 215
Likes: 2
From: Vallejo, CA
Well, I finally got to get some miles on my bike with the Monotube kit and I’m sold, I love it!
From the beginning I hated the stock suspension so the Intiminators from Ricor where one of the first mods I did in 2010. They where a huge improvement over stock, and still are imo.
Though I was very happy with them, they never gave me that wow feeling I got when I installed some good rear shocks. I tried different preload settings and oil weight and found out that for some relaxed cruising I preferred 5w oil and for peg scraping rides through the mountains I liked the 10w better. As I like both riding styles I actually changed oil sometimes when I went for a trip through the Alps. Also, in some occassions when there were a couple of road bumps or holes in a row, the fork sometimes bounced quite hard. Other than that they work really good, and with 10w oil you actually have less brake dive than with the Monotube kit.
I followed the thread where people installed the Intiminators with straight rate springs and was leaning towards that direction because I believe they have a good thing going on there. Then I read about the Progressive monotube kit and decided to give it a try.
And I’m glad I did. After trying different preload settings to get my sag right, they did give me that wow feeling. And my preference for the 5w and 10w feeling is now managed by two turns of the adjuster. Best way to describe it, it feels like a good rear shock installed in the front.
I did nearly 200 miles on different roads. I hit smooth roads, gravel, tarsnakes, potholes and speedbumps (we have a lot of those in Holland) and the fork absorbed them all. The bike felt very reliable and stable with good feedback. Response is fast and predictable and I had a lot of fun looking at my sliders working while riding.
Installation was easy and took me about 1 ½ hour, including cleaning of the tubes. It helps to have an impact wrench to loosen up the damper rod bolts.
As I said before, every part of this kit seemed to be of very good quality. The kit was packed in a huge box and comes with a nice installation tool and a pair of top-out springs in case you want to lower the front.
So I’m really happy with this kit and though I still love my Ricor rear shocks, those nice new all black Progressive 970 shocks start looking better and better….
Cheers, Hans
From the beginning I hated the stock suspension so the Intiminators from Ricor where one of the first mods I did in 2010. They where a huge improvement over stock, and still are imo.
Though I was very happy with them, they never gave me that wow feeling I got when I installed some good rear shocks. I tried different preload settings and oil weight and found out that for some relaxed cruising I preferred 5w oil and for peg scraping rides through the mountains I liked the 10w better. As I like both riding styles I actually changed oil sometimes when I went for a trip through the Alps. Also, in some occassions when there were a couple of road bumps or holes in a row, the fork sometimes bounced quite hard. Other than that they work really good, and with 10w oil you actually have less brake dive than with the Monotube kit.
I followed the thread where people installed the Intiminators with straight rate springs and was leaning towards that direction because I believe they have a good thing going on there. Then I read about the Progressive monotube kit and decided to give it a try.
And I’m glad I did. After trying different preload settings to get my sag right, they did give me that wow feeling. And my preference for the 5w and 10w feeling is now managed by two turns of the adjuster. Best way to describe it, it feels like a good rear shock installed in the front.
I did nearly 200 miles on different roads. I hit smooth roads, gravel, tarsnakes, potholes and speedbumps (we have a lot of those in Holland) and the fork absorbed them all. The bike felt very reliable and stable with good feedback. Response is fast and predictable and I had a lot of fun looking at my sliders working while riding.
Installation was easy and took me about 1 ½ hour, including cleaning of the tubes. It helps to have an impact wrench to loosen up the damper rod bolts.
As I said before, every part of this kit seemed to be of very good quality. The kit was packed in a huge box and comes with a nice installation tool and a pair of top-out springs in case you want to lower the front.
So I’m really happy with this kit and though I still love my Ricor rear shocks, those nice new all black Progressive 970 shocks start looking better and better….
Cheers, Hans
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Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 982
Likes: 357
From: Wisconsin
Softails have 41mm forks. Dynas have 39mm or 49mm forks depending on year.
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 676
Likes: 2
From: Glendale, AZ
02 FXDWG also has 41mm forks (I used an electronic caliper to check). In fact, the part number for the fork tube is the same for the Softail Standard and the Wide Glide. So can someone tell me what the difference is? While Sportsters and 1999 and earlier dynas have 39mm, 2000 and up Wide Glides had 41mm until a later year.??
Last edited by DesertDyna; Jul 2, 2014 at 09:11 AM.