Hey guys, going to pull my font forks apart on my 1997 FLHT to powder coat my lower legs and cowbells, and figured while I'm there might as well eliminate my non working Air anti dive in front end. Questions I have are: can I use stock springs after eliminating the air fittings? also has any one tried using later model IE: 2000+ springs in there fork tubes??

thanks!

 

I'm not sure about the other springs, have you done a search on this site? There is a lot of info for front end upgrades on here.
I'll personally say the Racetech system is sweet!

 

I've been happy with the Racetech springs and gold emulators!

 

Thank you guys, ill try and search again.

 

As an economical upgrade I recommend using Race Tech single-rate springs. They are available in a range of spring rates, unlike most brands, so you can match them to your weight. One of the reasons H-D used the air system was to provide a one size fits all solution, which the owner could adjust to match their own weight.

That deals with providing a good solution to replacing the air system. The Emulators that Tony mentions are also made by Race Tech, but I have to admit to being disappointed with them (in my Sporty). An alternative are Intiminators, which get good reviews over in the Touring section. Both those products upgrade the damping system, which should improve ride quality.

Personally I am replacing both springs and dampers on my Glide with Ohlins FKC101 cartridges, which should achieve your ambition, with a healthy improvement in ride quality, although they do cost a bit more!

 

So can I replace just the springs or would I also need to add the emulators/intimidators?

Thanks!

 

You can just add springs, just take care to adjust the sag correctly. Bearing in mind that ride quality of these bikes even when new was pretty poor, it is common to also upgrade the damping in some way. That's why there are so many options available!

 

I went with Progressive springs and Ricor Intiminators a few years back. This improved the handling considerably, but gave a somewhat rougher ride. At first I didn't mind, but after living with it for a few years I've decided to switch to the Racetech system. I got the kit - single rate springs with the emulators. Not yet installed so I can't talk about results yet.

 

I'd be interested to hear how you get on with the change over. One of the challenges we amateurs have is identifying whether the springs or dampers are causing ride roughness!