It looks like the "while I'm in here" bug has struck me. I started freshening up my 1997 FLHT and am at the point that before I put it back together I want to upgrade the suspension. I know Omaha and others have upgraded to a progressive kit in the front and would like to know how it affected the cornering/handling.

I'd also like suggestions on what shocks folks are putting on the back. I only ride this bike solo, and 2 up or serious touring is done on my twinkie (I know I know....)

I'm looking for a little plusher of a ride and a little better handling. I am not looking to spend high end Ohlin money. I tend to ride this bike a little on the aggressive side.

Thanks All.

 

I have the progressive springs in the front of my softail. They are stiffer but not a bad stiffer. It will make your bike feel more planted and severely reduce brake dive on the front end.

As far as shock go....., I am in the same market right now for my dyna. For me, I have narrowed my selection down to hagon nitros or progressive 444

 

Look into the RaceTech single rate spring set up for the forks. RT goes by your weight for the stiffness of the spring rate. I have no complaints.

 

Thanks! Does the racetech completely do away with the air suspension? What is the price tag?

 

Progressive cartridges in the front. 412's in the back.

Worth it? Hard to say, really. I like the way it rides and handles now. Subjectively, it's a lot better than it was a couple of years ago when it was all stock. Brake dive is a thousand times better. Corners, particularly things like cloverleaf on-ramps, seem far more planted.

One of the factors that made me decide to go with the cartridges was not having to do fork-oil service anymore. Even with the MightyVac trick, that was something of a chore. It also felt good stripping out the front air system. The analog compass I installed a couple of years ago never worked worth a damn. Turns out it was the magnet in the solenoid that was screwing it up. Now it works fine.

Before swapping everything out, I had one experience with what I think was the "Harley death wobble". Two-up on a long sweeper (going from I-80 south onto the Kennedy Freeway, if anyone is interested) at 65 or so, it didn't want to settle in and kind of pogo'd through the corner. Wasn't exactly a tank slapper, but the bars were going bananas. Haven't had that happen since upgrading.

I should also add to that that when I serviced the head bearings last winter, I discovered that they were on the loose side. I'm running them on the tight side now, and I like it better. Not too tight, but just a bit snugger than they were before.

The balance point for me is always trying to decide where to stop. The "all in" solution would involve new clamp-type top triple tree, new, late model swingarm, Ohlins all around, etc. That would be cool, but I can't justify the bux.

All things considered, I'm happy with the upgrades. I think it represents a decent improvement relative to the cost. The little voice in my head that makes it impossible to leave well enough alone will probably convince me, eventually, to keep tweaking this until there's nowhere left to go. For now though, I'm satisfied.

 

I Have progressives in my FLHT. Went with 15w oil and handling great and very little dive when braking.

It was just a bit to stiff with some of the roads I travel around here. Changed to 7w oil and I like it much better.

A fella here local went with racetech. Had a chance to ride his for a bit and he rode mine. If I had it to do over _ for nice ride I think I'd do the racetech. We both did away with the air suspension on the bikes.

WP

 

Yes it does do away with the air system. I use short bolts to seal the cap nut where the banjo bolts were. I don't remember the price, I'd have to check the website for that but you can do that. Very smooth ride with 10 weight fork oil.

 

Thanks again. I'll check into it.

 

I replaced my stock air suspension with Progressive springs and Ricor Intiminators a few years back. This was a definite upgrade in the handling department, but the ride was a little rough. After a few years of that I replaced that combo with the Race Tech single rate springs with their emulators. This kept the handling advantages and smoothed out the ride considerably.

I also replaced the Progressive shocks with Ohlins. Big $ yes, but big improvement. I should have gone the Ohlin route in the first place instead of wasting $400 on Progressive shocks that were ultimately unsatisfying.

And my experiences with the 'death wobble' are all in the past since I installed the True Track kit.

 

+1 on ricor intiminators. I run them on my dyna with stock springs and preload adjusters