Anyone have any experience with an aftermarket front fork damper kit? Would adding this to my set of progressive springs be worth it?
Thanks

 

I actually don't really want too firm. To soften the ride with these springs, what weight oil would you suggest? I have some Belray 10w on the shelf. Do you think 7w or even 5w would be better?
Thanks

 

In answer to your question, yes! Springs are springs, whose only job is to hold up your weight plus that of the bike. H-Ds are well-known for using soft springs, so changing to another brand, especially if that includes a different brand of oil, may well improve things a bit, with stiffer springs plus heavier oil. As you are fairly light I suggest using matched single-rate springs from Race Tech, rather than a generic one-size-fits-all spring. A lot of the chaps in here like their steak, so probably out-weigh you by a decent margin!

On the damping front there are two bolt-in devices available. I've used Ricor Intiminators and been pleased with them on my old Glide, also Race Tech Emulators in my Sporty, but been disappointed with them. They both seem to get mixed reviews around HDF.

On the subject of fork oils, with their promise of improved damping, be aware that an HDF member who is an oil tech reviewed many of them in the lab. The SAE stated on the bottle label and what they tested as varied widely across all brands, making comparisons almost impossible. So if you are tempted to try swapping between oil grades, to tune your ride, stick with one brand, don't swap around! Otherwise you could be chasing your tail, never to catch it.

 

Thanks grbrown, good point about the oils.
I'll haves a look into the racetech springs, shame though because I have the brand new in the box progressives already. Could possibly return them, but it's a long way as you know.

 

Not many spring sellers offer more than one version of their fork springs. The MoCo uses only one that I know of, while Progressive offer two AFAIK. Being a lighter rider, you will probably find the soft stock springs are more comfortable than the Progressive, which I suspect are stiffer. Take a look at the Race Tech website before deciding which way to go.

 

I weigh about what the OP does and I put progressive springs and Harley-Davidson "Performance Heavy" fork oil in my '94 FLSTN at 11,000 miles. I went on to ride the bike 212,000 additional miles with that setup without a complaint, even on the potholed upstate NY roads. That should tell you something.

 

thanks grbrown.

I pulled the forks down today to replace the oil seals and put the progressive springs in...... Everything went pretty straight forward until after I removed the spring and placed fork on the bench and this part fell out. (Picture 1)

Now I wasn't sure how it goes back in and some videos showed it going on the end of the damper tube as it was extended fully out, but that was for a dyna so it might be different.

I pulled up Ronnies parts and the part I'm talking about is # 29....... how do I get it back securely in the right place? Does it come in from the top or from under?

 

It goes on the end of #40, inside of #36. Put it on and slide the entire assembly into the lower leg. The bolt from the bottom #17 holds it all together. Good luck.

 

Unfortunately that diagram isn't very helpful - I've had similar problems deciphering it! I think you will find it is #25, your confusingly named 'LOWER STOP'. It should fit on the end of your damper rod, in your lower photo, and is trapped inside the fork slider when tightening the allen screw in the bottom. It is some time since I last messed with it, while installing Ohlins cartridges in my forks, so memory is a bit rusty - I had to machine mine to make them fit, but that is another story.

 

Yep that goes onto the end of the damper tube.
The damper tube fits into it like sticking your finger into a cup.
The way to reassemble is to have the fork spring in place then invert the fork tube, put that piece on the end of the damper tube, slide the lower leg onto the assembly, at this point you will probably have to use a screwdriver to line everything up, and finally screw the bolt (part 17 in your diagram) into the damper tube.
Then you can flip the whole leg and install your seal and keeper.
Finally you can either put the fluid in now or after you put the leg back into the trees.