Just picked up my 26 CVO Road Glide ST. First thing i did when I got home was adjust both front and rear suspension to my weight according to the owner's manual. Man did that make it stiff as hell and bounce like crazy over any bump in the road. Definitely going to be dialing it back down some. But Im concerned I might have a problem with fork adjustments. According to the manual, to adjust the rebound and compression, turn the dials clockwise till they stop, then counterclockwise to the recommended number, from 0.5 to 2 turns, depending on if you want sport or comfort. So I start turning one, not counting the turns because Im waiting for the stop, but it never stopped, and I know it went more than 2 turns. I check the other fork and it also went beyond two turns. Has anyone else had that happen? Is it possible they are defective?

 

congrats! I saw that bike at our dealership this week and wow, that blue really pops..very sharp looking bike!

 

I would start over and count the turns this time.

 

Thats what I thought and attempted. But start where? They dont stop turning, either direction.

 

Might be defective then. I would take it to HD and let them assess it.

 

I just set mine up yesterday, so while it's fresh in my mind:

The front rebound and compression damping adjusters on mine turned clockwise about 2 turns to the stop from the factory setting. I just stopped turning when I got resistance - not a HARD stop. It does mention in the manual damage can result if you push past the stops. Then I turned both back 0.5 turns for a Sport setting.

Just FYI, the factory settings for me (for all suspension settings) were way too bumpy/bouncy. The rear shock preloads were set at 21mm - equivalent to a 320lb rider. I am 190lb with gear on and some day to day stuff in the bags, so I set the preload to 7mm. The rear rebound and compression damping were factory set to about the "comfort" settings (8 rebound, 23 compression. I set mine to 5 and 14 clicks for a sporty set up.

Front preload was factory set at 5 turns - which is for about a 200lb rider - so I dialled it back to 4.5 turns for my weight.

Anyway. It's a different bike now. It feels superbly planted with no bouncing. Just nice, fairly firm, sporty and planted. It actually feels better than the set up on my Low Rider ST, which had full Ohlins front and rear.

Nice bike BTW - my friend picked one the same up today and it looks great. I have the Inferno Grey one, and I may be biased, but I think it's best the paint option on the '26 bikes!

 

I had the same issue with my '25 and I couldn't adjust out of it. The simple solution is Ohlins, which bolt on to CVOs. You would think the Showas would be better since they are promoted as an upgrade...

 

Here's my update on the "issue". Come to find out there was no issue and it was user error. I went to the dealership and spoke to one of the service techs. He told me from the factory, it can take 7-8 turns before you hit the hard stop, then turn back 0.5 - 2.5 turns depending on comfort level. So i did that was it. No issue, problem solved.

 

That's pretty sad for a premium bike.

Yeah, I would head back to the dealer.

Good luck

 

In all fairness, replacing the stock suspension with Ohlins is not really a simple solution - or a cheap one for that matter. Especially when the bike already comes with fully adjustable suspension.

While I did go full Ohlins on my Low Rider ST and they were very good indeed once properly set up, now I have set the Showas up correctly for me on the CVO ST, they feel very similar. I am very pleased how good they feel. I did about 250 miles over the weekend and am very happy. Of course, once my girlfriend wants to get on the back I will need to adjust again - especially preload - and we will see how the bike handles at that point. But right now, as a solo rider I have zero complaints.

I think the key here is to actually set the suspension up properly in the first instance. They do not come correctly set up from the factory - it is important to do the work to set the suspension up for your weight and riding style - your dealership may not know how to do it, but there is probably a suspension tech nearby who knows what to do. And the manual actually has all the information you need.