When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
The damper rods are the same OD and the 2014~16 fit just fine. You will have to weld and re-drill the holes to replicate the 2017. This is a 2017 "elegance of the design". It is a green piece of plastic on the down side (of the fork tube) and the white piece of plastic is on the top side of this check valve with a black plastic piece with slots formed in them. The outside of the steel fixture has slots cut in the steel for the oil to pass through. I would say HD may have $1.00 or less of "elegance” into each fork tube.
So Howard, what the differences in the damping tube holes? Might be interesting to see what can be done by adding holes to the damping rod say in the middle since both the compression and rebound high speed valving is located pretty much in the same valve.
SWThomasClub Member
I believe that Graham AKA GRBROWN read your post as: "total is right at $550 in parts before tax. Thats 3/4 of the way to Legend Axeo's and 1/2 way to the Ohlins" as I did. I thought when reading that your were thinking $1,100.00. Graham correct if that is what you wrote which you did not. There is a very big difference between what others sell in a box and what I build.
So Howard, what the differences in the damping tube holes? Might be interesting to see what can be done by adding holes to the damping rod say in the middle since both the compression and rebound high speed valving is located pretty much in the same valve.
That is not exactly what I said. Relocate holes to where they need to be and size the holes (different diameter) would possible change to tune the bike for the rider. Back in the day, there was no RaceTech for the damper rods along with all of the devices available now. That is all we had. I did not have a Roehrig Shock Dyno like I have now which makes life way easier. Drill, test, fill the hole and re-drill, test, and repeat until there is no gain and you tried everything else and it is the best it can be.
With cartridges, that was a gain changer. Change compression & rebound with spring pre-load. There are many companies making many different cartridges. If you o not pay the fair for the best (usually that means the lesser sophisticated and poorer quality) than you will not ride the best there is. I test bikes and there is a great many of riders who are satisfied with that type of suspension. That is either the same person who can not afford & is honest about it or the guy who never road anything else. We can all name the different scenarios.
Hole location:
Here is a side by side of 2 fork tubes that are the exact same length. Notice the oil flow holes and you can not see the oil path on the inside of the fork tubes.
That is not exactly what I said. Relocate holes to where they need to be and size the holes (different diameter) would possible change to tune the bike for the rider. Back in the day, there was no RaceTech for the damper rods along with all of the devices available now. That is all we had. I did not have a Roehrig Shock Dyno like I have now which makes life way easier. Drill, test, fill the hole and re-drill, test, and repeat until there is no gain and you tried everything else and it is the best it can be.
With cartridges, that was a gain changer. Change compression & rebound with spring pre-load. There are many companies making many different cartridges. If you o not pay the fair for the best (usually that means the lesser sophisticated and poorer quality) than you will not ride the best there is. I test bikes and there is a great many of riders who are satisfied with that type of suspension. That is either the same person who can not afford & is honest about it or the guy who never road anything else. We can all name the different scenarios.
Hole location:
Here is a side by side of 2 fork tubes that are the exact same length. Notice the oil flow holes and you can not see the oil path on the inside of the fork tubes.
I didn't say anything about what you said.. I was trying to go a step further on possible tuning of the forks.
Now feel free to correct but.. Older damping tube type Showa forks are really single speed orifice damped. The rebound damping is determined by the volume between the damping rod end and the floating valve in the bottom of the fork tube.. Rate of rebound the determined by fluid flow through a smaller hole in the upper part of the damping rod. Figure 3.12
Compression damping is a little different. Since the basic Showa setup has a check valve in the end of the tube, net volume change on the compression stroke fir flow is the volume change caused by the tube itself. Figure 3.9
What is interesting with the new fork design is that the rebound valve has a second speed added through a deflecting ring and a compression deflecting ring has been added. Both the compression ring and rebound ring are located in the end of the fork tube so higher speed damping is determined by flow past the valve assembly in both directions using deflecting rings.
The low speed compression appears to still be controlled by holes in the bottom of the damping rod..
What bothers me some is that the high speed compression circuit probably doesn't respond as well as say a RT cartridge emulator. What is interesting is since both high speed directions, compression and rebound, are basically in the same place, the damping rod can be used to change low speed flow based on fork position by adding holes or simply an hour glass shape in the damping rod . I suspect that these forks can be tuned a little.. Also nothing to stop anyone from adding an emulator to increase adjustability if so desired.
Not sure what you are trying to point out in the fork tube holes. I was more interested in the damping rod holes.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Club Member
