Before spending $$$$$ money on new rear shocks try changing the oil in the shocks

14 FLHTK
Installed the Amsoil lite fork/shock oil
With only 7 lbs of air and 200 lbs of human and gear I was only able to bottom the shocks once.
There is an amazing difference in the ride/handing
So before spending the large dollars on questionable results...try some oil
Maybe Howard and the other shock salesmen will show us the shock dyno results of air shocks with various oils vs the $$$$hocks

 

I did it and it really does help. BUT, it's no substitute for a set of real shock absorbers.

 

I always assumed the rear shocks were sealed (even though they are air), not that I am unhappy with them though but your post has now made me curious.
Ill check the shop manual or is it so simple you can post how to do it in a couple words?

Maybe I got this all wrong, on my first coffee for the day ... )

 

Here's a thread on it........https://www.hdforums.com/forum/new-r...il-change.html

Changing to a heavier weight shock oil will improve the stock air shock's damping...but compared to even a mediocre aftermarket shock they still suck....

According to Harley the air shocks are not rebuildable but Honda sells a rebuild kit for the same shocks that were used on older twin shock GoldWings.

 

Thats great that it works for you. Save your money for others stuff.

 

For Sale - New and improved factory stock H-D air shocks. Just install new oil and they'll ride better than anything on the market! $499.99 + free shipping to anywhere in CONUS. Hurry before they're gone!

 

I'm glad to be rid of mine. Spent $100 on a set of take-off 13' Premium shocks from an '18. Best $100 ever I have spent on the bike.

 

Shocks are almost as bad as seats, in that everybody is looking for a certain kind of ride feel, and to a large extent, this can be subjective...

Having said that, I changed oil in my '12 Limited air shocks. The new oil was better than OEM for sure. I then tried a premium aftermarket shock, it was tons better than OEM air shocks and the OEM air shocks w/ different oil....

I replaced the '12 with a '16 Classic and skipped the oil change in the air shocks and went to Ohlins.... they ride even better than the other aftermarket premium shocks I tried, and so much better than OEM air & OEM air w/oil change that it's laughable....

But again, that is just my subjective opinion....

 

How much oil goes went into your shocks ? I have read 6-10 oz.
I have 1" shorter shocks so wondering here.

Thanks

 

If you dont mind the time it takes to rebuild and put new oil in, then go for it. But for 500 bucks or so a new set of shocks would be better in the long run.

I just bought these bitubos on ebay and sent a message of my weight. These are the 13 in length. Not bad price for 467.00

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bitubo-2-re...e/332801467021

They make a cartridge kit also with full adjustablity. Full compression, rebound and preload.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bitubo-Adju...4/232871718354

Before I made the purchase, I went to bitubos site and thoroughly matched up model numbers before I bought.