I've read a lot about the Progressive Monotubes and I'm getting my winter projects in order right now. I plan to powder coat my lower fork legs and thought it would be a great time to add the Monotubes.

I'm looking to get some feedback from folks who have had these things installed now for 5 or more years and logged a ton of miles on them. I just want to make sure they hold up over the long term.

 

putting mine in next weekend

subscribed ,, to see the ansewers you get

 

I've had monotubes installed in my Fatboy for over 3 years. No decline in performance. They were money well spent. Pull the trigger!

 

With regular springs, you can drain/refill the oil in the fork tubes every so often. The monotubes have their own internal oil, the oil you add to the fork tubes is just for light lubrication, not damping.

Doesn't the oil inside the monotubes get dirty over time/use or lose viscosity etc. is maintenance required? Remove and rebuild?

 

good question ,, hopefully some one will chime in on this as I was wondering the same thing

mike

 

just got off the phone with progesssive,, reg maintaince just as Harley stockers ,, but you have to drop the fork tubes to do so no top fill cap , but you can use a mighty vac ,, drain @ bottom and then suck the 5oz back thru the drain ,, all the oil does after the mono's are installed is to keep the leg bushings & springs lubed ,,

mike

 

To answer your question.... no, the Monotubes come with a lifetime warranty and are NOT supposed to ever need rebuilding. Unlike the factory fork seal setup, Monotubes are self-contained and have no rubber seals to deteriorate (the factory rubber seals are still used and WILL deteriorate over time). However, on some forums I have read that the Monotubes can rattle around and make noise after a short time. Some folks have also mentioned that the cartridge seems to lose it's charge and the setup goes soft. This is why I want someone to chime in that has put these things to some good use with both time and miles.

 

I spoke with Progressive today and they said they had some trouble with a few baggers but it was narrowed down to a poor install on the customers end. He assured me they had a lifetime warranty though and they stood behind that. The warranty may be awesome but I don't feel like spending 4-5 hours yanking them out, mailing them off and re-installing them if it is a common problem.

 

The tubes are gas charged. Oil is added for the spring pack.
IMHO, you can get better results than stock for $92.95 with their replacement springs. Just add Fuchs Silkolene synthetic 02 or 05 weight fork oil and end of story

 

I've only had mine for about a year and a half but in that time I've managed to put about 8,000 miles on them.
They're still as firm as the day I installed them - no change at all.
..and good idea doing them while they're apart for PC.
I had to take mine down twice...