I thought that unlike all other air-shocks, when the shotgun leaked, it was suppose to raise the bike up all the way to it's highest position.

Am I mistaken? Does the rear end raise or lower when the shocks leak?

I have to admit I'm pretty tuned off by these posts of shotguns leaking. I've been trying to decide between the Progressive RAP shocks & the Shotguns. I know the Progressive RAP don't raise & lower on the fly and don't really care. The only reason I don't already have them is because I can't find a single review on them anywhere.

So I was starting to give serious consideration to the Shotguns again. But I'll be damned if I want my bike down just because of the shocks. I just don't want to add parts to my bike that "might' fail if I don't have to.

I fully understand that JD's a real stand up guy that fully backs his product, and that's highly respectable. I just don't have the patience to have my bike down over an expensive set of shocks failing. Then dealing with the shipping back & forth, and the waiting

 

i understand where your coming from...but just so you know. all these reports about the shotguns leaking air does not cause your bike to be down. it is still rideable. the problem is that the shotguns is not holding air for long periods of time. the air leaks and then you have to adjust it again. plus JD always sends you the replacement first so that you can still ride your bike while your waiting for the part to come in. then you send him back the defective unit when you get a chance.

i'll be the first to admit that the product has some flaws...hopefully he's been able to work out the kinks. but i still recommend the shotguns because it really is a great product with excellent customer service behind it. i mean when was the last time you called in for any kind of service without having to speak to a damn robot asking you to press 1 for english?

 

i had it happen to mine called j d and he sent one out right away

 

Good to know TQ, thanks. I'm still curious whether the rear end raises or lowers when the shocks lose air?

 

It would really depend on what the "failure" was. If the compressor fails or the air line fails there is a check valve to keep the shock where it is instead of dropping to the frame stops. I suppose there is a failure that can drop it (such as a total seal failure and check valve failure at the same time?) but I've not heard of this anything close to this happening yet. I really suggest you contact JD with your questions. To me a seal slowly leaking down isn't considered a "failure" because I can still adjust up/down or adjust rebound, I just have to do it more frequently.

This slow leaking seal seems to be the most common issue and JD is fully aware of it. He said it seems to be more prevalent in certain frames due to some misalignment in the factory swing arm. The way I understand it is the swing arm does not track exactly straight up and down and puts stress on the shock and is causing a seal issue. He has redesigned the seal or uses a different (not sure which) and will replace or repair the unit ASAP.

Sure it would be great to buy a shock and never have an issue but we have to remember this is pretty new technology and will have some bugs to be worked out. There were some in the beginning (you can do some searches and read) and JD got right on top of them and the product turned out to be even better.

The riders on this forum were some of the first to use this shock and have been through the whole process. Anytime you are at the beginning of a new technology/product there will be issues. JD is using these issues to refine the product and make it better. What would make it really bad is if the manufacturer would not stand behind the product or gave you the run around.

JD has been super to deal with and his customer service is second to none. The first issue I had JD sent me a brand new unit to switch out while I was still running the original. Not many companies handle their warranties this way. Is it inconvenient to some? Sure, but it has been worth it to me to have a cutting edge product.

If you have any questions or concerns I suggest you call JD and talk them over with him. He's a super nice guy and goes out of his way to help. If you're still uncomfortable then wait or move on to another product. As I said earlier, the best person to answer these questions is JD. He designed and built these shocks and knows them inside out.

On this forum you are relying on our understanding of the shock technology and components, we may or may not be entirely correct.

 

Excellent information, thanks so much for the thorough explanation. It's good to know that they have the check valve and that JD gets his customers squared away a.s.a.p. I recently meet a guys on the road that was riding fully slammed. I could see him bouncing around like it was a totally ridged frame. When I asked about it he told me that he had Progressive Suspension Airtail shocks without the compressor, and that they had leaked down. He said he was stopping occasionally to air them up at gas stations, but the last air only held for about 10 minutes. He wasn't at all happy about having to ride it home ridged for another 2.5 hours to Vegas, or the downtime for repairs. So that's where the majority of my apprehension came from.
Thanks for taking the time to clear that up for me

 

JD installed our Shotgun Shock air shock system a couple of months ago and he told me that the compressor has been updated, from what I understood ours was one of the first one's with the new compressor, and the switches are now momentary switches, center off, and the shock body has been updated also.

The air line input to the shock housing has a check valve so if the compressor or air line fail you can still ride.

 

i don't care what happens to mine there great! and thats why i when with them do to the fact how he takes care of his customers from everyone i talked to that has them. great product very pleased with the ride and adjust ability. i highly recommend them

 

Hh did you get a new shock or a fix mine is doing the same thing and also my second one. I have left a message for jd but i am 1800 miles from home so trying to see if there is a short term fix

 

I just got back from Sturgis. I spent some time with JD there, and what a good guy. He has been and is still improving his product. While I was there talking to him a guy came to his booth because his platinum bleed and feed system failed and he rode all the way from flagstaff on the bump stops. . JD was going to help him out and get his compressor working. Also a guy came to JD for a piece of air line for his system (i dont what kind he had) and JD gave him a piece for free. While i was at Legends booth a guy was in there with some kind of problem with his Legend shocks. Point is none of these systems are bullet proof and all of them givin enough time and miles could have some problems. Same is true for good old fashioned shocks, they don't last for ever either. JDs customer service is top notch and unmatched by any other company. I had a problem with one of the early shocks too and JD took care of it right away. I rode all the way from Oregon and back 3551 miles on my shotgun and never had to adjust it. Just my 2 cents.