Take a look though these - you might be getting close to the mileage to rebuild your forks anyway (Disassemble, inspect, rebuild forks and replace fork oil every 50,000 mi)

Harley Davidson Sportster: The Ultimate Shocks Guide

https://www.hdforums.com/how-tos/a/harley-davidson-sportster-the-ultimate-shocks-guide-413022

Harley Davidson Sportster: Suspension Modifications and How to Lower Your Bike

https://www.hdforums.com/how-tos/a/harley-davidson-sportster-suspension-modifications-and-how-to-lower-your-bike-413006

 

So the "ultimate" shock guide doesn't even include one of the most popular change-outs done for Sportsters...
The StreetGlide/RoadGlide Air-over-oil shocks. You can typically get a set of these for ~$100, maybe less.
(ok, it's linked as "related discussion")


I like 'em...



T.

 

 

 

I suppose both, but I swapped mainly for the ride.
Much better. I don't know how they compare to
the 2016+ Sportster versions, but they are
relatively "cheap". The stock shocks that
the 2013 Iron came with are crap.

T.

 

I bought my 2011 SuperLow new and was disappointed from early on with poor ride quality. What I have done since has raised both front and rear, so it is now a Super-not-so-Low. I did that by using taller replacement rear shocks (plenty of options available - choose your own poison!), which raised the rear around an inch, but up front I simply restored the ride height by rectifying stock sag. I actually used Race Tach single-rate springs and Ricor Emulators, but set sag correctly at around 30%, which raised the front almost an inch to match the rear. As new fork sag was over 50% of total travel, which frankly was disgraceful. So in summary, to raise ride height replace shocks with longer ones, simply ensure that fork sag is set correctly. I certainly wouldn't bother with spending on longer damper rods.

Obviously my bike now rides a little higher than when new and my Hagon brand shocks are noticeably better in ride quality than stock, but not enough to be considered really good - if I was to do this again I would at least use their Nitro shocks, to get improved damping. The forks ride a little better, simply because I now have significantly more travel to soak up bumps and potholes. The Emulators are disappointing and I wouldn't use them again - they haven't made any noticeable improvement and are just passengers serving no useful purpose. Since I did all this work, back in 2011, Ohlins have introduced Sportster-specific shocks and fork cartridges, which IMHO is the way to go - hang the expense! If a job is worth doing its worth doing well.....

 

 

I actually got my dealer to strip and check the forks under warranty and they said they were as they 'should' be, which was a bit of a shock. I was convinced there must be something wrong with them. Fortunately I had already plenty of experience with upgrading the suspension on my Glide, so had a good idea of what to check.

If my experience is anything to go by, you may be surprised how much sag your bike has. To check, jack your front wheel off the ground, so all weight is off it, then measure from the bottom tree to the top of the slider. Next with it back on the ground, with you seated on the bike as normal, measure again (easier with a pal, wife or other suitable assistant!). If sag is correct the difference between the two should be a little over an inch IIRC. Mine was over 2"!