Progressives vs Harley shock kit?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,620
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From: Irvine, Orange County, Ca
Progressives vs Harley shock kit?
My wife has gotten SPOILED on our new Deluxe and says that unless I change out the seat and shocks on the Sportster, she won't ride it anymore. So obviously...I can't win this battle and need to get new shocks and a seat. I'm thinking about getting the Sundowner seat????? Also, can you guys tell me anything about the HD Rear Shock kit (see below) vs the Progressives? And if you pick the Progressives, can you tell me which ones and where to get them? Thanks?
Two-Up ProfileŽ Low Rear Shock Kit - (54704-07)
These heavy-duty shocks are tuned for the touring rider carrying a passenger or loaded saddlebags. Shock length and spring rate are engineered to maintain the factory low seat height. The chrome-bodied shocks feature adjustable preload for a comfortable, controlled ride.
These heavy-duty shocks are tuned for the touring rider carrying a passenger or loaded saddlebags. Shock length and spring rate are engineered to maintain the factory low seat height. The chrome-bodied shocks feature adjustable preload for a comfortable, controlled ride.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,073
Likes: 6
It depends entirely upon your preferences.
Some folks like the air shocks off Road Kings, others like high end performance shocks, others want economical springs, others don't mind dropping $500 on shocks, some like long shocks, others want to lower the bike.
Personally, I would not recommend Harley shocks for anything other than paper weights. Progressives are very good and there are several options to choose from.
What kind of weight are you throwing on the bike and what is your riding style?
About the seat... I have a very unpopular and unfavorable opinion on the off the shelf "custom" seats that are so prevalent here. *wink*
Some folks like the air shocks off Road Kings, others like high end performance shocks, others want economical springs, others don't mind dropping $500 on shocks, some like long shocks, others want to lower the bike.
Personally, I would not recommend Harley shocks for anything other than paper weights. Progressives are very good and there are several options to choose from.
What kind of weight are you throwing on the bike and what is your riding style?
About the seat... I have a very unpopular and unfavorable opinion on the off the shelf "custom" seats that are so prevalent here. *wink*
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,620
Likes: 0
From: Irvine, Orange County, Ca
It depends entirely upon your preferences.
Some folks like the air shocks off Road Kings, others like high end performance shocks, others want economical springs, others don't mind dropping $500 on shocks, some like long shocks, others want to lower the bike.
Personally, I would not recommend Harley shocks for anything other than paper weights. Progressives are very good and there are several options to choose from.
What kind of weight are you throwing on the bike and what is your riding style?
About the seat... I have a very unpopular and unfavorable opinion on the off the shelf "custom" seats that are so prevalent here. *wink*
Some folks like the air shocks off Road Kings, others like high end performance shocks, others want economical springs, others don't mind dropping $500 on shocks, some like long shocks, others want to lower the bike.
Personally, I would not recommend Harley shocks for anything other than paper weights. Progressives are very good and there are several options to choose from.
What kind of weight are you throwing on the bike and what is your riding style?
About the seat... I have a very unpopular and unfavorable opinion on the off the shelf "custom" seats that are so prevalent here. *wink*
As for the seat...I take it you don't like the Sundowner and would recommend...the Mustang?
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
I don't mean to sound negative here, but the Low already has short (travel) shocks which makes for less than a comfy ride, and needing to maintain the low height doesn't help. Add to that the need to haul 275 lbs. which puts you into a heavy duty class shock and you do have a challenge. I don't care how great the shock is, if it has limited travel, it's not going to ride well.
I'd say start looking at air shocks and/or see if ya can't get by with some taller (12.5") Progressive shocks. Get her some boots with taller soles/heels.
ON SECOND THOUGHT, She takes the Deluxe and you get the Sporty.
I'd say start looking at air shocks and/or see if ya can't get by with some taller (12.5") Progressive shocks. Get her some boots with taller soles/heels.
ON SECOND THOUGHT, She takes the Deluxe and you get the Sporty.
Last edited by cHarley; Mar 31, 2009 at 01:46 PM.
Reading More Posting Less
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,658
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From: NorNev
The Mustang is a good seat.
As far as shocks, as long as you are willing to spent for quality, I would skip on Progressive and HD.
You might try looking at Race Tech, YSS, Works Performance, Ohlin, or Penske for shocks and Ricor and Race Tech for the forks.
http://www.racetech.com/page.aspx?id=59&menuid=67
http://www.yssusa.com/
http://www.worksperformance.com/html/home.html
http://www.ohlins.com/Motorcycle/tabid/53/Default.aspx
http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/
http://store.ricorshocks.com/
As far as shocks, as long as you are willing to spent for quality, I would skip on Progressive and HD.
You might try looking at Race Tech, YSS, Works Performance, Ohlin, or Penske for shocks and Ricor and Race Tech for the forks.
http://www.racetech.com/page.aspx?id=59&menuid=67
http://www.yssusa.com/
http://www.worksperformance.com/html/home.html
http://www.ohlins.com/Motorcycle/tabid/53/Default.aspx
http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/
http://store.ricorshocks.com/
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,620
Likes: 0
From: Irvine, Orange County, Ca
The Mustang is a good seat.
As far as shocks, as long as you are willing to spent for quality, I would skip on Progressive and HD.
You might try looking at Race Tech, YSS, Works Performance, Ohlin, or Penske for shocks and Ricor and Race Tech for the forks.
http://www.racetech.com/page.aspx?id=59&menuid=67
http://www.yssusa.com/
http://www.worksperformance.com/html/home.html
http://www.ohlins.com/Motorcycle/tabid/53/Default.aspx
http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/
http://store.ricorshocks.com/
As far as shocks, as long as you are willing to spent for quality, I would skip on Progressive and HD.
You might try looking at Race Tech, YSS, Works Performance, Ohlin, or Penske for shocks and Ricor and Race Tech for the forks.
http://www.racetech.com/page.aspx?id=59&menuid=67
http://www.yssusa.com/
http://www.worksperformance.com/html/home.html
http://www.ohlins.com/Motorcycle/tabid/53/Default.aspx
http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/
http://store.ricorshocks.com/
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,073
Likes: 6
I don't mean to sound negative here, but the Low already has short (travel) shocks which makes for less than a comfy ride, and needing to maintain the low height doesn't help. Add to that the need to haul 275 lbs. which puts you into a heavy duty class shock and you do have a challenge.
I'd say start looking at air shocks and/or see if ya can't get by with some taller (12.5") Progressive shocks. Get her some boots with taller soles/heels.
I'd say start looking at air shocks and/or see if ya can't get by with some taller (12.5") Progressive shocks. Get her some boots with taller soles/heels.
Longer shocks may suck at stop lights, but when you're moving there's nothing like the luxury of extra travel and cornering clearance.
Air shocks, though, I'm not sold on. They can be quite comfortable, but I have not been impressed with their handling characteristics. I removed them from my Goldwing because I did not care for the handling.
But, there are a large number of people here running RoadKing air shocks that are very happy with them, so they are not all bad.
JBG,
Regarding seats - I am of the opinion that saddles are not something to compromise on. Either go after aesthetics or comfort, not both. Also, in order to get a saddle that is really comfortable, it must be built to the rider and passenger. The off the shelf "custom" saddles are made for generic shape and size "persons" and not the actual riders and while they are usually significantly better than the stock saddle, they're **** poor compared to a truly custom fit comfort saddle.
Last Sunday, I rode 250 miles without stopping once on my saddle and I did not have one single spot of discomfort, soreness or numbness. Friday, I rode approximately 1,000 miles in one day - again with absolutely no discomfort from the saddle. The Sunday before that, I rode 800 miles in 12 hours and the Friday before that 350 miles stopping only for fuel and bathroom breaks.
I have played with the off the shelf "custom" saddles for years and I can honestly say that not one of them, Mustang, Saddleman or Corbin, comes anywhere close to the all day long comfort of my custom fit saddle. I've ridden 1,000 miles a day on a Saddleman and I'd rather have a root canal from a dentist with shaky hands than do that again.
I recommend Russel DayLong Saddles and here's the link to the saddle when I first installed it. I'm sorting through pictures and I should have a better one tonight.
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Tourer
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 485
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From: Born and raised in the NC Mtn's
the shocks on a 883L are in the 10 to 10.5 range so progessive are gonna raise the bike at least 2 inches
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Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: Irvine, Orange County, Ca
This brings up another question...do I need to do the front at the same time?
Maybe I'll try just doing either the seat or the shocks and see how that works?
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,073
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The 15" shocks I'm running only lifted my 1200R's seat about an 1.25" (the R comes with 13" shocks)