Most of this is probably useless to long term Sportster riders. How is that for a starter? For the newbies and returnees (like me) some questions were answered during a 1,200 mi round trip from Nor Cal to Northwest Ore and back, 600 of it yesterday in a 12 hour marathon.

I had been having problems with ruts, cracks, and truck tire depressions in the road grabbing the bike and making it do a quick shudder. Front tire was original Dunlop with 15K on it, back was Metzeler M880 the second rear tire on the bike before I got it. Front pretty much looked like it had some life in it, rear was looking a bit flat in profile. Two new Metzeler M880's and my mechanic said I would not believe the difference in the shudders. O.K., we'll see.

Had some problems with stock shocks when riding two up with the wifey. Between the two of us and all her stuff (my god, that is another story!) we push 475 pounds on the bike. Stock shocks had 3 adjustment settings (2002 XLH883) and we bottomed pretty hard several times on bad spots along the road. Two new 13" Progressive 430 series heavy duty and Progressive front springs. Liked the looks of the shock and does not require a tool to adjust. Mechanic told me that it was kind of unfair to me that all of this was being done at once because the bike was going to feel awesome but I wouldn't know which change made the what or the most difference.

Wow! He was right all the way around. No shudders. Much less road vibration. Never hit one thing on the road over 1,200 miles that made the bike alter its line. What a great feeling! At 235 lbs, the shocks are set at the lightest setting and never bottomed once. I still took a few hard knocks hitting holes I didn't see, but not the stars in the eyes, spine jarring shots. The first couple of hundred miles I had some adjustment to make in the feel of the bike on the twisties because it definitely handles differently, more solid with less drift, it just held a line easier.

I had heard a lot about mileage and knew what I got around home but not overall on the open road at different speeds. The bike has the S/E 1200 conversion but I am not a high performance rider, pretty much a cruiser. Much of the Highway 101 in Nor Ca is divided 4 lane highway with very little traffic and a 65 mph speed limit. At one point yesterday I was traveling southbound and did not have a vehicle in front or behind me for 40 minutes! Although a bit out of my comfort level, I ran 70 to 75 in some stretches because I felt comfortable enough with two empty lanes, excellent road surface, and noone around. Those tanks produced my lowest mpg at 42 and 43.

The Ore stretch of 101 and the surrounding countryside highways are only 55 mph. Cruising down those stretches at 55 to 60 produced my highest mpg of 49, 51, and 52. The rest of the tanks were all between 47 and 48.

Highly recommend the 101! At least during the week, light traffic, beautiful views, long stretches of empty beaches if you want to stop.

Bottom line to new guys, new tires, front springs, and shocks will absolutely transform your ride if you are riding stock if my experience is typical. I am not really pushing a brand of anything, these were the upgrade products that I could afford and so far am amazed by the benefit.

I would post pics but heck, it took me 3 weeks to figure out how to set up an avatar from my Mac. Peace out! Oh, one more thing...I think 8 hours is my limit, the last 4 were pushing it. Since someone might ask, Mustang Vintage Solo with backrest.