I gotta ask...what is the 40# of sand in the bags for?

 

Adding another 40 pounds seemed to make it ride better!!!
I just don't think theses were the right springs for a 165 pound rider

 

Got it. I was wondering if that was part of the normal tuning procedure.

 

Another fan of the HD Premium stuff (f&R) here!


'Ride 2-up 95% of the time on this bike ('09 SERG), did the rears first, then the front, once the front "settled in" at 500-700 miles, played with the rears a couple of times, I see no need to adjust anymore (solo or 2-up.)


'Have >25k on the HD Premium and am still very satisfied with the ride / handling. The '09 rides / handles at least as good as my Bud's '15 CVORGU that I rode the other day...

 

I have owned many different shocks and have ridden my friends Road Glide Special with the new hand adjusted shocks . The Ohlins are worlds better than the Harley shocks , with that being said those who did not have that experience I'm 100% positive your shocks were not set up or adjusted properly . Your spring rate could have been wrong , the settings off and a number of other things . The Harley shocks adjusted to your setting absolutely would out perform Ohlins set up wrong , both set up correctly Ohlins would win. Ohlins or other high end shocks are not for everyone , the more adjustments they have the better ride you can get , but also the more that can go wrong if not set up correctly. I've stated many times for most people the basic Ohlins #2 shock is the best choice , you set the sag and ride , nothing else. As people we are all different , some learn through reading , some through verbal communication and some are visual , that's why I always felt if someone made a video of install and adjustments and put it on youtube people would have less problems . Howard is a wealth of knowledge , but with that said he can be too technical when talking to him at times which could confuse some people , the written instructions actually give you more information than you need which could be confusing too. I also think many people make things tougher than they need to be when doing projects . With my Ohlins #3-#3 , #6's and JRi B's I had dialing them in was not that difficult. I set my sag and put the adjusters at the stock recommended setting. I then rode a road by my house that was a rough road , usually I found going 1-4 click in one direction or the other dialed the bike right in for a great ride. Adjusting from there to 2up was nothing more than me going 2 clicks stiffer on the sweep valve. I'm sorry those with problems couldn't get them to work because you are missing out on a great product , but sometimes going back to stock settings and starting over with little adjustments will do wonders . With my #6's setting them up was easy like the #3-#3's with the exception that I found for me they like a little less than the 1/3 stroke sag suggested. Good Luck to all.

 

I went with the Ohlins 2-2B from the same vendor. I set sag and installed the tie-wrap. I had to go an additional 8 turns down on the adjusting collars to get them to where the tie-wrap was not at the bottom bumper after riding. Now it rides like a dream. But I'm 200 pounds and have the black springs.

Being that you had the 3-3 shocks, did you trying playing with the damping wheel to see if that made any difference?

 

Bagman1 were those 12 inch or 13 on the shocks you took off?

 

12 inch

 

The springs are available in either black or yellow, but in various rates for both colours, they are not colour coded.

I have the #3-3 and after initial set-up, plus a second adjustment for sag a while later, have been very happy with them. I haven't adjusted the damping by much. I seem to be lucky in not finding any need to make frequent adjustments, but I will add that Mrs B is VERY happy with them - they have transformed our bike, especially for her.

 

It seems to me like setting sag is almost not needed. I understand it's an initial setting but putting the tie-wrap on the shaft really told the story on where I needed to adjust the shocks.