What experience have you had with Ohlins on a touring ultra
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Club Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 376
Likes: 10
From: apalachicola
What experience have you had with Ohlins on a touring ultra
I am researching shocks for my 2012 ultra limited. I was checking on the Harley premiums but I am probably going to hold off until I can do the Ohlins. I have read for hours it seems & I found that most of the people changing shocks have street glides. I have found very little with ultras. In my situation I am 5'10" 205pds, I am going to make the tour pack removable but I am not sure how much it will be on or off, I have Hogtunes lids with Biketronics 6x9 speakers on the way for when I have it off. I ride year round being in Florida but the weight of the gear Vary's a lot from summer to winter. Also friends that ride with me vary in weight from 110pds to about 165pds. So I have a lot of variables as far as weight goes. I know I want to stay @ or near stock length for the shocks. The Ohlin 3-3 that Howard sells seem to be popular & it appears Howard has some new version 2.5's that sound interesting, I read where a few people are ordering them. So what has your experience been with the Ohlins for an ultra touring. I did talk to Howard today & I am torn between the 3-3 & the 2.5's although if I remember correctly Howard told me the 2.5s would give the smoothest ride.
Thx Bob
Thx Bob
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 274
Likes: 7
From: Western Pa
I have Howards Ohlins on my 2003 EG. I replaced the blown stock air shocks with these. I've had a bit of track time in my younger days on a couple 600cc sportbikes, so I know a lil about good suspension. I didn't want to mess around with spending money on this shock and that shock till I ended up with Ohlins anyway, so I went straight to it and could not be happier with the results. However, I ride solo, and rarely loaded heavy. I will be calling Howard about my Dyna soon also.
Road Captain
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 610
Likes: 62
From: White Bear Lake, MN
2014 Ultra Limited, Ohlins shocks (the ones with remote reservoirs) from Howard...
Of the 5 bikes in my garage, 4 of them have upgraded suspension. Hagon (x2), Progressive, and Ohlins.
Put the Ohlins on last Summer after riding the new bike for about a month (first ever modern Harley--my last one was a hardtail '72 chopper...), and then took off with the wife and full camping/traveling gear for a couple of weeks to the Rockies and the Black Hills, with a little Moab/Arches run thrown in for good measure.
Bottom line--we are getting ready for a 3-week ride in June on this same setup, and I wouldn't have ridden on the stock suspension in the rear of the HD for another mile. I really cannot express exactly how disappointing it is to me that HD continues to foist such terrible stock rear suspension on an unsuspecting public.
I love the Ohlins, and more importantly, my wife loves it.
When we got to Sturgis, my friend ('09 Ultra) and his wife took our bike for a little spin to compare it to their equally loaded, but stock suspended rig.
Two days later, they bought a set of Ohlins and had them installed in Rapid City.
All the best,
Shane
Of the 5 bikes in my garage, 4 of them have upgraded suspension. Hagon (x2), Progressive, and Ohlins.
Put the Ohlins on last Summer after riding the new bike for about a month (first ever modern Harley--my last one was a hardtail '72 chopper...), and then took off with the wife and full camping/traveling gear for a couple of weeks to the Rockies and the Black Hills, with a little Moab/Arches run thrown in for good measure.
Bottom line--we are getting ready for a 3-week ride in June on this same setup, and I wouldn't have ridden on the stock suspension in the rear of the HD for another mile. I really cannot express exactly how disappointing it is to me that HD continues to foist such terrible stock rear suspension on an unsuspecting public.
I love the Ohlins, and more importantly, my wife loves it.
When we got to Sturgis, my friend ('09 Ultra) and his wife took our bike for a little spin to compare it to their equally loaded, but stock suspended rig.
Two days later, they bought a set of Ohlins and had them installed in Rapid City.
All the best,
Shane
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,399
Likes: 1,040
From: Seabrook, NH
I am researching shocks for my 2012 ultra limited. I was checking on the Harley premiums but I am probably going to hold off until I can do the Ohlins. I have read for hours it seems & I found that most of the people changing shocks have street glides. I have found very little with ultras. In my situation I am 5'10" 205pds, I am going to make the tour pack removable but I am not sure how much it will be on or off, I have Hogtunes lids with Biketronics 6x9 speakers on the way for when I have it off. I ride year round being in Florida but the weight of the gear Vary's a lot from summer to winter. Also friends that ride with me vary in weight from 110pds to about 165pds. So I have a lot of variables as far as weight goes. I know I want to stay @ or near stock length for the shocks. The Ohlin 3-3 that Howard sells seem to be popular & it appears Howard has some new version 2.5's that sound interesting, I read where a few people are ordering them. So what has your experience been with the Ohlins for an ultra touring. I did talk to Howard today & I am torn between the 3-3 & the 2.5's although if I remember correctly Howard told me the 2.5s would give the smoothest ride.
Thx Bob
Thx Bob
In my opinion both the front and rear suspensions on our bikes need to be replaced. Cost was an issue so I went with the Ohlins S36e and Progressive mono tubes for my solution and are extremely happy with the results.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,423
Likes: 421
From: Northern, Ohio (Yuck!)
I have Ohlin 3-3s from Motorcycle Metal on the rear which lower the rear 1 inch. I also have -1" Progressive Monotubes up front. The bike rides great and handles even better.
Momma and I took a 2000 mile trip last summer to Nashville and the Dragon. I credit part of how well the trip went even with a fully loaded bike (Momma don't pack light!) on the smooth ride.
The suspension work was one of my more successful mods!
Momma and I took a 2000 mile trip last summer to Nashville and the Dragon. I credit part of how well the trip went even with a fully loaded bike (Momma don't pack light!) on the smooth ride.
The suspension work was one of my more successful mods!
Last edited by PFWiz; Apr 21, 2015 at 06:38 AM.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
Members are riding with Ohlins on every touring model as well as others, so I am surprised you haven't found many Ultras! My bike isn't an Ultra, but when loaded up might as well be and I can assure you Ohlins are just great - Harleys should come with them as stock. They are especially good for those of us who ride 2-up regularly, so don't hesitate to buy some!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 6,073
Likes: 1,951
From: Somewhere on the Bourbon trail
I did some research on here as well and I wanted to get 'em last year but a few things got in the way a bit. I talked to Howard a couple weeks ago and I'm going to see him end of June to get a set put on, as I'm heading that way.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,246
Likes: 19
From: Cypress, TX
Ok I am going to give you my honest opinion. Ohlins are very good shocks. I had a set purchased from motorcycle metal on my streetglide for 30 or 40,000 miles and loved them. I did sell them when I bought my ultra for about 100 less than what I paid. Now I will probably get flamed for this but I didn't put them on my Ultra because:
- With the 13" stock shocks I could adjust for a comfortable ride fully loaded. Neither of us are heavy and with the bike fully loaded we don't have a bottoming issue with 50lbs in the shocks.
- I ride about 75% of the time solo and I use saddlebag secure screws to hold on my bags. It was a pain to pull everything off and adjust the shocks twice everytime the wife rides with me.
- I don't really have a problem with the performance of the stock shocks and forks. Is the bike a pig? Yes, but I knew that going into the relationship and she is a comfortable pig. If I want to go fast I will buy a fast bike. So far I haven't had a problem keeping up with anyone I ride with. Maybe we're all just slow.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,999
Likes: 55
From: Bay Area
To the OP, the reason most changed shocks are street glides is because they are 12" and suck for a ride. Apparantly looking cool is better than a nice ride.
Im considering Ohlins 6s for the rear and their cartridges for the front on my CVO. Im also doing a comparison check with a local suspension tuning shop to look at Ktech both front and rears. IMO monotubes are junk, I would have tossed them in the garbage if there wasn't a buyer wanting them, had them for a few thousand miles and couldn't get them off fast enough.
Im considering Ohlins 6s for the rear and their cartridges for the front on my CVO. Im also doing a comparison check with a local suspension tuning shop to look at Ktech both front and rears. IMO monotubes are junk, I would have tossed them in the garbage if there wasn't a buyer wanting them, had them for a few thousand miles and couldn't get them off fast enough.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 13
From: Fort Worth
I have a 2015 Limited and just changed mine but I went against Ohlins and went with Pro Action Street Series. So far, I love them. Here's my thread and I need to update it with my latest testing. https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...ock-story.html
The owner has been 100% wonderful to work with and takes call, texts and emails in the evenings and weekend. You may wnat to give them a call and talk to them.
The owner has been 100% wonderful to work with and takes call, texts and emails in the evenings and weekend. You may wnat to give them a call and talk to them.