Shock help
Road Captain
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 717
Likes: 15
From: San Dimas
Watching this thread. 04 EGC and I'm starting to lose some air, but only if I pump it to 25# for two up riding, goes to 15# in a couple days. At 10# for myself I lose nothing. Have not yet looked for the leak, soapy water and all. But one thing I agree with Sevitz, $1,000 or more for a bike over 10 years old is a lot to spend. $500 my limit
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Mine were a bit more than that from him. Around $700 and change. Motorcycle Metals was the company, if you're talking about the same guy.
Just a quick note there since you said you and the Mrs. are a little heavy. Me and mine as well. My goal was to not have the bike bottom out so easy on bumps. Now, because of my price range, he was telling me that I would need to sets of springs for the shocks. One that was for riding solo and then I would need to pull the shocks off and switch springs when I was riding double. Together we weigh about 475lbs. So the standard spring he sells with the shocks I got is a 25lb newton spring, and then he said I also needed a 33lbs newton spring. I wasn't about to go through taking the shocks of and changing the springs every time she wanted to ride, but he was good enough to throw in the extra springs for nothing because he had them laying around from a mistaken order. The thing is, when I called Ohlins about this after I got them, they swore up and down he was wrong. They said I could use the 25lbs spring if I wanted or even a 27lbs spring, and not need to switch them out. I ended up buying a set of 27's from Ohlins for $100 just to be safe, and couldn't be happier. In fact, when I traded in my Road Glide Ultra back in November, I made the dealer take off my Ohlins and put them on the Limited. They took the air shocks off the new bike and put them on the one I traded in. I say all of that to say, the guy is knowledgable and will swear up and down he knows more than anyone else, even the manufacturer(literally). Don't be afraid to check what he tells you. I did, and I'm glad I did.
Just a quick note there since you said you and the Mrs. are a little heavy. Me and mine as well. My goal was to not have the bike bottom out so easy on bumps. Now, because of my price range, he was telling me that I would need to sets of springs for the shocks. One that was for riding solo and then I would need to pull the shocks off and switch springs when I was riding double. Together we weigh about 475lbs. So the standard spring he sells with the shocks I got is a 25lb newton spring, and then he said I also needed a 33lbs newton spring. I wasn't about to go through taking the shocks of and changing the springs every time she wanted to ride, but he was good enough to throw in the extra springs for nothing because he had them laying around from a mistaken order. The thing is, when I called Ohlins about this after I got them, they swore up and down he was wrong. They said I could use the 25lbs spring if I wanted or even a 27lbs spring, and not need to switch them out. I ended up buying a set of 27's from Ohlins for $100 just to be safe, and couldn't be happier. In fact, when I traded in my Road Glide Ultra back in November, I made the dealer take off my Ohlins and put them on the Limited. They took the air shocks off the new bike and put them on the one I traded in. I say all of that to say, the guy is knowledgable and will swear up and down he knows more than anyone else, even the manufacturer(literally). Don't be afraid to check what he tells you. I did, and I'm glad I did.
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 12
Likes: 2
From: Mesa, AZ
I can't speak to the hand adjustable shocks, but I just put Progressive 944 Heavy Duty shocks on my '13 FLHX, and the wife is much happier! Still fine tuning the preload, but the difference was significant. I also swapped out the fork oil for a heavier weight Bel Ray 15W. All total the ride is better and feels much more stable.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,820
Likes: 587
From: Michigan
Thank you, that is the information I was looking for. I guess I didn't think about the 1" loss of travel. I only have a 30" inseam, so the 12" street glide shocks really helped me feel comfortable on the bike.
I really can't see myself spending $1000 on shocks, so I think I will find my leak, as you suggested. Do you think 13" premiums would help me out any?
Thanks
I really can't see myself spending $1000 on shocks, so I think I will find my leak, as you suggested. Do you think 13" premiums would help me out any?
Thanks
For your application, you may want to look into the Progressive 944's. Probably the HD (heavy duty spring) version? That shock is a 13" unit but has a short flat wound spring that drops it to the height of a 12" shock when you sit on it. It's more $$ than the 444's but you might be able to shop around & get them at an acceptable price.
Whatever you choose to do, start with fixing the leaks in what you have. Then read, research, ask questions, call selling dealers, talk to other riders, maybe find one that will allow test ride before buy, etc. Then read & research some more.
Many riders can't tell the difference, others are nit-picky to the nth degree. I know the most discriminating riders will swear by what they ride, be it Progressives, Ohlins, JRi, Pro-Action, Legends, or whatever. I will say this: if the rider likes them enough to crow & recommend a specific product, that product has met their needs. And I don't believe that Ohlins is the only viable suspension solution, all factors considered.
My experience with the H-D Premiums:
I was immediately impressed with the handling of the bike with the H-D upgrades (did front & rear together at 1,000 mile service), but found the rear end to be pretty stiff when adjusted per the owner manual settings for my weight (I go 260~265 depending on the day of the week). Through a lot of trial & error adjusting & riding, I finally found the sweet spots for solo & 2-up riding. Two full turns of preload from full off for solo, 7 full turns of preload 2-up, and about 12 turns preload for 2-up with a week's worth of gear for touring/traveling. I concluded the settings in the owner manual apply to the 12" Premiums, not the 13" Premiums. This makes sense since no models come factory equipped with 13" Premiums, only 12" Premiums.
While I am in no hurry to replace my 13" Premiums, I am POSITIVE there is much better suspension available. My bikes are both customized to my preferences & I did so using only H-D parts & accessories except for my Danny Grey 2 Up Long Haul saddle & Freedom Shields windshield on my Limited. Do I think the 13" Premiums are the right solutions for you? Probably not if you really want to plant both feet firmly on the ground. They work for me, partly because the DG saddle puts me almost 2" closer to the ground w/o changing to a shorter suspension. But that was an $800 solution to a problem I never realized I had (both feet firmly planted) since I had spent the previous 50 years riding bikes that didn't give me that option. In fact, I added 2" additional suspension height front & rear to my 1st H-D, a '91 FXRS Low Rider to allow better handling/more lean.
Good Riding to you!
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