i just bought a used 05 ultra..awesome bike & ride....i have a question maybe someone can help me out with,,,it has progressive shocks on it ...they measure 11.5 inches...so i like the look of it being lowered....my problem is sometimes going through dips & uneven roads..with pot holes...it bottoms out....i belive they are the 440 shocks..because they are threaded at the top....i understand they have a standard & a heavy duty...any way to tell the diffrence between the 2 shocks?...i am about 190 & my wife is about 175lbs....need to try & figure out how to fix it...wether i can adjust it? or need to buy something diffrent...thanks

 

Yes they make a STD, and HD shock. Try and find the part # and then look it up here. http://www.progressivesuspension.com/productsearch.aspx

 

Here is the scoop.

The standard is 13" You only have 4" of travel. If you use 12", you reduce the effective suspension by 25%

You have 11.5" That's why you bottom out. Very common with shorter shocks. I would suggest you call Progressive and ask them. My guess is they will say 13" Heavy to do away with your problem. I hope this helps.

 

Based on your weight you don't need the HD springs, As for replacing them. As mentioned you have significantly less travel than the bike was designed for. It would be painful (cost) to repplace them but it will make your ride a lot more enjoyable and safer. Perhaps you could sell the old set on E Bay and recoup some of the replacement costs.

 

The difference between the HD and std. springs is their diameter, I believe. Mine are the std. variety and are a tad over 1/4" in diameter.

First, the 11.5" model is the shortest Progressive makes for that bike, and is 1.5" lower than the standard 13" air shocks that come standard on the Ultra. Lower shocks mean less suspension travel, and what you're experiencing is one limitation of having less travel, basically the shock bottoming out. You could send them back to Progressive and have the springs changed to HD, if you have the std. variety, or just buy a new pair with HD springs and longer travel. If you must stay with the lowered look you now have, you may need to live with the harsher ride. These shocks should have a part number on them, and the standard 11.5" are 440-4006 and HD 440-4011.

 

Actually, the standard 13" shock only has 3" of travel, not 4". An 11.5" shock has lost a full 50% of the travel compared to the 13". On bikes like my Street Glide or the Road King Custom, you only have 2" of travel. I put 12" 440's on my Street Glide to improve the ride, and it definitely helped. The stock 12" air shocks suck. However, the stock 13" air shocks on my old 2001 Road King Classic had a pretty nice ride.

Doug

 

I didn't know these stats on suspension travel, so thanks for posting them. I'm wondering if the cheap and trick setup is to use a White Bros. (Burly Brand) lowering kit, which lowers the bike 1" and supposedly retains full suspension travel. I had these on my '96 RK, which lowered that bike 1.5", and I never had a complaint with the ride. I was tempted to try this on my SG with some 13" air shocks, but found some 12.5" 440's on Ebay for $100 off retail, so I jumped. It's a big improvement.

 

I talked with progressive today..the standard 13 inch shocks have 3.3 of travel as you stated...if i go from the 11.5 to the 12...i will be at 2.7 of travel...about a 1/2 inche less travel for a full inch drop...i think i amgoing to go that way...,,so i will be buying some 12 inchers soon...i am sure that should make a big diffrence.......i hopeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee