Paul (TxBowHunter) and I installed my new chrome lowers and flush axle kit...thanks Bryan for the lowers ....and also changed the stock springs to the Race Tech kit with gold emulators and 15wt. oil....the difference in ride quality makes the effort well worth it. The bike feels like it's on a track....very smooth and now feels like it's part of the road...practically eliminated the wobble feel from rain grooves and minor bumps.

This isn't a real hard job but it takes 5 to 7 hours depending on your experience, skill and luck and isn't something that you would want to do over. That's the catch, how do you know exactly how the bike will feel with the preload that you've choosen from the supplied installation sheets. Bryan did his the week before and used the middle suggested settings. I used the same settings, but after my install, my bike still rode softer than I had hoped.

Paul, being the engineering type and deep thinker, thought there should be some way to make adjustments so fine tuning would be possible without taking the whole damn thing apart again. He gave it a lot of thought and designed a preload adjuster with multiple shims that can be adjusted without taking the forks off the bike. Just expose the upper caps and drop in a shim to his specially designed adapters...1/8" to 1/2" as required.

When I got home today, I pulled the ignition switch and lower fairing cover off the bike and unscrewed the two 1 3/8" caps and dropped 1/2" shims into Pauls adapter and put it back together....I was very lucky with the switch and the whole process took me less than 20 minutes.

I took the bike for a ride around the block and was amazed at how much better it rode with the extra 1/2". That's the limit of adjustment. If more is needed, heavier oil could be tried next or completely starting over and making different length shims.

Thanks Paul for the great idea. No pics....PM Paul if intersted.

BTW, none of us have any affiliation with Race Tech....in fact Paul used Progessive with his new front end system....preload is critical and his adapter will work with stock or any aftermarket....I'm sure he'll look into selling them it there is enough interest

 

TELL ME MORE.

Could you toss out the parts list - numbers and all. Have the Tru-Trax, but the dealer really had no answer for how to get the front end dialed. I've done tons with the sport bike and it made all the difference in the world. I can only hope that with the right set up (and the removal of the floorboards) I'll some day drag a knee on the SG.

Thanks in advance.

 

aint no part #'s...pm txbowhunter ....maybe he'll let you in on it

 

Race Tech FLEK S3895 kit with 2 springs and gold emulators for my '06 Ultra...I used 15wt. oil.....PM TxBowHunter for preload adjuster if interested

 

this was a very good mod for me....had the same seat of the pants impact as the truetrack...paul's probly on to somethin here an i hope he gits rich off it

 

Glad to hear another positive review for the racetech front end upgrade. I'll be doing mine this winter, maybe sooner. Did you notice any improvement on the front end dive when getting on the brake. Others have said that the gold valves eliminated much of this. Thanks for the post. dpitts here's a link for you. http://www.racetech.com/SubMenu.asp?...howPage=harley

 

yes

 

Ditto what Bryan said....the proper amount of preload determines how much dive goes away and how firm the ride gets....it's a moving target with varying bike and ride weights playing into the equation.

BTW, firm does not equate to harsh like the rear air shocks tend to get....hard to explain until you feel it....firm is better....that's what my wife says

 

dpitts,
I'm running the progressive springs and absolutly love them...
The shim was cut to 1/2" above the top of the tube after the spring and washer was dropped in...cut for my weight of 250#'s and riding style...
The front feels firm like a sport bike and is not abusive at all on the upper extremitys...Has not shown any indication of hands going numb or tingling at all with a long ride...If anything it has made the riding feel better in the hands and arms...less tired? Hard to explain...
The tire actually hugs the ground and stays put...
There were a couple articules out that talked about the upgrades H-D did to there front end the dampening valves in 06-07 are the bigg improvement over the earlier forks and cartriage system...The valves resemble the emulators that raceteck had designed in there earlier versions...
Thats one of the reasons I chose to go progressive , but I guess the real reason was the price...I couldn't turn down the deal I got for the springs...New $50 out the door...Right place right time...
I wanted a sport bike handling suspension and still wanted it to ride like a cadillac...
I feel I'm practically there...
I've noticed that with the stock dunlops when I'm riding the rain grooves they are practicully non-existent...just a slight feel but I assure you nothing like it was before
I have the room for adjustment also and am going to try the various fillers already cut to length and install a happy medium (3/8")and see if it will handle for the better or worse...
The system is really a sweet little design and my 2 guiny buds helped to share in the R&D and I think its going to save some remorse to have to go back into the front end and make some adjustments to OVAL of the preload cut tube to have to adjust it buy adding somemore...
This system will allow the rider to adjust up to 1/2" of additional preload...
My understanding is the more weightthe bikecarries the firmer the front end should be...
By the way you have 1 sweet looking rider there...
She got any twin sisters that look like her?

 

An '06 Ultra has the same internals in both fork legs?
So Paul's adapter must drop in the top hole where the fluid filler plug resides so you don't have to remove the main fork cap and de-compress the fork springs, right?
I've been wanting to play with the RaceTech setup on my forks but can't bring myself to having to pull everything apart again.
I have the 3802 kit on my RK if I recall right. I used 15 wt oil, the same preload as stock (shorter springs than stock, spacer tube makes up the diff)) and dialed up the emulator's adjustment 1/4 turn. (more firm)
I am still on the fence as to whether I have them a bit too firm or not. They are perfect at speed, so I guess I ought not complain, but as I see it my only solution is to back off the adjustment on the Gold Valve itself rather than reduce the preload or oil weight.

When I embarked on my past project, I feared doing the fork kit part more than I did changing out my bars, chrome controls, switch covers, cables, etc. It ended up being just the opposite. The RaceTech kit was a snap in comparison to the issues I faced doing all the rest. For anyone who is thinking about trying out the RaceTech kit, fear not, it's not as tough as you'd think, and I have a few pics on hand from my install.

CN