I had stock air shocks on both my Electra Glide and my Street Glide. The air shocks on the SG would bottom out regardless of how much air I put in them. And, they leaked no matter what I did on all the connections. I finally bit the bullet and put Legend coils on. Now now no bottoming! Handles much better too. There is a reason that Harley no longer puts air shocks on their touring bikes, just sain...

 

I sure can't feel the difference!

 

they already do , but they put the high quality parts in the Screaming Eagle catalog instead of on the bike .

 

No disrespect but if that's the case, I would suggest you don't have a set tailor made for your a$$ & riding style or they were never set up correctly.

 

When I bought my Road King, I didn't like the air shocks on the bike. I experimented with different settings (psi) and I just couldn't dial it in. I found out after I took them off that the left shock (drive-side) had a leak! I live in New England and I've learned to avoid potholes and inattentive drivers! They just didn't have that "feel" I was looking for and my back was hammered consistently when it bottomed out on me because bumps/potholes up here are like whoop-dee-doos on a motocross track so I switched to the Progressive 412s. The original Showas were 13" and I ordered the corresponding 412s with the heavy duty springs. I left the preload on the lowest setting and my back and I have never been happier!!! The bike's rear end is now so responsive instead of just hanging on waiting for the front's input that I can cut corners so hard that I am now constantly scraping the tip of the jiffy stand on left-hand curves. The rights are just a blast! It's now a joy to ride and not to brag or anything but the rear tire has no chicken strips. I am using the bike's capability to the max! Harleys may weigh more than most bikes but that doesn't mean they're slugs! My next project is to tune the forks because you can't tuna fish!!! God I crack myself up!

 

I didn't come on here to argue or bash Ohlins, my shocks were ordered as per the vendors recommendations and were set up with them over the phone. And they DON'T ride any better than the H-D premium adjustable. I am just stating my experience with both.

 

This Man gets it. Well said.

 

I'm not looking for a 50's or 60's Cadillac ride on my Harley, I don't want my back out of place
when I hit a pothole either.

Setting up your suspension correctly, for how you ride is important, even with the old air shocks
and with any aftermarket shock. Setting the sag, or preload properly may be all that is needs to
improve the suspension no matter what it is.

We all know good suspension when you have it.

John

 

My bike feels like its going to bust a rim every time I hit a small bump. Manhole covers, train tracks, etc. Tried turning the adj **** up and down, still have that solid hit thru out the full adj range. One of these days, Ill break down and get some Ohlins.

 

Yeah, we get that. It's a disappointment that you haven't had a better experience, as most of the rest of us have.