Went for a ride today, and man oh man, do my suspension sucks ***. Going over those high bumps on the freeway bucks me up so damn high. At times it would hit so hard that my little compartment for a phone would open up. I feel like my bike is riding on solid shocks that do not compress at all. Is there anyway that the settings can be adjusted on these? I have rear setup to my weight and I know it’s factory stuff, so I am not expecting much, but damn….front end is super bad.

Any suggestions other than full rebuild?

 

No adjustment to the front factory suspension.
Aftermarket is the only cure.
Now, you’ll get 100 replies of who bought what and that they’re the best…lol.
Do yourself a favor, if you’re gonna get into the fronts, replace the rear as well.

Stock HD suspension is sub par at best. Most riders replace the rear first, then realize how bad the stock front is. Go front and rear and don’t look back.

 

Second the above.

 

Freeway bumps shouldn't be that bad. Is the front suspension functioning? When you brake hard are the forks compressing and how far? You should have 2-3" compression under hard braking. If that's not happening you need to get your bike to a reputable shop.

 

They do compress under braking, but I don’t know exactly in inches.

Maybe I am expecting too much, but this was surprising how bad it was on little rougher roads.

 

I was told you can add a ounce more fluid and it would stiffen it a bit. I went with progressive cartridges on my 07 and I added heavier and more fluid to my 14 Tri Glide, it helped but not like the cartridges.

 

Besides an after market upgrade, the best thing you can do is change the fork oil to the SE Heavy oil.

 

The SGS low profile front tire is most of the problem.

 

Check out Race Tech, they have a spring/oil level/oil weight calculator, you basically plug in the info they request, such as make, model, rider weight, riding style, yata yata yata, then they recommend a spring/oil level/weight, and these guys know their stuff

 

Quoting you: "I feel like my bike is riding on solid shocks that do not compress at all." So far all of the above recommendations are for firming up shocks that are too SOFT. So, are they bottoming on the big bumps or not compressing at all? The correct solution depends on a correct description of the problem. How fast are you going when you hit these bumps? Bumps that a given suspension can handle at 40 mph may be way too big to be properly handled at 75 mph. Are you asking for more than any motorcycle suspension can deliver?