it is definitely a good tool to have.
Never use a compressor to add air to shocks. I run 24lbs. for two up.
Interesting situation - added the detachable passenger backrest (dealer install) to my 05 RKC, which required that the valve be moved
(it's now on the left side behind the bag). The HD pump would screw onto the valve but not far enough to allow air to pass through the valve so no air could be added. Seems the bracket used in the relocation was just a little too thick and did not allow enough of the valve to protrude to allow full seating of the pump. Made a new bracket for the valve (out of 1/8 in. aluminum) and now the pump screws on and all is well.

 

I use a bike pump (very carefully) for the rear - - here's an even dumber statement/question - -you mean you can do the front too?

 

It's behind the left bag on my 05 RKC, without being relocated....

 

I think that depends on what year you have. My 06 just has the rear air shocks.

 

Thx Steve! I'll look into it...I only remember reading about the rear shocks..

 

Just got mine! Love it. Best accessory money I've spent yet!

 

My 1990 FLHS has air ride front and rear ... the front suspensionair fitting is located inside of the left hand grip-the chrome cap at the end of the grip pops off and there is a Schrader valve right inside there ... pretty innovative as far as I'm concerned, but I can imagine it's a real PITA if it ever leaked and you have to change out the line

As far as my rear suspension, it's on the outside of the bike (not in or behind one of the bags) and it's on the left side in about the same position as the engine oil fill is on the right side ... that fill port goes to a T fitting and goes to both the left and right shock equally ... I think it would be unsafe to fill the left and right sides independently because it would negatively affect cornering

I've found that it actually rides smoother with less air than more, but maybe that's just me

When I got the bike, there was 2-3psi in front and 10psi in the rear and I thought it rode OK like that ... now that I bought the Harley OEM pump, I'm running the front at 5psi and the rear at 15psi and it seems to be an improvement - I only purchased the pump yesterday, so I'm going to be messing around with different pressures to see what the best settings are for me

FYI ... if you're not near a dealer, or if you dont like your dealer, Amazon.com also sells the Harley brand pump for $39.95 and sometimes they have free shipping ... you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J00HTU/ref=pd_luc_00002B000FQ889YB000J00HTU/102-4585372-3760130


The way one of the service techs at Twin City Harley explained it to me was that the front is an oil/air suspension and you don't have to run any air in it at all ... but it will ride better with a little air in it ... it's kind of like the difference between springs and shocks on a car - you can run without shocks, or with non-functional shocks, but the rideis a lot better with working and properly tuned shock absorbers

The big advantage we have with the air suspension is that we can tune the shock absorbers on our bikes easily to get the ride that we want, and without having to buy different rated shocks like if they were non-adjustable ... it's a really nice system IMO


As far as the quality of the HD pump, I was really surprised by how nice it actually is ... it's heavy and feels like it's built to last ... also, you can increase or decrease the pressure by 1psi increments, which is handier than itseems... it is designed so that when you unscrew it from the Schrader valve, you don't lose any air pressure, and it works great to that end ...it even comes with a pretty nice foam lined box, which I keep mine in

All in all, I'm happy I didn't get an aftermarket pump, this OEMversion was worth every penny and is something every air-ride equipped Harley owner should own - in fact, I think this should have been included with the bikes that use them from the factory

 

I have one that I use on both my '07 Ultra and my '01 Roadking. It works fine.

 

I bought the Harley air pump just a couple of weeks ago and have used it once so far. When I screwed it in, it showed 0 lbs, but I have never checked it before. What caused me to buy it was the other posts on the forum and I began to notice that the bike seemed to bottom out after riding over a dip in the road, probably because of the weight of the hack (190 lbs, flat out, not attached to the bike) leaning on the bike (I guess it's kind of like the weight of riding 2-up). I pumped it up to 20 lbs and saw a definite improvment in the ride. I think tomorrow I'll pump it up to 25 lbs, to see if the ride gets even better. I just wish the air stem on the bike had an elbow in it. I find its a chore taking off the left saddle bag to attach the pump to the air stem.

Hack

 

Progressive Suspension makes that pump and brands it for harley. It's a good pump that won't lose air when you unscrew it from the schrader valve. Most other pumps will lose air too quickly for the small amount of volume in the shocks rendering them useless.