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I put 11" Progressive 412's on my 07 RK Classic and they lowered it 1 inch +. I Also lowered the front using Harley's kit. The ride is good, it's easier to sit and be flat footed, and it looks better, IMHO. The 412's are the least expensive way to go, but I find the ride better than the Harley 11" air shocks that I had on previously.
Progressive themselves will tell you, (and it was my personal experience) that if you want to put shorter than stock shocks on, the 440 are at a disadvantage. All the special valving in that model needs the full length of stroke to really work as its designed. Short 440s wont ride BADLY, but they will not ride as they are designed to, and not enough better than the much less expensive 412 to justify the cost.
They recommend the cheaper 412s if you want to run shorter than stock shocks. You would be wasting money on the 440s as they will not ride as they are designed to in a lowering application.
I found this to be the case from personal experience, albeit on a Honda VTX 1800 and not a HD.
If all he wants to do is lower it, put a set of $110 lowering blocks on it and keep the stock shocks.
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