Iceman - I have an 09 Street Glide - and it is my 3rd Harley and 2nd Harley touring bike - I have a few CONTRUCTIVE notes for you.
1. Ignore the flamers on here - they are not worth your time. You did not say anything bad.

2. Ignore the people who think they know how a Street Glide will perform and DON"T HAVE ONE. I have an 09 Street Glide, I ride 2 up a lot, and 1 up a lot.

3. As far as the shocks - GET THE HD PUMP - it is worth the money. My wife and I are over 400 pounds together and have ridden with full bags and tourpack - I ride with 45 lbs in the shocks and the ride is AWESOME. It does NOT bottom out at all. It rides smooth. You do NOT need to get any other shocks.

4. For a While, when I was riding one up I lowered it to 30 PSI. After a while, I found that if I left it at 45, it was fine, and rode almost as well. So I just leave it at 45 PSI.

5. I have found that over several months, the shocks might louse a pound or 2 at the most. For the most part, they hold air just great.

That is my take on it. Like I said, I am sure that with the 2 of us and fully loaded, I am approaching the rated weight on the bike - and it is STABLE and rides like a dream with 45 PSI in the shocks.

BTW- I had an 07 Electra Glide Classic, and that bike maxed out at 30 PSI(if I remember correctly, I know it was a lot less than the 09). It NEVER rode as well as the 09 Street Glide - the new suspension and shocks are the bomb - you just have to remember to put in more air- 50 PSI is the max.

I hope that helps. I read my manual and actually EXPERIMENTED... I think it will help you.
Ed

 

were you paying attention as the salesman gave you the orientation on your new bike? apparently not. otherwise you'd have heard him explain the security functions, the radio functions, how to check the oil, in the crankcase and trans. and where to air the suspension up, how to do it. you think the wing is better cause you can push a button. oh well. you did choose the better of the two bikes. you just gotta understand your machine, your owners manual covers everything the rider needs to know. and no, a harley ain't no vtx. wasn't meant to be.

 

who on here checks there tire pressure?? I believe thats the same thing. It's called permeation. The air or gas permeates through the seals in the tire or the shock depending on the case. either way you lose air at some rate, however miniscule you still lose air. Science is cool huh... so I would venture to say he doesn't check his tire pressure either.

 

This is exactly the type of information I was looking for in the beginning and the answer about Harley wanting to keep more to tradition than technology was the other answer I was looking for. Thank you guys for helping out.

FYI for some of the hard core Harley guys, please ease up on us newbs. I understand what I means to stand for something and never waiver. I'm a youth pastor and have staired down and stood up for my convictions more than my share. It is obvious from my posting numbers that I'm NOT a Harley hardcore guy yet, but I'm starting to see the light a little more every day. Most of my non-Harley friends have killed me saying that now I won't hang with them cause I have a Harley. I never understood that till now. So give us new guys a break. We will learn or get scared off and never return. I'm just too stuborn.

 

Youth Minister that is cool, One awesome job that makes a difference in this messed up world!

 

Iceman, don't sweat the little digs. We're all grown adults, most of us can take it and god forbid sometimes even toss out one or two of our own. Humor, make mine a double please! It does appear that you bought before you did your homework. Not a crime. Just might give you a false feeling of buyers remorse. When Lowridin Packer expresses he's having zero ride quality issues with two full size adults AND luggage. Yeah, I'd say that's being generous. Yes, you can pump those shocks up a lot higher now, BUT, and this is a big B-U-T, keep in mind you have less than 3 inches of travel with the Street Glide shocks. And to keep from bottoming out, you'll run a higher pressure which in turn gives a harsher ride that is masked by heavier weight. Ask anybody who has ever driven a dump truck. Stiff as hell when empty, plush when loaded with varying degrees of comfort in between. Add to that the reduced ground clearance on any bike with shorter shocks. Somebody suggested putting regular touring shocks on instead, good idea. Trust your brain and simple math, those longer travel shocks will give you a better ride, and more cornering clearance. Legs too short? Change the seat first before changing the suspension.
If you did your homework or the salesman did his job you might have been better off with an Electra Glide Classic which you can yank the TourPak off very easily or if you like to push buttons, how about the Ultra. But, since you already have the Street Glide and it's a very sweet bike, stick with it and think of it like a good suit, infinitely better once it's tailored to fit YOU. Give the bike a chance to become part of your soul, you'll soon forget that Honda.
Yes, Honda makes a fine bike, it just never connects with the soul. It reminds me of those expensive robotic dogs for pets. Instant on, instant off, put it away when you don't want to play, doesn't crap on the floor, completely predictable in every way. A real dog by comparison grows, grows on you, changes, develops and has character, requires involvement and commitment, rewards you and becomes a part of you. The more you put into something, the more you get out of it. Except chrome!
Then one could mention the Harley family, all in all the finest people on the planet. Just wait until you log enough "Harley" miles with a couple years or so added in and you'll see what I mean. Hell, just the people on this forum is sufficient to illustrate my point.
Put proper shocks on your bike, interact with it, and enjoy!

And......................... welcome to the family.