Well, between Sunday night and today, I've logged about 200 miles on the Intiminators. These little doodads replace the factory valves in the front forks and supposedly isolate wheel movement from chassis movement.

Let's get this out of the way....No matter what anyone says, there's not a suspension product out there that will completely smooth out your ride, and if there was, you wouldn't want it. You want to feel the road, and you want to know what the front tire is doing at all times. The Intiminator isn't magic, and it doesn't defy the laws of physics. My bike is still a 900 pound behemoth with an antiquated damper rod front suspension.

But it's pretty impressive what the Intiminators can do. Small wheel movements are pretty much erased. There's a sensation of the wheel doing something, but it's muted. Big wheel motions still come up through the bars, but the harshness is gone. Whack a pothole, or a really rough section of road, and it's pretty much what you're used to, though not quite as harsh. I hit an old farm road on my way home today at really ridiculous speeds. This road is downright punishing on the Night Train, and only slightly less so on the Limited. Bumps that would put the bike in the air and my butt off the seat at 40mph were shocking at 70, but the front end stayed on the ground.

One side effect of this is that it highlights what a poor job the factory air shocks do under extreme circumstances. I'm going to try it tomorrow with less pressure in them to see what (if any) difference that makes. That'll have to do 'till the Ricor rear shocks come in.

Overall, the effect of the Intiminators is kind of like Ibuprofen; the bumps, like the pain, are still there, but they're muted enough to make them much more tolerable. I have to believe that between the valving and the lighter fork fluid (Amsoil 5wt), the front tire will stay on the ground better than with a heavier fluid or a stiffer spring.

For the $220 that they cost, they're a must-have for any bike retaining the factory forks as far as I'm concerned. Short of blowing your wad on a set of inverted forks or a Traxxion setup, the Intiminators are probably the best you're going to get out of your front end. The Traxxion is undoubtably a better riding and handling solution. Is it $1,000 better? I can't see that, especially not on a 900 pound touring bike.
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Where did you get them for $220?

 

Directly from Ricor. We have a forum discount.

 

Did not know that was still going on. Next question, do they eliminate or at least lessen diving while braking? And, how would they work with non-stock springs (like progressive, works, etc.)? A little better?

 

They helped the brake dive a lot. It's almost completely gone with the intiminators.

 

The spring shouldn't make a difference, though they do have a specific valve for the '09-'10 touring bikes. There's much less brake dive. The front end is much more stable now.

Brian at Ricor was extremely helpful throughout the process. To the point that we had a question while installing them on Saturday. I called Ricor to see if someone could clarify something, and Brian picked up. On a Saturday. And actually had the information I needed.

 

They are well worth the $ thats for sure!

 

Drained the forks last night using iClick's method and refilled to the factory spec. Filling to 6-1/2" from the top as suggested by Brian gave me a little over 9oz. per side. I was happy with the ride before, the additional oil makes it ride even better. I may play around with adding a little more fluid to see what it does to the ride.

I cannot recommend the Intiminators enough. They're a great addition to the bike.

 

Nice review! Well done!

I'm running the Intiminators in my "old" 99 FLHT and have gotten the same results as you have. Much better ride. I'm conditioned to brace myself when I hit a deep pothole by mistake but instead of that harsh transfer through the front end to my arms and shoulders all I get is the sensation of hitting a small bump. No harshness at all. I have found the front end reacts better at higher speeds than lower speeds which is fine because it is a touring bike and that's exactly where I need it to be smooth. As with a rear shock upgrade, and finding out how bad the stock front suspension is, this upgrade to the front will let the rider know how bad the stock rear shocks are and will leave the rider wanting to quickly upgrade the rear shocks.

 

[QUOTE=brypink;6413590) Next question, do they eliminate or at least lessen diving while braking? And, how would they work with non-stock springs (like progressive, works, etc.)? A little better?[/QUOTE]

I have them in my 07 Roadglide. After adding the new style Brembo braks I really noticed the brake dive. The Intiminators fived it quite nicely. A "must have" in my opinion. I would leave the stock springs in first, I tried other springs on my Dyna, and with the Intiminatoers, they didn't seem to really help.