Now THAT is customer service!!!
Especially the 'avoiding' part.
Are we all invited, Howard? An Ohlins reunion with crabs and lobster would be a party.

For what it's worth, my #3-3s are crazy smooth. My WG is a different beast than your baggers, but they sure made my ride better- more stick in corners, no back hammering from pavement cracks, cushy when 2-up.
Make sure you do the miles for break-in though. Best ride comes after 500 miles, on mine anyway.

 

Scully you find your answer. I call Howard sometime this week and I see this is a super old thread but thought I would ask. Going to pull the trigger on one of those three myself.

 

Snorider, we're holding our breath! Look forward to hearing of your experience. Howard probably has more options available now than when this post was current, so have your note book ready!

 

One other limitation is the reduction in ground clearance when the wheel goes further up into the fender with increased suspension travel. Our bikes are already pretty low, and one could end up hitting the frame on the ground, with less then good results.

Shouldn't be a problem with speed bumps and the like. But a pothole, maybe. Drop down into it and have the bike settle down further than normal on the suspension, and the frame could strike the edge of the hole.

All the worse potentially with the various lines and wires zip tied to the bottom of the frame.

 

Also, when cornering the suspension is being compressed, travel is being used. Combined with road irregularities, pot holes,bumps, full travel can be used up quickly. The more travel the better. Especially with a custom built shock.

 

Not sure I follow that logic! A good quality custom built shock should have superior damping and be able to better cope with all the things we ride over, which is certainly my experience. More travel is only a good idea when considering cheap shocks with poor damping. A custom built shock, like my 3" travel Ohlins, provide a supreme ride in all circumstances and have never ever bottomed out, regardless of what we've hit and the load on the bike.

 

A suspension with 1" travel and a superb shock will bottom out far more frequently than a suspension with 6" travel and a mediocre shock. As a general rule.

 

A shock with 1" of travel ain't a shock! Or it would be far too often.....

 

But that's what we're dealing with, with these bikes. Barely any suspension travel in the rear to begin with.

The stock 13" shock had just under 3" travel.

The stock 12" shock has about 2" travel.

Get into the slammed shocks and you have less than an inch in some cases.

A customized option for serious improvement could well be a smaller rear wheel and a longer stroke shock. This would keep the ride height stock and allow more suspension travel which would allow for a better ride, particularly on rougher roads.

It doesn't take much of a shock or suspension to work well enough on smooth pavement. The rougher the terrain though, the more suspension travel is needed to not bottom out, even with a heck of a good damper.

 

2" of travel probably isn't enough, even for a top shelf shock, however 3" is perfect! I have Ohlins on my Glide with that and they are truly superb. It isn't necessary to have any more, with the right choice of shock. I have 1" of sag and re-adjust my shocks when Mrs B and I are touring, so we have 2" for absorbing whatever the road can throw at us. We have never ever bottomed out.

We can all enjoy that quality of ride, by simply spending a little more than cheap shocks! Smooth pavement isn't the problem, it's the pot-holes and railway crossings and such-like that cause pain......