Didn't take but a day to realize that the stock air shocks on the CVO weren't going to cut it for me. After the Beemer with it's 9" of suspension travel, and the Ohlins on my dearly departed Limited, I knew I needed to make a change.

A friend of mine is very happy with his JRIs, so I called Howard to talk to him about them. Long story short, they have 15mm more stroke than the Ohlins #3-4, they're made of higher-quality metal, and they're made here in the US. So I ordered a set of the 13" shocks and waited.

A week later, shocks showed up. They're works of art. Beautiful machined metal replaces the Delrin preload collar and sweep valve on the Ohlins. The finish is impeccable. Rather than the special tool required to adjust the preload on the Ohlins, the JRIs use a standard shock spanner which can be found anywhere. They also have a jam nut to prevent the preload collar from moving.

Installation is straightforward, but I called Howard beforehand anyway, just to make sure I didn't miss anything. When my wife got home, we set both the 1-up and 2-up sag, and went for a ride. I did about 40 miles solo and 40 with her. Granted, the springs aren't broken in yet, so the optimal sweep valve settings won't be dialed in for another week or so, but....

Damn these things are nice. I live in farm country. The backroads around my house are in abysmal shape. One of the big benefits of the Adventure was the 9" of suspension travel, as well as the electronically controlled, on-the-fly, adjustable damping. It smoothed these roads out better than I ever could have hoped. The JRIs don't reach that level, but are far better than anything I've used on a Harley before (stock, Ricor, Ohlins).

To be fair, these shocks are still brand new, and I won't really have a great feel for them until they're broken in, but my initial impression is very positive. For less money than the Ohlins #3 shocks, the JRIs ride better, look better, have a superior preload adjuster, and a better tactile feel to the sweep valve.

Thanks for your help Howard, I really appreciate it.

 

Nice write up. Howard seems to be the #1 go to guy for high end suspension and the overall reviews of the JRI are great. What model are yours it looks like there are 3 different ones basic ones listed on the site?

If I had the budget Id get a set, maybe in the future but for now the 940s are a lot better than the stock shocks.

 

I went with the 13" "B" shocks....They have the sweep valve for adjusting damping.

And yeah, Howard's definitely the guy for suspension; you can't beat his attention to detail and his service both before and after the sale.

 

Have a set waiting for install from Howard as well. How did you mark your 1-up and 2 up settings? Just count number of turns? I dee this the only down side of the change. Not as obvious easy way to move between the 1up & 2 up setting. Lookng forward to getting mine on.

 

After I measured the springs to insure they were the same height, I marked one of the notches in the adjuster with White Out. Set it solo, then had my wife hop on and figure out the 2-up. Counted and logged the turns.

Once the springs are broken in and we get the "final" settings, I'll use something a bit more permanent. On my last bike, I laminated a small card with all my various preload settings and kept it in the Tour Pak.

 

TRAIN,

Congrats on the new scoot! Great write up.

Glad to see you back on the american sled, still have

the breemer?




YB

 

#1 guy for suspension! I have his Ohlins, since before JRI were around, and they are just great - Howard does a wonderful job for us.

 

Thanks man.

I traded in the Beemer on the CVO. I'll miss it when I'm riding up in the mountains, but I sure won't miss adding oil every 500 miles.


I want to make sure y'all understand, I'm not knocking the Ohlins. They're great shocks, and I'd still be running them if not for the wreck.

 

I just got my JRI B 13" shocks and there was no shock spanner included. No big deal but I need to get one so I can adjust the sag. Is there a specific size that I should get for these shocks? I looked at one today but it was huge.

Could I just measure across the slotted collar to match up the right size? Do I need 2 of them, one to hold the adjusting collar and one for the jam nut?

Thanks

 

The spring rates aren't that high. As long as you have the bike upright you can hand adjust the sag. Make sure the lock nut is backed off. It will turn by hand. Lock up the nut and you are good to ride.