I hope the JRIs are still a good shock. I just put on a pair of JRI B 13 back in January on my 2009 Ultra Classic. Still need to dial them in more. I still need to work on the dampening adjustment. The shocks were already set for 2 up riding when they were shipped which I do 90% of the time.

 

It's fine tuning the spring. If the tie stays up high after riding a normal ride you can loosen up on the nut some. If it is pushed all the way down you need to tighten up some. I beleive you want to be about 1/4" from the bottom.

 

I do not know if you are entertaining yourself but by investigating your possibilities makes you think and experience changes in your bike. From reading this thread I see several bits of information that was not ever used by me such as R-2. I drove, than friends drove their bikes (using the same model shock) but many different bikes (all HD's) up and down the same road (that has varying road conditions) at the same MPH over a period of several months and took notes on my observations as I changed components and ask for the riders feedback. Do this enough and you will know how the shock works.

R-2 is for determining if the spring is correct usually on racing bikes. I already know what springs will work and what ones will not through experience. There is a difference in riders preference and road conditions as not all configurations are correct for every application and every rider's taste, preference, and expectations. I know what works with that exact same rider and bike under 99% of the cases. That is why on my build sheet listing my conditions that I will do what it takes to get the job done. It is not a perfect world and not all riders and riding conditions are the same. You can only get it right 99% the first time and than custom fix the remaining 1% of the time.

I am the guy who several years ago took Ohlins shocks, one by one, and got them to work properly on Harley's. Read you HDF history, it is all there. This was at a time when no one was doing it. This was not Ohlins, the many box stores hawking Ohlins and other shocks, and not OhlinsUSA but me. Ohlins, after a few years discovered how popular this application was and has since purchased Harley's where there was none before. Buy a Harely, add water, and now after riding a Harely, you are a biker. You do not need to ask anyone, just read your HDF history right here on this site as this is where it all happened. Use the search box above or ask members who have been here a while.

hAkron, once you are done doing what you are doing and wish to go over what is written using my directions I have originally sent you, please give ma a call. I am available all days (unless I do not hear my phone ring but I do look for missed calls & will call you back) and all reasonable hours. I live in EST/Fort Lauderdale. I am here for you! What you are doing by investigating your ride and trying many different things will make you and your ride much better in the long run. The first steps in all parts of life that you take are by first learning how to walk than after that, you can build upon your experience and than run a marathon.

Remember, all great shocks need to be "broken in" and they will become fore fluid. Many have reported this finding on this and other sites. If you want instant satisfaction than any great shock is not for you. You can buy several different other shock offerings that ride poorly in the beginning and never change for the life of the shock. Those are your choices.

 

Howard - thanks for the support. I think I understand the basics. After working with your directions and taking measurements as you've described it's starting to come together for me.

 

Looks like you have it setup well for two up. If that is the way it came from MM it sounds like they picked everything just right. You could try the following:

-- Leave it like this for your two up riding. Break it in like fastharley says.

-- Find out and record where your damping came set from MM (so you can put it back), then try adjusting the damping a click or two at a time, like Ohlins suggests. See what it does on a variety of road conditions and curves / straight.

-- If you want to mess with preload / sag for fun, try 1-2 mm less to see what it does with a firmer ride, and try it 2 mm more for a softer ride. Note that you will have different damping characteristics after you do this, so you will need to change that too.

The one thing you could do is find out the preload setting that gives correct sag for your normal one up setup. Don't worry about the average you measured, just find and record the spring preload for two up and for one up so you can easily set it based on the ride you are going to take. You will need a reference point just like with the damping clicks ... I use number of preload turns from where the collar just makes full contact with the spring. Maybe MM gave you some guidance on this?

Good luck