I used the Gold Valves and springs from Race Tech in my '97 WG, and it made a huge improvement. When I bought this new '06 Dyna Superglide, I knew that was to be one of the first changes. Unfortunatly, Race Tech doesn't list a kit for the new Dyna with 49mm Forks.

I was in the dealership one day, and noticed that the V-Rod forks looked the same. They are certainly 49mm, but that doesn't mean they are the same internally. I asked the service tech, and he says they are completly differant. I checked the part numbers, and they are not exactly the same. Close, but differant. I tried contacting Race Tech, but they don't answer their phone or e-mail.

So it was a guess. I took a chance and ordered the Cadillac suspension kit for a 2005 V-Rod. It was a risk, but somebody has to be first

Today I tackled the job. As it turns out, the parts are a perfect fit! It's like they were made for this machine. But I did run in to some interesting things in there that are not mentioned in the service manual.

Remember that little 6mm allen bolt in the bottom of the fork leg? It's easy to round that out if you're not carefull. I know, I'v done it. Well, it's not a 6mm anymore; it's a 12mm. Fortunatly, Sears had a 12mm allen wrench on the shelf. Cut the end off so you can use it in an impact wrench with a 12mm socket. Came out real easy.

The stock springs are progressive, who knew? And they are a little shorter than the supplied Race Tech springs, by 3/4".

Also, there's an 11" tube spacer on top of the spring. Surprise! Maybe the V-Rod has this too? You have to trim the spacer to get the correct ride height. Considering the thickness of the Gold Valve and it's spacer, I trimmed mine down to 9" to lower the front by 1/4". What this also means is that anybody can lower their bike simply by removing the top cap and trimming the spacer.

I used muffler pipe to make a new seal and bearing driver. Including scrounging around my garage, it probably took me 30 minutes. Also, if the counter guy tells you you need two pints of fluid, he really means two pints per side. He just doesn't know that's what he means. Fortunatly, the dealer was still open at 1745. I used SE performance oil, which I believe is 15W.

One last change. You may have noticed that the new forks don't have a drain port. To change the fluid, you have to remove the fork leg, take off the cap, and turn it upside down. So I drilled and tapped for a 1/4" NPT plug. Later, I'm going to have the top cap drilled and tapped for an AN O-ring plug. I just didn't have the right tap for it here.

Including one trip to sears, and one to the dealership, making a bushing/seal driver, and figuring out if it all would fit, the whole job probably took me about 5 hours.

I took the bike for a drive tonight. I traveled over the same route I commute on every day. So I know how every bump and bit of road surface feels. Oh My God! This is a whole new machine! It rides so much smoother, and feels much more controlled in wavy pavement than before. Harsh bumps are still noticable as bumps, but they are no longer harsh. When I hit the brakes, no nose dive. The other thing I really hated was the pogo action under moderate or hard throttle. Pull in the clutch, and it rocks foreward. Let out the clutch and it rocks back. Just like a childs rocking horse. That's gone now. Hard acceleration through the gears is very stable and smooth, has a very solid and linear feel. Can't wait to get this into the mountains!

If you have a new Dyna, or any bike with this kind of forks, you really need to make this change. The whole kit is only $260 at Zanotti's. Worth every penny I spent, and every minute in the garage. All I can say is, "Wow!"

 

Bob, excellent post!! Besides the Race Tech kit do I need to order dust seals and fork seals? Anything else? Wouldn't this be the time to get a v-rod left lower for duel brake set up???

 

I have new seals, but didn't use them. I may regret that later.

If you want dual front brakes, you'll also need a new hub, new lines, and new master cylinder. It's more cost effective (and less weight) to get a better caliper.

 

UPDATE:

Had a chance to get up in the mountains today for a better test ride. It's been raining and snowing here for the last couple of days. But today is spectacular. Gotta love Colorado. Anyway, took a ride along my favorite mountain roads. Some fast, some slow; long stretches and tight curves. Some new pavement, and some old.

Vast improvement. This really does handle like a whole new machine. There's less vibration in the handle bars, and a little less road feel. You don't feel every bump and wave in the road. I had to be carefull. It's so much more stable that I went in to some corners a little hotter than previous, just a little above my comfort level. The bike handled it just fine, though. Even though I was banked over a little further than normal, the bike actually felt better and more stable. Washboards and irregular pavement are so easy to traverse.

Braking and accelerating are quite differant as well. With moderate braking, there's no noticable nose dive at all. With hard braking there's a little. At first you think there's no braking action at all, because that expected dive doesn't happen. But then you notice you're actually slowing down. Under moderate acceleration shifting is significantly improved because the chassis doesn't rock. It's a nice steady firm acceleration up through the gears. Feels extremly stable.

I did lower the front another 1/2" from the initial install. That felt better around town. Maybe next time I'll try a slightly lighter fluid, like Bel-Ray 10W.

All in all, a huge improvement. I'm very happy about this.

 

Bob, I got the gold valves and springs installed today. The shop - Powerstroke Performance in Tempe AZ - agreed to sell me the kit at the Zanatti price and charged $130 labor to install so I feel like it was a good deal. The bike has much better manners on both braking and accelleration! We went with 10 weight oil so the ride is still smooth but I just can't get over how level the bike stays now. thanks for the great post that 06 dyna will take V-rod Racetech kit!!

 

What do I need to do this for a softail?

 

Every once in a while you come across a product so good, you wish you owned the company. This is one of them. Glad it worked out well for you, too.

As for a softail, I'm not sure. Back in '96 my buddy had a road king. We installed the kit in his bike, and it was the greatest things since sliced bread. Check the Race Tech web site and see what they have for you.

 

the tech at Powerstroke Performance has cured many Fl's head shake with the Racetech kit. He says a lot of Harley riders complain about their bikes suspension but seem to think poor handling is just part of owning a HD. When he mentions "Racetech" they get freaked out by the name. It really isn't about racing, its about control...........

 

Bob
It's amazing how much better the bike feels when you get it dialed in

I have used race tech in the past...
I was going to install race techs on my 2005 FXDCI...when a buddy of mine called me to ask I wanted to buy his new front end off his 2005 Dyna Glide Sport ....he was putting on a springer front end...so I got the new front end which is fully adjustable for rebound and damping for $200.00....I have got the pre-load height just perfect, also the rebound & damping

the point is harleys can do almost whatever you want if you put a little money into the area you need....

race tech & ohlins are the best combo I have ever ridden with...although this HD sport front end is pretty good.

I ride kentucky back roads