They're by no means as good as some aftermarket shocks, but so often I see folks complaining, only to look at their bike and see it's nit ser up proper. Thank you for the compliment.
The red baron is looking pretty nice Eric ! Miracles can happen when you take few minutes to read the owner’s manual. Like you said, several folks spend a fortune as soon the leave the dealership showroom instead taking the time to set up the suspension properly. Well done amigo. Cheers, The Brazilian nut 🌰
I find it shocking that most people don’t understand suspension set up for a motorcycle. Measuring sag and so forth. I would say most bikes leave the showroom under sprung as it is. Preload is there for a reason. Great lesson and clear explanation of how to set up the suspension properly.
Which brings up a good point. Why don't the dealerships of any brand set up the purchasers suspension right at the time of delivery? Thanks for the reply!
@@KrakensGarageandAdventures After what I went through, I wondered the same thing. Then I learned that the Sportsters of the era had suspension components designed for a rider weight of 150 pounds, the "girl's bike" paradigm. I haven't weighed 150 pounds since my draft physical in 1973! Harley's marketing strategy is that if you weigh more you need a bigger bike. When I was buying my Roadster in 2005 I was coming from a Suzuki GS850G, and that bike had a great reputation for comfort. Air-adjustable front forks, rear shocks adjustable for preload and dampening. These were things I had to address when I began riding my son to football practice in 2007. Our combined weight flattened the suspension. My dealership didn't have any solutions, so off to the internet I went. By 2006, a magazine comparison with a new Triumph resulted in the newly fuel-injected 1200R being called "the best motorcycle to ever come from Harley-Davidson". Pretty exotic territory. "McQueen vs. Knievel" was the name of the article, IIRC.
I think the manual makes it too difficult to wrap your mind around. Hopefully, this video will encourage some to set up their suspension to suit themselves.
Been a long like since I've had to set up rear shocks on any of my bikes. Now I just push a button to get the setup I need at the time. When I had the BMW K100RT , I fitted a Fornales shock on the rear. It was an air shock, no spring. French made light aircraft shock. That was a beauty. Good explanation, Eric. All my respect for Memorial day to all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Cheers
Memorial day is not a Happy day. We should all take the time to remember those that gave their lives for this country. Memorial Day. A remembrance day! Cool info with the shocks though. Thanks again Eric!
Great quick tutorial Eric. Setting that pre-load on the rear shocks makes a world of difference. I like how Harley has those dot placements on the shocks and chart guide that’s pretty cool, makes it much easier guideline to follow 👍👍
Even though I ride a Honda, the adjustments made from the stock preload setting of "2" is quite noticeable. I never did find a diagram for the five settings for the weight allocation, so I just made small changes, and tried them. I ended up on the setting of "4" which is stiff, but does well in the twisted roads, and also does well with passengers. I even tried the setting on the max of "5", and it almost felt like a hard tail motorcycle! Oh, and the settings at "1" is great if you are on decent roads, but seemed squishy in turns, and bottomed out on bumpy roads. Your video is great for adjusting your Sportster shocks, and remind people that they can / should adjust their stock shocks to better suit them, no matter what they ride. A simple shock adjustment could impact the ride quality without you spending hundreds of dollars! If one has tried all the adjustments possible, and is still not comfortable riding, then maybe an upgrade to the suspension is needed. Take care Eric, ride safe.
Great video Eric. Your knowledge about simple maintenance and proper care of our machines is greatly appreciated. Keep it up with the informative videos. Thanks for the the respect and shout out about Memorial Day Brother!
Great video Eric. Who would’ve thought it’s that simple. I’m sure most people believe setting up suspension is too complex so don’t even go there. Good stuff👍
I think digesting the tables in the owner's manual is a bit intimidating. I wish dealers would walk folks through this process at the time of delivery and demo rides. Thanks for leaving a comment. Eric
Exactly the sort of video I'd want to see if I were doing this procedure. I'm not a big fan of that particular Harley shape but that one does look great in that set-up and colour scheme. Cheers mate!
I wouldn't say that. 😂 I just read and researched. There's always the answer to my problem out there. I just have to go find it. Thanks for stopping by, brother.
Great video! Yep, people don't adjust for their weight, and complain about crap... I mean, it's probably still not "the best" - but it's far better than set on zero. I did a video like this on the Touring models recently... made a huge difference!
I spent a few minutes on the phone with the Progressive suspension folks when I wanted to improve the suspension on my 2005 1200 Roadster years ago. They asked me how much I weighed with my gear, and the weight of any passengers, accessories, and cargo. Then they told me exactly what I needed to order. It completely changed the character and turned it into a Sporty Glide. Before the upgrade it would bottom out on tar strips and expansion dams. The upgrade centered the front forks and shock travel.
@@KrakensGarageandAdventures They certainly should! It would probably help on test rides, too. When I bought my SGS, the salesman offered to set it up, showed me how, and pointed out the page in the manual with the settings chart.
What a great looking bike. Interesting with the handbook info. True that you really don’t review it until something is wrong. Great articulation with the job and video. 👍🏼👍🏼
This video will help a few and be boring for most. 😂 it's hard to make a tech tip fun and interesting. Thank you for replying in kind. I appreciate you two.
I follow the roadster mods series and accessories install, I have a 48 my self and find educational and interesting this build, still you own us the tank swap video😉, saludos from México.
Good advice start cheap and work up to expensive fixes. Tyre pressures and suspension adjustment has to be the cheapest and easiest option to improve the handling and performance of the bike . Even if you have replaced the stock shocks with ohlins or legends you need to spend some time setting them up . I have fitted legends to my streetglide after the stock shocks failed but you can still have a uncomfortable ride if you don’t spend a little bit of time setting them up properly.
For the life of me, I don't get why dealers don't dial them in for a new bike buyer at the time of purchase. Hopefully, this tech tip will help a few owners.
@@KrakensGarageandAdventures There is more money to be made out of changing the “crap” stock shocks than setting them up customer service costs them money. That said HD have a reputation for fitting cheap rear shocks my 2002 dyna came with shocks that had poor damping,it was like sitting on a slightly soft space hopper you bounced round corners. The new stuff is better but they need to put some work in to compete with the likes of Honda and BMW on the touring ranges especially.
Hello Eric, I let the video play. I really don’t do any of the mechanics of any bike or vehicle. Thank you for sharing this with us. I enjoy the sound of your voice. 💕NonnaGrace 🐓
Great video Eric! I should have tried adjusting my stock suspension before spending money on the aftermarket suspension. The stock suspension on my SG special was very hard. You did a great job explaining how to make the adjustments
Shocks have always been voodoo for me. I would always try to get the weight dialed in the adjust + or - a little based on comfort. Watching some one do the adjustment makes it work better in my head. Thanks for breaking that down. . BTW I love the color on that bike.
What a great video ,setting up suspension is all too often overlooked,.Sidenote ...Holy Moly man,what a ball'n bike by the way ..jeeez that is sweet! You have such a cool collection of bikes ,great diversity in type and style .
Excellent video! I always found Harley suspension was, okay, but once I added a passenger on the back, bottoming out became inevitable, even if she wasn't a big bottomed girl :( Mine literally said to me once "Your V-Rod makes me feel fat" lol
I have Wilber’s on my CVO RG, mainly for the factor it doesn’t need changing when you add a passenger or gear. Having said that I rode with stock (Adjusted)for 50k klms. There are many people that don’t read their owners manual and don’t adjust their suspension. I think it should be part of the pre delivery at the dealership. They would just need to ask weight etc and do it on delivery in front of the customer. When I ordered my Wilber’s the first think they asked was my weight and the weight of my normal gear and if I rode solo or with a passenger. If with passenger, they asked for their weight. This was so they could factory set the preload. When I installed the suspension the preload was set spot on.
Now that's a proper suspension company the way they set you up. I've read many great reviews on the Wilber suspension. You make a solid point at setting it up for the customer at the time of delivery. Thanks for the feedback.
Yep, something that is often overlooked. a lot of people blame the company for crap... if only they knew what they were talking about and set the adjustments accordingly!!! After market companies make a lot of money from ... I will use the term "uninformed" people.
They sure do. I have to chuckle when I see a person's bike, and they haven't set it up properly. Sometimes, I sit down and explain it to them. I gauge it by if their mind is open or not. Thanks for commenting. 🙌
@guyfuller1369 Thank you. This build has been difficult to chase down parts to make it happen. I have had parts shipped from all over the globe. I'll shoot some content and start on the next one. I don't really shoot many videos on it as there's not much interest. Have a blessed weekend.
Yes, you sure can set it between the dots. The guide in the owner's manual is just a general place to start. So experiment and see what you like. The Roadster an an amazing bike! 😎
@@KrakensGarageandAdventures Was planning on putting the new suspension on the Street Glide tonight until the red cup came out. I’m thinking I’ll have to put a little extra preload from what their website calculator says due to the extended reach seat putting me 2” further back. The cafe build’s coming out amazing. Keep Kraken!!!
@@KrakensGarageandAdventures I went to the store broke bc I spent all my money on parts. The Solo cups were the only thing cheaper than the Bud Lights. 🫣
