Improving the performance of a stock 2004 Sportster with the installation of Progressive Suspension Monotube fork tube cartridges. We also changed the stock 21" front wheel to 19".
I was about to do mine this morning, then got called to work. Bike is on the lift with oil draining. I too wondered about not taking the forks off... or even removing front wheel... oh hang on.. axle in the way of the cone/damper bolts. Thanks for this video.
Hi. I have a Sportster seventy-two 2015 with only 5000 miles. The front fork makes a clankc in extension and stains the bars a bit. I want to install these monotube. Should I change the seals or how these monotubes work with very little oil is not necessary ?. Thank you!
Seems simple enough. Although I worked on all parts of all my dirt bikes from 1969 to 1985 for Motocross, Hare Scrambles, Enduros and GNCC, I somehow am apprehensive to work on my 2004 1200C. Not sure why. I dislike the stock front springs as they bottom out hard on some bumps and have massive sag. Changing from the 21" improves handling in the turns I take it? Funny how all the dirt bikes have 21" front wheels. Google is how I found your video. Nice job. Straight to the point w/o a lot of fluff. I'll have to check the Progressive Suspension Monotube fork tube cartridges. Thank you. Jeff (Maryland) .
The 100/90-19 front wheel/tire does turn more easily than the larger-diameter 21" front wheel. It's also beefier and less prone to destruction if you hit a pothole. Thanks for the kind words.
Did you add any of the black C shaped shins to lift the height a little? I was thinking about using one per side. I weigh about 190lbs. Standard 2004 XL883. Put Progressive 444’s on the back too. Was upset with Progressive, as the eyes at either end had no metal bushes... So I measured up, put the old springs back, and started to make my own bushes on the lathe..... only to then find the bag of bushes in the box ! Doh....
I have a 2006 1200 Custom might do this mod. Do I keep The my stock front fender? Can I use a Dyna 19" or just Sportster? When going to 29" is the front spring height more or same height as 21" So is the rake on Sportsters all the same?
Yes, you can keep the stock front fender. If the Dyna wheel has the same width and bearing size, it should work. I believe all 2004-up to about 2010 Sportsters have the same rake. Not sure what you mean about the spring height .
I have the same sportster but a 2017 model. Want to know if this cartridge kit ia better or getting progressive springs better? Is there a way to get a longer spring length to reduce sag?
For most people the Progressive springs are a better deal. They use different length spring spacers to adjust the sag, and cost much less than the Monotubes. If you ride a LOT of miles (like 10,000+ per year) the Monotubes will save you money on maintenance in the long run.
@@BikesBuiltBetterHorsham Thank you for the information, yeah I do ride quite a lot during the year BUT that is not my main concerns for upgrading the forks. There are a lot of bad roads within the city and in general. So i want to upgrade to counter act those as well as to reduce the dive while braking.
@@Dude_Virus Holy cow. Oops! Sorry. I was expecting New York or Chicago...Well, I have been working on that Sportster in the video. Tried the Monotubes (too stiff for a 140-lb rider) the Progressive Springs with various weights of fork oil...finally bit the bullet and had Traxxion Dynamics install their $1200 conversion. Still too much hammering from the forks. I'm about to ask them for lighter weight springs. At this point I wish I had known about the guys who built a Sportster for the Baja 1000. I'm starting to think that the big issue is just not enough travel for the lousy roads. I've been wondering if a set of forks from a Honda Africa Twin could be transplanted to a XL. That bike has a similar weight to the late Sportster, but it's got something like 8 inches of travel. That's as far as I've gotten for now; I'm just out of money.
