Progressive Suspensions 412 Shocks Review on Sportster Iron 883! 

you are most welcome Jennifer! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment

yeah I honestly was shying away from the suspension upgrade because I didn't know if I could do it myself but after doing this, 100% this should be the first mod $$ spent for a sportster if you value your comfort!

Yeah that Pan America has probably the best suspension out of all HD bikes and I felt really comfortable on it when I test rode it a year ago

after this ride, I was playing with the preload and yeah I like the step 3 as well. The harsher bumps are better absorbed at that level. It rides slightly stiffer than when it was step 1 but still better than stock! In hindsight I wish I had gone with 12.5 or 13"! I am still debating on stage 1 or 1200kit because I am still being pulled to different bikes and I don't want to mod too much of a bike that I may end up selling!

@@KSMotoCafe With my 12.5" 412's and the new Mustang solo seat (thicker than stock), my heals are coming off the ground just a tiny bit whereas before those mods, I was flat-footing 100%. I'm glad that I did not get 13" or I'd be on the balls of my feet all the time and I wouldn't like that at all. Considering your height and inseam 32", I think you made the correct choice for you. The 12.5" does gain a little weeny bit more travel than the 12.0" but not enough to fret about. The 412's already have an inch more travel than stock HD shocks. People riding the older Sportster Low have stock shocks with only 1" travel, can you imagine? Upgrading to 412's having minimum 2.5" travel is huge. The Sportster Low is the exact same bike as the standard 883 or 1200 of the same years, just shipped with shorter shocks for a slammed look. The ride is dreadful even 1-up.

Dunno if these numbers will help your decision... A stock 883 will be running about 54 HP, after stage-1 close to 60. A stock 1200 runs 73 and after stage-1 it's about 80. You can certainly hear and feel the difference that comes from the stage-1 mod, but if power is the primary goal and money is not a concern, then the 1200/1250 kits are the way to go but even after doing that upgrade, the stage-1 or 2 mod is sure to follow. That said, doing the stage-1 first is safe because it'll likely happen eventually anyway. Considering the relatively low trade-in value of a fully mod'ed Sportster, one might be better off keeping it and buying the so-called better bike in addition to it. Insurance isn't kind to us in the case of owning multiple bikes, charging us the same amount for each bike despite the fact that we can only ride one at a time. Doesn't seem fair to me.

@@KSMotoCafe I've read a ton of comments from people in forums on and other YT videos where people expressed regret after trading in their Sportsters for a more expensive ride. Comments such as missing the lighter weight and nimble handling of the Sportster, being able to push it out of the garage more easily, stuff like that, not to mention the endless aftermarket for parts.

You are absolutely correct. The exhaust upgrade can wait but it is usually the first thing people do because they want the "Harley" sound as soon as possible lol (like me)

Roadglide is end game bike for sure! Has everything a cruiser rider wants

😎🤟

Well you did the smart thing by just upgrading the bike to something that already had better seat and suspension! I am just stuck making minor improvements so that the next owner of this 883 will benefit from it lol

@@KSMotoCafe Actually, I built my Sporty to a 1250 with a Hammer 90 hp kit, 2 tuners, and 2 sets of exhaust plus labor. I should have bought a 2016 1200 Roadster, and just swapped exhaust. Then buy my 2017 Dyna low rider s. Pudgy Bobby was very comfortable with easy to adjust pre-load knob

I am not familiar with this mod. Does this work only for chain drives? because my sporty is belt driven.

@@KSMotoCafe I did the modification on my belt drive 883. It took some search but I purchased the gear online for about 50 dollars as I recall. And I did the progressive cartridge kit as well. I also did a big brake kit.

it is good to know that the riding improves as it gets more broken in! I actually ended up adjusting the preload to 3 clicks to soften the bigger pot holes

yeah I kinda wish I got the taller one

I would be in trouble with the speed laws if I was on a litre sport bikes! I already had a taste of speed on a Ducati Monster 1200 and yeah I have too much fun on those...

@@KSMotoCafe Thanks for sharing your thoughts bro. Yep Ducati Monster is a great bike. I also like cruisers for the very same reason( license- don’t want to loose it and space- Harley is the only motorcycle that looks good with two up space and options). Also when it comes to different types of road riding it just few modes on a cruiser that you need. An fully adjustable rear and front shock on any bike is the trick. I have a Harley-Davidson street rod 750. I bought it for just round town rides and sooner realised that for longer rides it was hurting my tailbone bone . Dealers suggested to go for softail model ( that meant selling of my bike at loss and adding mortgage). I saw a lot of disapproval face with my choice of bike. I did my research to understand what made ride more comfortable on motorcycles. The seat - I bought Corbin seat. The bike doesn’t fit my ergo correct so decided to make it fit( bought Rox 4.5 inch pivoting risers + street 500 foot mounts to extend the control by 2 inch forward and 1 inch downward) . The bikes fit me now. Then I wanted wind protection- bought El Paso 15 inch black windshield + mounting .I want more comfort- the next best thing was Ohlins . I have now installed Ohlins piggyback reservoir fully adjustable shock( trust me the adjustable compression make the road soft as pillow). If I had bought a softail I still will have to do all of the above( coz sadly that’s how Harley is).Learning is any road bike can do all the road riding if you love the bike(not taking about sport bikes here). Only thing I miss is fuel capacity and cruise control. My next updates are front fork( Ohlins) and a Heal-Tech quick shifter. Maybe I will also buy a Break Away mechanical cruise control.

it is the best bang for the buck type of mod! highly recommended if you intend on keeping your 48

no regrets - taller shock requires longer kickstand too so it is best to keep it 12

I thought I didn't want to increase the seat height too much that I would have to tip toe. But after riding around, I could have gone with 12.5 or 13" but it could change the bike's overall look if the tail end is raised too high.

@@KSMotoCafe I went with 13”s on a Superlow; gives you an extra couple inches of travel. In Europe you need to pass a license test leaning and using only one foot at a stop. This is generally because BMW (etc,) bikes naturally have a higher center of gravity and taller build in general. It’s good to keep this in mind.

I haven't ridden with a passenger and I probably never will on my bike. I can foresee it bottoming out quite often with that much weight. If I got the heavy duty version - different story

whats the big difference from 412 to 430?

@@KSMotoCafe tool-less adjustment, lifetime warranty

@@teucer4 whoa yeah that's cool

not yet - I don't think I will need to though

I would love a Fat Bob 114 but it's outside my budget, so most likely it will be a non-harley..

@@KSMotoCafe if you ever get a chance to review the Honda Rebel 1100 would love to hear your thoughts !

430 can be installed upside down and the preload can be adjusted with just your hands without the need of a tool

@@KSMotoCafe thats it ? Other than that they are the same shocks ?

@@Loss8131 430 is supposed to have better dampening design but I don't think it is noticeable between the two

standard

might happen next season!

@@KSMotoCafe I’ve got 2004 Roadster with S&S super e carb and 2 into 1 exhaust. I’m 62 so I’m not out there trying to prove myself but it’s got a bit of torque to it. Figured the 1250 kit would be cheaper to do then buy another bike especially since you said you loved your 883

You can get em from FortNine if you live in Canada!

@@KSMotoCafe So I just ordered some 412’s from Amazon. They look super high quality and all that. Installed them tonight and noticed that they bottom out very easily from me bouncing up and down on the bike with my body weight. Is that what you noticed as well? These seem like ultra soft shocks.

@@harris8390 have you adjusted the pre-load to your riding weight? if your riding weight is over 240-260 - you should get the Heavy Duty 412s

colwood municipality needs to get their shit together to fix all them holes!

yes