Thanks Doc. When I adjust for solo, I sit on the bike and it drops a little with a knee bend I remember. When I adjust for two up, we mount and the knee bend is there too. If I forget and leave it for two up, then mount solo, no knee bend, right then I dismount and do my solo setting. (Plus it would ride very hard). We must pay attention to what our bikes are telling us!
Hi doc my name is Vinny Vigorito from nj we stopped by to meet and greet you and what expected a very knowledgeable guy he explained to me the problem I had with my road glide suspension he told me what to try and I’m gonna try it first before I go ahead and spend the money for a new set of ohlins or legends thanks doc for all of the information and it was a pleasure getting to meet you Vinny Vigorito Wayne nj
Gosh, what timing. I just bought my 2021 Street Glide, and I was wondering about those shocks too. On some of the bumps I feel like my kidneys are in my shoulders. I'm 500 miles away from my first service so not being much of a mechanic I'll probably ask HD to adjust them, but now that I know that thing is behind my saddle bag I might just give all this a look for myself. By the way Doc - it's your videos that played a major part in my decision making to purchase the bike!! Cheers!
Seriously I hate riding customers glides with stock suspension,I have always run ohlins and have just fitted the se ohlins setup its night and day in ride quality and as my old boss used to say quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.
OMG I just put my newly acquired first Harley 2016 SGS away for the winter, I took the bags off and stored them safe in my home, did this just Wednesday. First thing i notice is the difference between, shocks, show my riding partner who rides a older softtail, and he was surprised too. We saw the adjuster and started to piece it together, But Doc, like RD2D you filled in the missing part of the Map. What a timely video. Thanks will be tinkering with that adjustment this spring.
Hi doc, I’ve been watching a bunch of your videos lately and find them very informative and your delivery is always clear, concise and well spoken. I recently purchased a 2021 FLHT and was surprised to find how harsh the stock suspension setup is. In my tinkering for a solution I discovered that the right shock has absolutely no damping capability at all. It’s simply a travel limiting device to mount the spring on. I would like the opportunity to discuss this with you if you’re not too busy.
I could never get my 2019 street glide ride dialed in. I bought Legends suspension and if I knew how great they were it would have been my first add on. They work great
I had my air shocks on 2016 King & 1 started leaking a tiny bit of oil, I bought a set of these and what a huge improvement, I can literally make a full right turn 1 handed with a Tour Pak & my wife on it with ease, & way less bumps., these keep my bike upright & not feeling like I have the back of my britches loaded full of weight. The bike seems lighter and more nimble.. These shocks are great upgrade versus my stock air shocks. Thank you for explanation Doc!
I might be the only Road King Special owner who ditched those shocks and put on the air shocks that are found on my other Road Kings. I'm a solo rider at 195 lbs and found those shocks to hard. Also I would never pay for those super over priced after market shocks that are available. I have 4 Road Kings..2003,2006,2015 and a 2019 RKS and I love the air shocks. As a matter of fact I rebuilt the 2003 and 2006 Shocks as they are the same shock that Honda used on their early Goldwing GL models. I bought seals and springs from Honda.
I weigh 150 lbs no passenger shocks set on zero still had to add my removable tour pack and toss in 30 lbs for the ride to be decent. I'll be upgrading to progressive suspension
My wife and I upgraded to progressive 444’s….. don’t waste your money, just bleed a bit more and get those legends…..you won’t regret it, I promise you!
@@johnnap8564 I ride two up and I ride pretty much maximum as far as the bike can handle which I think is right around 1300 pounds bike, riders and gear. I purchased the 444’s mainly because of the difference in the price between them and the legend Revo A’s. If I’m going to be honest I would be lying if I told you that the progressives weren’t an improvement over stock but the sheer reality is that on a scale between 1 to 10, one being the worst or stock and 10 being the very best I can imagine, the progressives come in at a strong three. For instance, with the progressives I had to adjust every time I got on the bike by myself and readjust every time my wife got on the bike because the shocks were too stiff with me by myself. I just took that as something normal I thought I’d have to do all the time until I upgraded to the legend Revo As. All I can say is the legends are so completely utterly different in ride quality and well worth the extra money. I would not waste my time with the progressives save it up and buy your legends you won’t be disappointed. And if you want to take it one step further, that stock front end needs serious upgrade as well do yourself a huge favor and get the legend axio cartridges there as well. It is utterly amazing! you will just be dumbfounded at the overall ride quality.. amazing!
Love your videos doc Maybe you've done this one already maybe not but I've got a 2013 Sportster 1200 XLC with 35,000 miles most of which I put on myself 😁 id like see how YOU do the fall away for neck bearings. What YOU disconnect and so on. Thank you. By the way I like your new intro and outro nice update 👍
Thanks for the suggestion. At this time I would rather suggest you invest in a Factory Service Manual. It has step by step instructions for this and all else you would be interested in servicing....Doc
@@LowCountryHarleyDavidsonthanks yeah I actually have one and am a do it your selfer. It says to only disconnect the clutch cable, regardless it didn't quite turn out how I expected. Might take this one to the shop . Thanks for all you do on here.
Great info Doc. Could you do one on Harley's air pump maintenance? My pump seems to not pump as good as it use to. Dried out or something and that pump isn't cheap. Keep up the good work.
Doc Harley: “I’m not gonna be the first one to ask how much your wife weighs while checking out the chart.” Me: Cleaning coffee off my computer screen while sipping my coffee when he said that.
Ok Doc on my 15 RK I switched to those shocks in the video I always ride solo & have solo seat. I’m 215lbs set at 0 to stiff. Over the summer I hauled a 36pack + at least 10 lbs ice, so say another 40lbs that’s 255 and it’s still to stiff. Than I find out I can’t even change the fork oil with out disassemble the whole front end because some genius thought it would be better to not put fork drains on the newer models? Not sure what year they started that but it was a bad idea. For some reason Harley just can’t get the suspension thing figured out as I read on many forums complaining about suspension, particularly Touring models. Maybe Harley should go back and ask AMF since my 1981shovelhead Rides Better than my 2015 😫
Doc, I weigh 300 and my wife I am not allowed to say. But we are over the chart limit. Is the an option to go to that would be better than what we have now? 2016 Road Glide Special with adjustable shock
@@LowCountryHarleyDavidson I’m just saying, if the shoe fits….. those stock shocks might be ok for a 98 pound Chinese gent, but for two folks weighing in at roughly 400+ together, and gear , legends really shine.
On my 17 Street Glide Special I NEVER got it to ride right. No matter how much I messed with the adjuster it was always like riding on a cinder block. Almost felt like riding a hardtail at times.
Hey Doc great job with the tech talk. Can shocks from a 2017 and up be used on a 2002 -2007 touring models? Considering the difference in the size of swingarms. And does the bigger shock have to be on the pulley side, does it matter?
Sorry I have not included "how to" videos. I would strongly suggest anyone purchasing a Factory Service Manual. Each service has step by step instructions....Doc
Coincidentally, the 2000 Electraglide that I adopted from the back of an elder gentlemans garage had leaking air shocks. the plumbing was really just decorative anymore. Not unexpected from a system old enough to drink. A set of lower end Progressive shocks just arrived (what the budget will currently allow). The forks seem to still be intact and holding a pressure that Ive applied. One thing that isnt clear to me (and wont be until I remove the fairing is should I, or how would I, remove the air system if I upgrade the forks to a cartridge system? do I just plug holes in the tubes with appropriate fasteners? Or is a set of tubes or caps necessary?
On previous years & other models, we're always instructed to adjust the preload on both sides equally. I.e., one set on the second notch the other has to be on the second notch. These only adjust on the left side. So what gives?? Why would having the adjustment on one side not affect the handling??
@@LowCountryHarleyDavidson 🤔 I’m not an engineer so I’d need someone to draw me a picture of that. Quite a fast answer too! Always enjoy the video efforts.
I do not know of a 10 inch that can handle the weight and suspension needs of a Street glide. Contact Legends for front and rear suspension parts, choose a very thin seat and add extra soles to your riding boots…..Doc
The only way to maintain them is by placing them in the trash where they belong. This way, they will never deteriorate and will never have another chance to damage your spine and kidneys. Don't waste a dollar on HD suspension, get aftermarket.
Hey Doc, I have a question. On the adjustment knob that was shown it has a numbered sticker, my 2016 Road Glide doesn't have this, so I have to count the "clicks", is it an afterthought or is mine missing this ??? Thanks again for your time and effort.
I bought a new to me 2020 RG. It has the arnott air ride installed. I can not stand the ride....I feel like the bike is tripping over everything instead of absorbing the road. What do you suggest I do to it or do you have a suggestion to replace it?
I am not familiar with Arnott Air Ride. But I always suggest talking with the company. It is possible a valve has gone bad, or maybe the internal parts need a beefier part to handle your gear. I am sure you do not have a lowering adapter at the swing arm that puts the shocks side ways. No shock works well in this position. Dont call and blame, just ask for help.....Doc
I do not have enough experience to advise on what is the "BEST" Forums are very opinionated, I would suggest asking all your riding buddies. Many settle on what cost the least. You get what you pay for....Doc
Can you please do a video on how to adjust the alignment on the rear wheel of a late bagger? That design is a joke! I find it virtually impossible to get a true alignment with those things as they not only there a huge amount of movement in them but there are no marks AND they always move when you torque it to spec.
Once again I don't think I'll EVER own a new Harley , just way to much grap to go wrong with them , bought a new one in 1988 and have been riding the hell out of it every sense , yes it has needed some repairs over the years but all in all been a reliable machine .
The suspension on my new 2023 Road Glide Limited is absolute garbage. It might as well be a hard tail. Every bump gets transmitted directly to the rider. I weigh 180 lbs and the preload is set at 1. There is zero sag when I mount the bike. Absolute junk. Harley Corp should be highly embarrassed but they aren’t because they could care less once the bike is sold. That’s a fact.
How about all the other bikes ? Sportsters ,Dynas , the bikes with air shocks……etc. I know you probably can’t speak poorly about the “Brand” But there is some things to look at. Those stock suspension shocks are actually two different lengths. I was surprised when I removed mine to replace with suspension technologies. Though that horribly over built and over weight swing arm is stiff enough. I wonder if it isn’t getting torquing from those different lengths shocks? My 18 Roadking had those as well as my 19 Roadglide. Liking the ride better with aftermarket shocks
Totally not true. Physics is a real thing and there are numerous premium bike on the market with assymetrical suspensions in both front and rear. Lots of examples in the OEM and aftermarket offerings if you’d take the time to research the topic.
Yes those shocks suck sorry but Harley Davidson is just saving money. They suck especially if you ride two up!!! They should be ashamed of themselves putting that junk on The bike.
Agree completely, those shocks are utter crap from Harley, I don't know how he keeps a straight face even talking about them, they're only good for the garbage bin.
@@stevenwatson3973 They should give customer opportunity to at least upgrade at the dealer, restock that crap as a new part, subtract whatever it costs from final price and voila! I think it should be like that with everything dealer offer as an upgrade. But… yeah, we all know where it goes.
