Shock-ing, I tell ya

[JW113]

Dave I'm not sure what you mean. It's a 1977 FLH.

-JW

[david lee]

Dave I'm not sure what you mean. It's a 1977 FLH.

-JW

i meant its not junk any more.thanks

[76shuvlinoff]

Nice JW!

For what it's worth I put a set of takeoffs from an 05 FX on my 76 FLH. They're a little longer but she sits fine when loaded. Rides Nice.

[JW113]

Well, as it turns out...

After close examination of the shock that broke, I found a tiny little sticker on it with these numbers:

54615-01

So the shocks were indeed from a '01-'15 Dyna. Bummer that I already ordered a set of FLH replica shocks, could have just bought some more Dyna shocks from ebay. Oh well. It's kind of curious now that the shock broke, as it wasn't all that old.

-JW

[rageglide]

As you noted dyna shock is used with a swingarm that has less leverage.  Using that shock on your FLH with the additional mechanical advantage might explain why the eye broke off.   Better the shock than the swingarm.   

FWIW I was totally happy cruising along at slower speeds on that ride.  Of course all the lane splitting didn't allow us to go anywhere near your breaking sh*t speeds.  As I said to you yesterday given the front bikes were hitting 100mph a few times (me too) overall you were never far behind.   Good running machine.

[Burnout]

A Dyna shock or any other shock that mounts at the axle will not have enough damping for a 77FL, or any model where the shock mounts half way between the axle and pivot.

This changes the geometry for the shock and dramatically affects the damping rates and has some affect on spring rates.

It may have been bottoming out on the 77.

[JW113]

This is true, not how HD had intended to mount this type of shock. That said, and as I have said before, this Shovelhead is the nicest riding bike I own. Mounting a Dyna shock in the center of the swingarm essentially makes the spring seem softer and the damper seem lighter. But the end result is great, and in fact makes the spring/damping between front and rear almost identical, as these old stock Glide forks are sprung pretty soft as well.

And no, it was not bottoming. It's kind of hard to not notice when that happens. And I even had the springs on the lightest pre-load setting.

-JW

[kink04fxd]

I'm also using dyna shocks on my 82 FLH. 50 bucks versus 300 bucks it's a no brainer to me at least to try them. I got progressive springs in the front also. Rides great. Out of my three bikes, it's my favorite ride.

[Burnout]

I was told and agree that progressive springs waste the LIMITED suspension travel we have on a bike.

The last set of shocks I got were http://worxshocks.com/html/street_pair_street_tracker_drs_ars.html

They custom make them for your bike and weight, and they are rebuildble and re-valveable, not throw away shocks.

Even better are shocks with adjustable damping like those found on an FXDX or XLS Sport.

Many riders can't tell the difference, but those that can will welcome the adjustment.

For adjustable damping look at the "Piggyback Series"

[JW113]

For those that have the money for custom rebuildable shocks, I applaud you. But I need nice soft riding shocks for this bike. An old FLH is about as far down on the performance spectrum as it gets. Think two wheeled Barcalounger.

My "replica" FLH shocks arrived.

[attach=0]

Probably don't need to mention the brand, right? Guess the good news, better in the box than on the bike. Sent back to seller the next day. Have a set from a '16 Dyna on the way.

-JW

[Burnout]

WOW!

[JW113]

And that is just what leaked past the bubble wrap bag. IT had pools of oil inside. I wrapped and sealed the whole mess up in a plastic garbage bag so the UPS guy didn't have to deal with it. How poetic, a garbage bag...


-JW

[76shuvlinoff]

I had replica shocks on my FLH for a short time. They bent at the eyes. I went to Progressives but got the wrong ones (can't remember the model) after a year they both blew out on the same ride going 2 up, lubed the rear brakes nicely.  The factory take offs from the 05 FX seem to have been a good investment.

[JW113]

The ebay Dyna shocks showed up today, so without much ado I put them on the FLH. What a difference, back to the 1967 Buick Riviera cushy ride that I love. Me one happy camper again.


-JW

[david lee]

The ebay Dyna shocks showed up today, so without much ado I put them on the FLH. What a difference, back to the 1967 Buick Riviera cushy ride that I love. Me one happy camper again.


-JW

couldnt get a better ride than those rivieras and all elec too

[76shuvlinoff]

 

[JW113]

OK, 2 year old thread, I know. But I think it's worth reviving. Why? I'll tell you why:

[attach=0]

Here we go again, same problem as before. Right side shock broken at the top mount. OK, so if you're like me, you might suspect something is going on here, and it's probably not due directly to the shock. This was a HD Dyna shock. You don't hear of them constantly breaking, now do ya? I don't.

Here is my theory. I think I don't have the shocks aligned correctly on the frame/swing-arm mounts. I think I much have them at a slight angle, putting a bending load on them. They have now broken twice at the top mount, where they were the rod is welded to the mount. The heat from welding probably made them a bit brittle right there, since the rods are chrome plated to prevent corrosion and mess up the seal in the body. Chroming in a weld is generally not something you want. I can see that putting a bending load on them could in time cause it to fail right there. And especially when the shock goes from full extension, to full compressing, the load (angle) gets worse.

So... I ordered a replacement Dyna shock from ebay, $25 with free shipping. THIS time, I'll take extra care to make sure the top and bottom mounts are directly in line, and don't pre-load the shock.

I had a set of 13.5" shocks I put on just to be able to ride it. HATE IT! Too tall now, and way stiffer, even on minimum spring preload. Plus now, the rear wheel is completely out of the fender, whereas before, about 1/2" of the top of the tire was covered by the fender. Looks goofy now, at least to my eye. Like the muscle car days when us stupid kids would jack the back of our car way up to "look cool". It never impressed my dad.

Damn I'm getting old!

-JW