Which Shocks to buy '14 Limited - Ride Solo - No Trunk

[klammer76]

I was prepared to go full retard and buy a set of piggybacks from Ohlins. I am getting off pretty lite at only $610.

Nothing retarded with using what is unarguably one of the most quality brands on the planet with some of the best support in the industry at Ohlins USA, which I believe is close to your local.

Trying to make an unjustified case against Ohlins would be questionable.

Hey Rick, your in box is full. I have been trying to get a hold of you for a while. PM or give a call.

[klammer76]

Bruce,  Personal involvement with Klammer and KumaRide (who I ridden with) is what finally prompted me to talk to Pierre at Works.  Both riders had identical complaints (harsh w/limited shaft travel) with their Works shocks.  The result was larger orifices in the piston which improved the shocks but not enough for either rider to keep them.  Works tended to use lighter spring rates on touring model shocks than any brand I'm aware of which put an emphasize on correct valving to control shaft speed.

Your Works touring shocks seemed ok to me when I rode them other than bottoming too easy for my weight and riding preferences.  IIRC both Klammer and Kuma had ASR with the next firmer main spring 120lb/in compared to your 100lb/in.

The Ikon shocks mentioned are gas not emulsion.

Your 159's are old enough to not have the current piston.  You might consider updating them when serviced if you haven't already.

What the difference between the shocks the 2K's bikes had and the ones on my EGC?  Did you ride their bikes? You rode mine.
My Works were very stiff even with the GF on back. Mostly IIRC in the rebound. Rick did set me up with Pierre who did some re valving. They were better but just not what I was looking for. I will add that I was not a fan of Works customer service initially. Owners son and I did not see eye to eye. Pierre was very good. Literally a week after I got my shocks back is when they went out of business. Was glad to get them back. Sold them to a friend that is a bit north of 300. He loves them. 

No clue on what you are saying about Ikon shocks.  IMO the non gas ones would be fine which is what I was saying.

159s I had were fine for me the way they were except that the travel was limited. They are long gone tho.

[KumaRide]

OP went "full retard".  lol  And from the humid climate zone...  I hope he got the same multiple discounts the members from the other forum get. Their was a specific discount called  "rebate for possible personal review". Could this explain all the favorable reviews.   

I bought my Ohlins from "the Florida guy".  I did receive a large forum discount, was never asked for any kind of review.

Maybe he stopped doing it at some point    You got a good price and like your shocks, then you done good.

Perhaps the OP can start a specific eval thread on the shocks.

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[Rockout Rocker Products]

That invoice looks very much like Amazon's policy for sellers.... you are allowed to offer compensation for a product review, just NOT FOR A POSITIVE product review.


I'm curious now & will have to try to dig up my 5 year old receipt.

[Admiral Akbar]

My Works were very stiff even with the GF on back. Mostly IIRC in the rebound. Rick did set me up with Pierre who did some re valving. They were better but just not what I was looking for. I will add that I was not a fan of Works customer service initially. Owners son and I did not see eye to eye. Pierre was very good. Literally a week after I got my shocks back is when they went out of business. Was glad to get them back. Sold them to a friend that is a bit north of 300. He loves them.  [/color]

My works shocks are likely 10/12 years old.  I kind of wonder if the QA went down hill when the old man died.  Hogmike has a set of Words that he had adjusted at their facility some years ago.  They are on his current M8 CVO. He keeps moving them from bike to bike.  Mike is lighter than I am. I suspect that when he passes, they will bury him with the shocks.

[kd]

    That's funny.  Probably true, but funny.   

[r0de_runr]

I paid $745 for HD 136 adjustable shocks.  From Howard.  $40 shipping and no tax.  Seemed like a good deal.  I spoke with him on the phone a couple of times about how to mount and set up.

One thing he was key on was making sure your top and bottom shock mount points lined up so there would be no binding when the swingarm went through its arc.  Made sense to me.  Also, to set preload at 1/3 of travel, thnen put a wire tie around the shaft and adjust for full travel on most roads you ride on.

Don't know why people hate on Howard.  But they hate on MityMites too, and I guess some folk just have to hate on someone.

[boggart]

Don't know why people hate on Howard.  But they hate on MityMites too, and I guess some folk just have to hate on someone.

I bought my first Ohlins from Howard.  He is a rough around the edges crusty old dude.  But, a lot of people who know what they're talking about and are tired of dealing with misinformation or lack of people listening are like that.  No nonsense "don't ask me questions and not listen to the answer" kinda guy.  I think a lot of people just want someone to tell them they're right and to be nice to them even if they don't deserve it.  That's my thought on why people hate on Howard anyway.  I got along with him fine.

[HogMike]

My Works were very stiff even with the GF on back. Mostly IIRC in the rebound. Rick did set me up with Pierre who did some re valving. They were better but just not what I was looking for. I will add that I was not a fan of Works customer service initially. Owners son and I did not see eye to eye. Pierre was very good. Literally a week after I got my shocks back is when they went out of business. Was glad to get them back. Sold them to a friend that is a bit north of 300. He loves them.  [/color]

My works shocks are likely 10/12 years old.  I kind of wonder if the QA went down hill when the old man died.  Hogmike has a set of Words that he had adjusted at their facility some years ago.  They are on his current M8 CVO. He keeps moving them from bike to bike.  Mike is lighter than I am. I suspect that when he passes, they will bury him with the shocks.

Thanks for the kind words! LOL
I think I'm a little heavier than you and 2 up most of the time and loaded heavy solo on the long trips.
I spent more than one or two trips and hooked up with Sandy to get my stack just the way I wanted.
Sadly he passed away before I bought my second set of shocks for the green bike.
I asked for the same setup and faxed them my build sheet but like you said the old man passed about the same time and I'm pretty sure I got "off the shelf" shocks. Something I can notice.
I may get ambitious and swap the shocks on both of these bikes just for fun.
JMO

[KumaRide]

Don't know why people hate on Howard.  But they hate on MityMites too, and I guess some folk just have to hate on someone.

I bought my first Ohlins from Howard.  He is a rough around the edges crusty old dude.  But, a lot of people who know what they're talking about and are tired of dealing with misinformation or lack of people listening are like that.  No nonsense "don't ask me questions and not listen to the answer" kinda guy.  I think a lot of people just want someone to tell them they're right and to be nice to them even if they don't deserve it.  That's my thought on why people hate on Howard anyway.  I got along with him fine.

One thing that makes this forum better then others is the members tend to seek truth and facts. In this case, the fact is my shocks, like others, were sold as custom built. Yet, they rode terrible. Very harsh and little travel, even 2up.  After much research I learned this is not as "uncommon" as we would think.  I decided to go to the manufacturer and speak with them about it. They understood whats going on and were very familiar with this type of situation and were more then willing to help.

Ohlins first sent a softer variable rate spring, IIRC a 19-26nm, to see if that would help. It did improve ride quality but only slightly. They then offered to custom build the shocks at a discounted and very fair rate.  After a few discussions with them I decided to try the newer style piston as I mentioned in an earlier post. That piston along with 25nm springs Ohlins provided made a significant improvement and a good ride both 1up and 2up.

After servicing the shocks I asked if they were ever revalved or serviced. And they said no. They were never disassembled and everything was the oem factory setup.

In the spirit of truth and facts the service invoice is attached.


Lastly, those that believe their shocks are custom built, you will never know until they are serviced by a neutral party.  That being said, if you like your ride quality and the price you paid, then does it really matter.    


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[04 SE Deuce]

- When warranted I try to drop a hint without posting names on a public forum,  especially if it's not that serious of an issue.

- I understand this motivates people to post well intended counter opinions which honestly represent their personal perception of the transactions they've had with the person/business/practices being discussed...it's only human.
- Downside is the end user may lack a full technical understanding of the product needed to validate they received what they were sold/told.

Truth is some customers do not really know what shock they have purchased when using a made up part numbering system that reads more like a Chinese food lunch menu.

I expect a retailer to truthfully represent a product and be honest about anything they personally have done to alter the product after receiving it from the manufacturer.  IMO this should be a perquisite to all other aspects of doing business.

Smoke and mirrors:
-Why change and restructure part numbers if an industry leading suspension manufacturer has simple, easy to use part/model numbers that are used industry wide throughout the world by retailers/dealers, service centers, tuner/techs and the companies own facilities/staff?...Just causes confusion for all.
      ~If alternative part numbers are used why not include the manufacturer's part numbers so the consumer can identify the product to facilitate informed purchases and service after the sale?
      ~If a special run of shocks is made by the manufacturer why not include the manufacturer's part number with an explanation of what has be added/changed to make the shock special compared to a standard stocking part numbers?
      ~If shocks are legitimately custom or altered why not include a spec sheet?
      ~Why substitute different terms than the manufacturer to describe shock features?  ie sweep valve instead of rebound adjuster?
      ~Why tell customers that their shocks are custom valved when in fact they have not been touched?  Truth comes out when serviced and valving is found to be per manufacturer's spec card.

I've only had 2 or 3 conversations with this owner over the years. One call trying to identify a set of shocks per his invoice. 
-I asked why the English and metric length measurements on the invoice were not the same?...I got no straight answer.
-I asked if he could identify the shock length per the lengths listed on his invoice?...Was told to send a picture of the shocks.
-I asked if a shorter custom length of that stock model had been made/sold...I was told yes but later verified that to not be true...once in hand shocks in question measured as standard length and no short version has been made.

He was not helpful...only interested in knowing who his dissatisfied customer was.

Contacts from here on HTT along with multiple feedback from industry professionals confirms that deception frequently occurs in humidity.

If being falsely told that your shocks are custom valved makes you feel warm and fuzzy or special...order your #2, #3 or#4 with brown or white rice.

[Admiral Akbar]

Don't know why people hate on Howard.  But they hate on MityMites too, and I guess some folk just have to hate on someone.

I bought my first Ohlins from Howard.  He is a rough around the edges crusty old dude.  But, a lot of people who know what they're talking about and are tired of dealing with misinformation or lack of people listening are like that.  No nonsense "don't ask me questions and not listen to the answer" kinda guy.  I think a lot of people just want someone to tell them they're right and to be nice to them even if they don't deserve it.  That's my thought on why people hate on Howard anyway.  I got along with him fine.

One thing that makes this forum better then others is the members tend to seek truth and facts. In this case, the fact is my shocks, like others, were sold as custom built. Yet, they rode terrible. Very harsh and little travel, even 2up.  After much research I learned this is not as "uncommon" as we would think.  I decided to go to the manufacturer and speak with them about it. They understood whats going on and were very familiar with this type of situation and were more then willing to help.

Ohlins first sent a softer variable rate spring, IIRC a 19-26nm, to see if that would help. It did improve ride quality but only slightly. They then offered to custom build the shocks at a discounted and very fair rate.  After a few discussions with them I decided to try the newer style piston as I mentioned in an earlier post. That piston along with 25nm springs Ohlins provided made a significant improvement and a good ride both 1up and 2up.

After servicing the shocks I asked if they were ever revalved or serviced. And they said no. They were never disassembled and everything was the oem factory setup.

In the spirit of truth and facts the service invoice is attached.


Lastly, those that believe their shocks are custom built, you will never know until they are serviced by a neutral party.  That being said, if you like your ride quality and the price you paid, then does it really matter.    


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So you bought your shocks from Howard?

[HogMike]

So I just completed about 850 miles on my second bike, a 2016 R1200RT.  Solo with full saddlebags.  Great suspension.  Just great.

But my primary long distance tourer is a '14 Limited.  I rarely ride it with the trunk unless I am going on a trip, so I ride solo with just a few things in the saddlebags, kind of like a Street Glide.  So I have my air shocks adjusted accordingly and when fully loaded I'm ok with the ride, but there is no getting around the short travel shocks.

I need a shock that would work from a solo 275 lb rider to a two up with luggage 275 lb rider and 200 lb passenger with luggage.  I can see a 500lb load possible but unlikely.

Most miles will be solo 275 lb rider and no trunk, or solo 275 lb rider and ten days of stuff in the saddlebags/trunk.

I am 6ft 2in so I do not need short or low shocks, do they make a 4 inch travel shock?

Thanks for your help.

Sounds to me that you need a shock that has an easy adjustment to increase the load capacity.
Everyone has a different feel for what they like/want in suspension comfort. A lot depends on your riding style.
My BMW RT has an adjustment knob for preload that works quite well, but you can't compare the BMW to the Harley, totally different suspensions. Harley has a premium shock that sorta works (in my opinion) you may want to try. There are other shocks on the market that have some sort of adjustments solo or 2 up.

Suspension talk is similar to seat, oil, spark plugs, tires, etc. talk.
In your situation I can't see one shock can be set up for you solo then adding another person and expect the ride to be the same.

Keep us posted how your search works out!

[DarrellV]

I also have a 2014 limited I bought new in 2015. Its about the most stock Harley I've ever had. And for a "gear head" like myself that's strange others say. I did changed the exhaust and retuned it asap. At 53 maybe I'm just getting older, because it's one of the "quietest" also LoL. Now after 60k miles later, I'm thinking of changing the rear shocks and seat which my wife has never liked. I've always ran Progressive shocks on my other Baggers which is a good shock. Any $800+ shock should be better than a stock shock. I'm going to look for a "good deal" on a set of Harley adjustable shocks before I spend big $ for a good set. Have to save $, my wife likes her beer you know..