Suspension Question 05 Bagger

[neatrichie1234]

I have an 05 RK with both a lowering kit and a pair of HD low profile air shocks.
I have recently changed from Dunlop to metzeler and now the rear tire is bottoming out and rubbing when going over big bumps at 75mph and above. I pumped the air shocks up to 50 psi and it still rubs.
Question: Should I go back to stock 13" touring air shocks or change to something like progressive 12.5 heavy duty?
I ride solo, mostly touring with bags fully loaded, I weigh 250.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[Deye76]

Metzlers are not supposed to grow at higher speeds. BUT, since they cheapened them, (made Brazil now) doesn't suprise me.  Sizing is different, and they don't handle as well.

[FLTRI]

Are you sure the Metzler is the same diameter as the Dunlop?
What size metzler do youhave?
ie: 130 dunlop is about 1/4-1/2" shorter than a 140 metzler.

[Deye76]

Supposedly Metzlers are supposed to be direct replacement. They were Ok when made in Germany. I installed a German metz 150 on my bagger with no issues. I'm lowered also. Currently have a Brazilian metz 150, diameter is same as Dunlop and the German, but the width is narrower.

[ClassicRider2002]

I have an 05 RK with both a lowering kit and a pair of HD low profile air shocks.
I have recently changed from Dunlop to metzeler and now the rear tire is bottoming out and rubbing when going over big bumps at 75mph and above. I pumped the air shocks up to 50 psi and it still rubs.
Question: Should I go back to stock 13" touring air shocks or change to something like progressive 12.5 heavy duty?
I ride solo, mostly touring with bags fully loaded, I weigh 250.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

neatrichie1234~~~

You haven't mentioned why you lowered your '05 RK to begin with, whether it has to do with your height or whether you lowered it for "appearance" purposes.....?

What are the length of the "HD Lower Profile Air Shocks" anyway?

The OEM Shocks themselves are 13" in length and are basically worthless for performance, thus an excellent choice would be either to consider the Progressive 412's or the Progressive 440's, the 440's offer a "life time warranty" where as the 412's do not offer such a warranty.  Obviously there are price differences as well, so it's your choice between which one you decide.....but at your weight I would obviously choose the "heavy duty" of either one of those at the 12" length which will still provide you an appropriate amount of travel.

Now if you are going to talk about "handling" I would get rid of the "lowering" kit as well as the "HD Low Profile Air Shocks (what are the lengths of these anyway) and bring your bike back to where it was and is intended to be......

Looks vs performance.....you have to decide.....I would also change the fork oil from the OEM level and type to a bel~ray 20 weight, what I am not sure about is if your '05 is running a "Cartridge" in the left fork or not, or whether both fork legs are the "conventional" "dampening" set up, if it were me and you had the "cartridge" set up, in the left leg I would rid myself of that and get progressive springs for both forks and put 11.5 oz in each fork with Bel~Ray 20w fork oil and run that for a year, if I liked it then fine, if I needed a bit more from the front suspension then I would go with the "Race Tech emulators" and the Race Tech springs with bel~ray fork oil to 11.5 oz per fork leg....cost of this upgrade is around $500.00 inclusive of parts and labor, if one were to have a professional do it.

You see I would have never "lowered" a 2005 Road King to begin with.....you may gain anywhere from a 1/2" to a 1" lowered bike but you sacrifice handiblity in the effort, unless of course the issue is one's height....then all bets are off to get one's self to feel comfortable with the bike to begin with.......although being mindful that one will always sacrifice handling in the "lowering" of the bike....it's a two edge sword of course.

I am unclear of whether your point is that your "bottoming" out only BEGAN when you changed from Dunlops to Metzler tires, if this is the case......another option is to go back to the Dunlop tires.....and if your "bottoming out" stops then you can decide about the future of whether you wish to revert back to a better handling bike by removing of the "lowering kit" and changing one's shocks back to a 12" height with a progressive shock of your choice as mentioned above, although I am not sure what the height of the "HD Low Profile Air Shocks" really is......

Regards,

"Classic"

[FLTRI]

Classic,
I totally agree with everything you said about how shock length will affect handling.
What I do not agree with is: "The OEM Shocks themselves are 13" in length and are basically worthless for performance"

Actually I have found with my 94ultra, 98rg, and 03rg, that the stock shocks (before they wear out after some 15000mi) work extreemly well for just about all tyoes of riding as long as the shock air pressures are adjusted properly for rider and passenger weights and loading.

The spring rates and dampening over the last 10 years has been improved several times and I find very little to complain about other than possible high-speed bump dampening, which could be a bit softer.

What I have found over the past 30years and 250k miles on baggers with shocks is there is no shock that fits all therefore it becomes a crap-shoot as to whether one gets a properly sprung and dampened aftermarket shock. Whereas the MOCO, using a shock that the preload and spring weight can be modified with air give that design the edge over more sofisticated shocks that have a very narrow range of ideal operation.

In other words, I have found the stock, air-over-hydraulic shock to be a better compromise than any of the single spring-rate shocks from the aftermarket.

So, if there was a sofisticated, air pressured for preload, multi dampened, low&high speed bump and rebound adjustable shock absorber available it would be the best of all worlds.....and about $1,000 per shock.
Just my $.02,
Bob

[neatrichie1234]

Well thanks for all the input.

The reason I lowered the bike is because I am 5'5".

So going back to stock height is the last option.

I really don't have any handling issues at current height except a little floorboard scraping in the turns.

I don't know the length of the low profile shocks but they are supposed to lower the bike 3/4".
So maybe they are 12 1/4".
I just don't want to buy a new set of progressives 12 1/2" and find I still have rubbing issues.
The current low profile shocks have about 35k miles on them so its probably time for a change.
Ebay has a set of new progessives for $189 or I could go with a set of slightly used stock touring shocks for about $50.

Wondering which way to go.
Thanks All. Rich

[rking1550]

why not go back to the dunlop ?
a tire will be cheaper than a new set of shocks and you know you didn't have a problem before.

[Bakon]

Stock length on FLHX and FLHRS is 12" . All other touring is 13". I agree on changing a tire before changing shocks ....but if you do, and I have on all the touring bikes I have owned. Go Progressive 440 in the rear and their springs in the front with HD SE Heavy oil. Stiffens the front to lose the dive, but still a good ride. Makes the rear firm but the hardest hits are still not bottoming out hard like the stock air Harley shocks. Your weight, HD models for sure. I weight 200 50/50 with a passenger and went HD. Just dont screw down any preload.

[FLTRI]

"Makes the rear firm but the hardest hits are still not bottoming out hard like the stock air Harley shocks"
Did you ever try increasing the shock air pressure to eliminate the bottoming which is what the pressure is for? Sometimes, because of excessive loads (ie: 2ea 200lb+ riders) the air pressure required to keep from bottoming is more than reccommended, however that's ok too.

[TXChop]

How about changing the fluid to a little thicker viscosity? I have seen other members try it and they love it.

[neatrichie1234]

On my last trip last  weekend I pumped it up to 50lbs and still bottoming.
I don't want to blow the seals. Anyone know what the max psi is?

[FLTRI]

I have run these shocks with a big load and paeesenger up to 60lbs without problems. However, when I needed that much air I realized it was telling me the shocks were worn out. When I replaced them I only needed 20lbs to keep the suspension from bottoming.
Hope this helps,
Bob
PS - The more air pressure the "tighter" the seals work, eliminating possible blowouts.

[blk-betty]

Are the shorter OEM units that come on the FLHX and FLHRS "stiffer" than the longer 13" stockers, I realize they would have less travel so I'm assuming they are stiffer or have a heavier baseline pre-load.

I've got an 06 FLHX and I only weigh 160 lbs, fully loaded with gear is probaly just about 200 lbs.  I've intentionially set the air pressure at about 5 psi because they are so stiff.

I seem to be having the opposite problem.  Instead of bottoming out they don't seem like they compress much at all and my ride is pretty harsh with the back wheel popping up over bigger bumps in the road.  Even when I sit on the bike it doesn't seem to drop more than 1/4" or so.  I thought running very low air pressue would lighten the pre-load.  Anything I can do to make them more "cushy" and not so stiff.

BTW, bought the FLHX with the lowered suspension because of MY lowered suspension so going to longer shocks is not an option.

[Deye76]

neatrichie, new 13" H-D air shocks (more travel than the shorties), a lowering kit form TJ Products, a set of Dunlop E-3 tires, you'll be happy again. Check with your dealer, they may have a new set of 13" (take offs) for a good deal.

[FLTRI]

"Anything I can do to make them more "cushy" and not so stiff."Let out the remaining pressure. That will help a bit more.
If you were to put the 13" stock air shocks on without any pressure you may find the ride height similar to the shorter, more preloaded shocks.
Just a thought,
Bob

[blk-betty]

Thanks Bob - will let out all the air and see what happens.