Harley 09 Ultra no rear shock or suspension on my back.

[biggums]

I love my 09 Ultra but have some back problems. Here in Montana we often have road work and uneven spots of the road. If I hit a a semi rough spots even just creeping along in a construction zone the rear end sounds like its cracking or banging and bottoming out. This jolt goes all the way up my back. I have stock rear air shocks with minimum air but they feel like a rigid nothing shock.

What can I do to get a real soft rebound and real soft hard to soft to my back shock for this machine? For such a big bike it bangs like there is no shock at all.

Help please as my back cannot take another ride!

[panjs]

What pressure are you running in them? If the pressure is very low they might be bottoming.

[Deye76]

or you over fiiled them and their blown. About 15 psi max. is what they take.

[WVULTRA]

big:

I'm running '09 shocks on my Ultra, and usually keep 30# in them solo, and the ride is very smooth!

IMO, the less air you run the harsher the ride.

[biggums]

Yes the bike has been sitting some. I'll try 30 lbs in them. I've heard folks going to Progressives etc for better suspension. Not sure what I'll want to do until I try some air pressures.

Thanks

Dave

[WVULTRA]

IMO, the stock shocks are pretty good when set to correct pressures.  Probably not as good as the Progressives, but a close second.

Experimenting with the pressures should help alleviate some of the roughness.  And IMO, if it sounds like it's bottoming out, it's usually caused by pressure being too low.

Good luck!

[PosseRider]

or you over fiiled them and their blown. About 15 psi max. is what they take.

The newer bikes can go to 50psi. IIRC

[glens]

Yeah, the 09s went to a different ratio of steel spring vs. air spring.  I'm maybe 180 and on my 09 Ultra riding solo with medium load in the bags/trunk I can get by with 30 PSIG.  With my better half along 45 PSIG is a good figure (manual says go straight to 50 fully loaded and I believe it).  Much less pressure in either condition and it'll bottom hard way too easily.  I forget if it's 1/2 or a full inch loss in rear wheel travel with the newer chassis.

I (totally innocently) took a friend's wife on a short ride earlier tonight (looking for our boys on their bicycles).  She tips the scales a little bit more than my gal and with the 30 I had in the shocks from riding earlier, I had to be very careful what I rolled over; it was bottoming so much on so little I had to apologize.

I kind of don't like that it's so necessary to change pressures so often.  45 is just too much solo.  I guess it's necessary because air's so much more progressive and that's needed with the shorter stroke.

[superglidesport1]

This has nothing to do with your shocks, but I've got a bad lower back and now use a back brace when riding. I started using a light elastic back support. This improved my posture and subsequently reduced discomfort and after ride pain. I also recently purchased a Back-A-Line brace and it also helped significantly.

[harleyjt]

....I have stock rear air shocks with minimum air but they feel like a rigid nothing shock.

There's your problem.  Add air according to the manual.  Very low air pressure lets it bottom out easily.  They are designed to be run with air to assist the damping action. 
jt

[KGaudineer]

I would have to say that it sounds like low air pressure.  I tip the scales at 193 and when I ride solo I usually have the shocks set at 30 to 35 psi.  When the better half joins me on rides (she is 140 to 150 (Keep that a secret)) we will run with the rear shocks at 40 to 45.  I purchased one of the small hand pumps that I keep in my tour bag which is really handy.