Softer shocks

[a_disalvo]

A friend of mine reached the point in his life that he cannot handle his 2006 Dyna. He bought a Frankenstein trike kit, but now finds that the ride is very hard on his back. He called the company and they were not able to help him. It uses the stock Dyna shocks, and they are at the lowest setting. ( He weighs about 160 lbs). Any ideas on how to soften his ride? Thanks, Frank

[jmorton10]

Replace the shocks with Ohlin's built to his weight/riding style.

~John

[PC_Hater]

As it is a trike we don't have to worry too much about seat height so longer shocks with a softer spring will help considerably.
A seat that is close to the padding you get on an Electraglide would help too.

A few happy hours searching the internet is needed. I would start by looking at options from Progressive and Ohlins.
A choice between 'OK quality' and just about the best you can get.

Unsprung weight may also be more of an issue on a trike. Lightweight rear wheels may be in his future!

[a_disalvo]

Just wondering if a set of used Sportster shocks would have weaker springs???

[boooby1744]

They'll still be crappy softly sprung shocks. As wth most things HD, ya gotta spend the money.

[thunderrat]

Make sure your friend set his back tires pressure to between about 20 to 24 psi, it makes  a huge difference in the ride quality. If I remember right I set my wifes sporty/Frankenstein trike rears at 22 psi.

[Y2KRKNG]

If you look at the spring rate on a site like Progressive you'll see that the Bagger shocks have a MUCH lower spring rate than the Dyna due to the different shock angles however they WILL fit each other. So your friend, on the cheap, could get a set off a bagger and see how he likes them. I would stay away from the 12" ones though.

[Buglet]

   With a trike it is always going to beat your body up as instead of one wheel track now you have three. the only thing a trike does you don't have to worry about falling over. IMO out of all the trikes out there Roadsmith is the only one that has a good ride. As far as a Frankenstein I do know how they sell them. I work on a couple of them and road them, I will no longer have anything to do with them JMO. Even the Harley trike don't in press me. The rear tire pressure should be between 20 and 24 psi.

[cgaulzetti]

This may sound stupid- but beyond addressing the shocks and tire pressure- your pal may want to address his position on the trike. forward controls put a lot of pressure on your ass and can force a lot of pressure up your spine. your pal may want to look at mid controls. there is a reason why lots of touring bikes outside the Harley family share ergonomics that do put some weight on the rider's feet. Mid controls and a more comfy seat could help- even though it sounds counter intuitive. Keep highway pegs if you need to stretch out sometimes.