What Is The Very Best Shocks I Can Buy For My 2013 CVO Roadking?
#11
May I ask how you find those shocks, especially over small sharp bumps, any bottoming, I am familiar with Ohlins on my Fireblade (many moons ago) but obviously a fully loaded tourer weighs considerably more, do they deal with the extra weight? Thanks, Ady
#12
After trying some BiTubo shocks on the Road King with less than stellar results (Ohlins are my benchmark), I moved the Ohlins from our Wide Glide over to the Road King (after confirming that the spring rate was still appropriate: we got lucky) and then had Howard fine-tuned them at his booth during Bike Week in Daytona. They were almost a little over-sprung, but as you can see by the pre-loading, still within the correct stiffness range.
So, the extra weight isn't an issue; they have proper amount of preload and sag to allow the full range of +/- travel. The dampening is adjustable and we have it set to be a bit more plush that what I use with the Ohlin's on my BMW R1100S which has made my wife very happy.
Unlike a lot of other shocks I've used, and especially the Harley shocks, the Ohlin's don't really seem to bottom-out with a sharp jolt, even over the worst bumps that catch me by surprise. Again, my wife takes the brunt of those big hits and she has been thrilled with the bike ever since we switched to the Ohlins.
The BiTubo's went on the Wide Glide which I ride now solo which is the only reason I can get away with using them. They've been a good shock for the Wide Glide but I should really switch out the spring for one that's stiffer.
Last edited by FXD_TG; 11-16-2014 at 07:05 AM.
#14
#15
Seriously, Harley's Premium Ride, Hand-Adjustable Touring Shocks (standard or low) -- right side handling compression while left handles rebound -- were designed to make pre-load adjustments easier to make and a little bit better than the standard Harley OEM shocks. And, all that adding or removing pre-load does is adjust the ride height when the "normal" load is increased or decreased; that's it.
If the Premium shock's spring rates are too high or too low for how you spend most of your time in the saddle, adding or removing pre-load won't fix that. With a combined weight of 275lbs, we're just on the light side for Harley's OEM shocks, hence the need for us to look for shocks that gave us a choice of spring rate.
Beyond that, if you aren't happy with the Premium OEM Harley shock's dampening characteristics there's nothing you can do about it; there is no rebound adjustment. And, getting the "suspension right" solves all kinds of problems; for folks who ride two-up... an important one is passenger comfort. If the passenger's saddle's not comfortable or they get a sore back chances are, it's not the saddle: it's the rear suspension.
In closing, I'll keep holding on to my OEM shocks in the event we ever part with the bike since our Ohlins may or may not have a high-enough spring rate for potential buyers. And, FWIW, it's not a Harley thing: the OEM shocks on my Honda and BMW sport bikes that came before adding Harley's to the stable also had mediocre stock shocks that got replaced with Wilburs, Penske or Ohlins. Suspension continues to be the best place to spend your money first when upgrading a bike... any bike.
Just my .02.
Last edited by FXD_TG; 11-18-2014 at 09:42 PM.
#17
#18
Yep! What he said,,, must say though, I'm very happy with the hand adjustable shocks that came with my 2013 SERK. They are a huge improvement over the air shocks that came on my 2010 Ultra Classic! I bet ya wont have any problems selling the shocks ya take off. Let us know what ya decide & how ya like em. Good Luck!
#19
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onedae
Screamin Eagle CVO Models
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03-01-2010 07:40 AM