I put this over in the suspension section and got a lot of looks but no answers....

Is there that much difference in the ride after installing air shocks?

I was considering a touring bike but love my softail. Would like a bit better ride because I ride a fairly bumpy road daily...how much better is the ride?

I'm not looking for the slammed look and I only ride a passenger once in a while.

Is it worth the $$?

 

I think the touring suspension alows a greater amount of movement than a softail does, but a bumpy road is a bumpy road. Air ride just replaces the springs to carry the weight, it's the shocks that you need to look at. I would talk to someone that knows about the shocks to see if there is any thing that could be done about using different shock rates to smooth out the ride. Air shocks basicly allow you to add or subtract from the weight rating just by using different air pressure instead of adjusting the springs.

 

Best mod to date. It is a much smoother ride over stock. The air dampens the crappy roads much better and the price has come down on some units. I say goooo for it.

 

JohnK/Pa is right, in my opinion. Air shocks = overkill.

There are two ways to go about resolving your overall dilemma: one is to make your Softail the best softail it can be, and the other is to try to turn your Softail into a Touring-class bike. The first option is sensible and achievable, while the second is bound to become a very expensive failed experiment.

To apply that reasoning to shocks, I would have to say that air shocks, on your bike, would have very negative cost-effectiveness, i.e., a huge expense for very little gain, particularly since you ride alone most of the time and would rarely adjust them. What would be cost-effective for you would be to replace the rather marginal stock shocks with Progressive's new 422 adjustables, which can be had on eBay for $349 and which would be a huge improvement over what you have, once you get the settings dialed in. I haven't felt the need to change out my shocks yet, but on my last bike I went from stock to Progressive 440s (not for Softails) and they made a huge difference.

With your back issues, I would concentrate on resolving the triangle: the relationship between your hands, seat and feet. There isn't much you can do about your foot position as the floorboards are fixed, but the hands and seat issues are critical.

As to the seat, nothing will do you as much good as an integrated backrest. Not just something to lean back on, like the tour-pak, but a real backrest that can be moved forward and back, up and down, and that swivels to meet the curvature of your spine. Either Mustang or Corbin will give you that; a full Mustang set (seat, backrest and touring pillion) can be had online for $515 plus moderate shipping. If you go with Mustang, it should be the wide vintage solo, not the "sport" version, which people do not like as much.

Fixing the "hands" part is not as straightforward. Sitting on your bike in your normal posture, close your eyes and raise your arms until they are approximately parallel to the ground. Where your hands are right now is where the grips should be, without reaching or leaning forward This is a total zero-stress position. You need to find bars that will enable you to sit exactly this way, which, with the right seat, you could do for an 8-hour stretch with no problems. If you phone the folks at WildOne and tell them what you're looking for, they will advise you on which bars you need. On my FLSTC, the 0518 did the trick. No reaching, no wrist turn-out (wheelbarrow effect), no shoulder or neck pain. You can get "specials" on the Wild1 site for around $160, which may have a tiny blemish you can barely see.

The order in which you do this is also important. The seat should come first, to establish your sitting position with the backrest in place, then the bars. Last but not least, after you've got the seat, backrest and bars dialed in, comes the windshield. It should come to just under your nose for best effect. I chose a 2" shorter-1"wider replacement shiled from CEEBailey for, iirc, $105. It's also twice the thickness of the stock shield, so no flexing at high speed or in very gusty conditions, which you encounter often.

Sorry for the long-windedness, and perhaps for answering questions you never asked. I've been dialing my rides in for over 40 years, and I've been watching your struggles recently with the Softail/Touring issue. Set up properly for a specific rider, the Softail can be every bit as comfy as a Road King on long trips, and (in my opinion) a lot better looking. But if one of the the major elements (hands, seat) is not right, it can also be very uncomfortable. Many people are fine with the stock set-up, but for those of us who are aging, or who have a physical issue, it becomes critical to set the bike up in a very specific w

 

Yeah . . . What he said. Thanks by the way for the Prog #.

 

No problem. Those people are cheap and reliable, but be aware that their customer service, should you need it, is as sketchy as their prices are good.

 

Before you try converting to something else, I would try loosening the rear springs to the point of it almost bottoming out over a bump and see if the shocks take the ride and make it smoother. If you have a tight spring adjustment then it restricts the suspension from moving through the full amount of travel allowed without adding more weight to the bike. Just a thought.

 

Thanks Philip....

I'm just trying to get more comfy and it never hurts to ask questions.

I have done a 1000 mile trip on it but now that I'm riding daily I can really see/feel the short comings in the way I'm riding. I'll look into the progressives...I don't need a "cadallac" ride just a bit of smoothing out.Heck I might just beable to adjust my shocks -- I haven't tried yet. I just wanted to know if the air shocks would do me any good.

I have found that it is riding a passenger, even my 100 lb daughter, that is the real pain in my back.Hubby gave me the shock treatment with electric shock device he has for his arm....that does wonders!!!

I'm really thinking alot of my problem is the seat. Not the backrest becauseI get lots of support. I specifically setup my bike like that and believe it or not I have the tour pak on there most of the time. I have added to the backrest to be sure it has support and sit the bike pretty well....I think my seat has "collapsed" with the gel pack and needs to be replaced. I was considering going to corbin and having a custom seat made. I am also still struggling with that heat problem.....now that I have the pipe heat off of me it turns out the heat is coming right through the seat when it is 90 degrees + outside.

Unfortuantely changing the seat to something that I don't find fits the look of my bike would just be a waste for me. If I didn't care then I would just change to the touring bike. I really really don't want a full backrest on my bike....If it comes to that I might as well change bikes. It sounds petty but there are reasons I bought the softail Deluxe, part of that is the cool factor.

Seriously I am thinking if I can get the seat and a bit smother ride I might be doing ok.

Still thinking on the touring bike though....only because I have been pricing out COMM systems and finding that the price makes little sense to do over just putting that money down on a new bike. It's seriously depressing.

 

Several friends of mine have done ride-in appointments at Corbin in Hollister and have been extremely pleased with the results. They fit the seat to you while you wait, then, before they cover it, they send you out for a ride and make whatever adjustments you need, as many as you need. Some have been dissatisfied with Corbin seats, but never anyone who has done a ride-in, to my knowledge. It's also a little-known fact that they can use foam of varying degrees of hardness, so you can avoid that "sitting-on-a-brick" feeling.

Be aware, too, that Corbin seat pans are immensely thick and heavy--nothing at all like the stock seat pan--and I doubt much heat would come through it. I had one on my BMW and loved it.

As to the coolness factor, each person is their own answer to that question, and I'm sure you will come up with the right answer for you.

Regards and good luck.

Philip

 

I still say change to metzler me 880's as well. They are much smoother than the dunlops and absorb a lot of the bumps and vibration on a normal "bumpy road".