never ridden a rigid but i am saving up for bike number 2. i was wondering if anyone sells
rigid struts to replace the shocks on my softail. also if there are concerns to frame geometry
when ridin like this i understand this may be an unpopular subject on this forum, but please
spare me the: why would you want to do that b.s.

 

So, why would you want to do this?

 

LOL! I thought bike #2 was going to be a rigid?

 

yes i'm planning on #2 being a rigid but i want to know what i'm getting into

 

Cool, I got you now. What kind of riding do you do and how is your back? The rigid can be murder on the back during those long rides, you will get a real feel for the road. Find someone with a rigid and beg for a test ride.

 

You should maybe consider an air suspension, like SAS. You can ride it bottomed out if you want, and it'll be just like riding a rigid, but you have the option of suspension. If you strut it, you lose the option of suspension, but you don't gain the clean looks of a rigid frame.

As to your original question though, you could easily make some struts out of flat stock if you really wanted to. Just a matter of measuring to length and drilling a couple holes in the ends. You won't see em, so they wouldn't have to be pretty.

 

We had this idea awhile back .I was in the middle of making a set of struts out of old shocks, when someone mentioned how much stress will be put on that little rail the shock run to. So I scraped the project. Slam it, its good enough or get serious and saw the back half of your frame off and do it right.

 

To each his own. I rode my rigid from Charlotte, NC to Dayton, FL with a 100 mile detour in between. 600 miles in 11 hours. Rode a few hundred miles over the next 2 days then 500 miles back. All together 1,300 miles in 4 days and no problems.....You need to be very aware of the road and condition because one bad pot hole will feel like you took a mui tai kick to the kidneys.....

 

Here's something else to consider when discussing rigids. You are constantly tightening up loose parts. No matter how much Blue one uses it seems as though there is always something new that has loosened up. I find it tolerable because it is my second bike. In my opinion that kinda supports the idea that your shock mounts weren't made to support the stress a rigid produces. If you can do it, pull the trigger on the second bike. I have an eveyday bike and my custom rigid. I can hop on my Fatboy and ride just about anywhere and anytime. My CFL takes time to go over before I ride it. My rigid rides as well as my softtail but you need to watch the pavement. You won't regret the rigid if you have the softtail to ride as well. The complaints about riding rigids are part of the enjoyment in riding one. It makes you more manly to ride a rigid and one needs to let others know this when they have one.

 

LOL. Keep telling yourself that. Didn't make me any more manly, nor has it for anybody else.