I have a 2010 883 Iron and I am less than impressed with the suspension. Has anybody tried Ricor's Intiminator or their shocks on a sportster?

I'm probably, possibly, maybe for sure getting the Intiminator for the forks. Does the Iron have 39mm forks?

The stock shocks are 11". How much longer can they be without negatively affecting the handling? With all my gear on, jacket, helmet, boots, gloves, I'm probably around 260 lb, but I've had to adjust to the lowest preload to get the springs to compress at all and I have no noticeable sag when I sit on my bike.

I am not an aggressive rider. I use my bike for commuting 40 miles round trip and plan to cruise the Texas Hill Country. My day trips will be under 200 miles and I will rarely go over 75 miles without a break or over 65 mph. For touring I can load it in my enclosed trailer and tow it with my truck to where I am going. Right now I get beat up just commuting. This is my first Harley but my seventh motorcycle. I fell in love with the looks and it just 'sounds' like a motorcycle. Unfortunately, even my old '69 BSA 500ss Thumper had a better ride. At least I could stand on the foot pegs and give my back a rest.

 

Clip I put Progressive fork springs in my 2007 1200C and mounted Progressive 440 13.5" standards with LA Chopper lowering blocks. The reason for the long shocks and lowering blocks was to gain suspension travel without getting the bike too high. I run 7w BelRay fork oil in the front. When I gently lean on the bike to disconnect the Battery Tender the suspension on both ends moves. Bumps are non events and there is no bottoming on either end. I ride long distances mostly on my bike. Before adding the Progressive equipment the suspension was the equivalent of the immovable object. I weigh about 212, you'd need the HD stuff.

 

I just installed the progressive fork springs and it feels a lot stiffer than stock. With the front brakes engage, I used to be able to pump the forks with ease. But with the Progressives springs, I really have to put my weight into it to get any movement from them. Are the springs suppose to be that much stiffer?

 

Did you cut the spacers that came with them?? Is your "rider sag" what it should be?? Go read this....http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/s...d.php?t=552796

 

I just installed the progressive fork springs on a 07 883L that my wife rides. The front end does seem stiffer but the bottoming out of the front suspension has stopped, this was a most annoying event. IMO the ride quality with the new springs is better because it elimnates bottoming out of the front suspension. I did cut the spacers that came with the springs. The instructions that came with the springs suggests ¾ to 1 inch pre-load so I cut them for around 7/8 inch preload.

Now I'm ready to try progressive shocks on the rear but not sure which length of shock to try. The stock shocks measure 11 inches eye to eye with the bike resting on the side stand. If I install 12 inch shocks will the seat high rise? If someone knows please reply. My wife is 5"2" and likes to flat foot it when stopped which she can do with the stock shocks on the rear.

 

If they are the lowering springs I believe they are stiffer. I haven't installed them on my XL yet but I did have them on my '96 Magna. The springs need to be stiffer so the forks don't bottom out having 1" - 2" less travel...
If they aren't the lowering springs then I haven't a clue. Looking on their website it seems as if that's all that is offered for our bikes is the lowering springs. If your looking for looks (or in my case need to lower it just to touch ground) you have to have a trade off. When I lowered my Magna I felt like I was beating the rim off the road every time I hit a bump.
Just like in a car that is lowered for performance, in addition to having less travel, the stiffer spring makes sure the tire is being pushed to the ground faster when hitting bumps. The suspension in my Dodge Shelby Lancer is much stiffer than in my Dodge Ram.

 

Check over on xlforum.net for Ricor info. There's a good amount of info there from people that have tried them.

 

Just installed the Progressive 412's on my wifes 07 883L. The stock shocks were 11 inches but installed 12 inch 412's. The ride is quite a bit better. With the stock shocks it was if the bike had no suspension almost like a hardtail. With the 412's you can feel the suspension acutually working. Anyone out there know if drive belt tension should be adjusted since when fully extended shocks the swing arm will be a little lower than with the stock 11 inch shocks.

 

I just wanted to update where I am on my Iron.

I've ordered and installed a Superbrace and Ricor Intiminators on my front forks. The change is amazing. The Superbrace got rid of the high speed wobble and the Intiminators have to be experienced to be believed. Even my rear shocks seem much better. It is my opinion that, especially at higher speeds, my bike was hobby horsing. When the front wheel hit a bump it caused extra weight to be transferred to the rear wheel and when the rear wheel hit the same bump the shock was transferred right up my spine. Also, on some of the Interstate overpasses when transitioning from the asphalt to the concrete of the overpass, it felt like the front wheel was losing contact with the road. Not a secure feeling. For safety's sake, I avoided Interstates and speeds over 60 mph. This morning I commuted to work on the Interstate at speeds up to 80 mph and I felt secure the whole time and arrived at work without my back hurting. This past Saturday I rode 80 miles straight on back roads with some high cross winds and had no problems.

I have ordered Ricor shocks and am eagerly waiting for them to be built.

The only minus side of this is that now I notice that the engine vibrates.