Thanks for chiming in! Nothing like hearing it form the horse's mouth!

Your input helps me with my decision, and will help many others, I'm sure.

 

Read badbs101's quote twice people,,
Heavier fork oil does serve a purpose,,

1st purpose Is It helps slow fork compression and rebound. This you
DO NOT want for normal riding. This Is only an Improvement If you ride
mostly smooth roads and smooth fast corners.

2nd purpose Is to reduce fork dive under hard braking BUT this can be
better adjusted by changing the amount of Oil In small increments.

3rd purpose, Thicker Oil helps compensate for too soft springs. BUT If
this Is the case your ride will be alot safer If you change the springs.

Any time someone changes to progressive springs they should step
back fork oil weights say from 15 to 10 wt,,or 10 wt to 7 wt.

The Bottom line Is a stiffer front end on sportster forks means It may
take longer for the front tire to get back on the ground after a bump.

This Is bad If you are pushing a sportster hard and you are not really smooth
on your control Inputs. But a stiffer front end will give faster more accurate feed back.

Did you know at 60 mph a square dead center tire hit on a 1/2" stone can keep the front
tire off the ground for more than 50 feet ?
It can If your rebound Is too slow.

Think twice about putting anything over 10wt In a Sportster,,,,,,,,,
I've run with 20wt and 15,,,now on 10 wt,,

 

I know that Progressive Suspension knowes this but for others, the term, "shock absorber" is a misnomer. The springs absorb the shock and the internals are suspension dampers.

 

So with my nightster I am basically stuck with form or function. I love the geometry of the bike so I don't really want to raise the rear end with longer shocks.

 

..which is why you get longer shocks and a lowering kit. All the benefits of a longer shock and the same geometry/look of a shorter shock

 

Additonal thought on the suspension thing. Everyone concentrates on which shocks to get, I would argue that replacing my front fork springs and oil made a bigger difference in ride quality. Others have said the same. If I could only do one, that would be it.

 

I mentioned above that with the 13.5" 440s my top muffler could rattle against the bottom shock mount when I was not sitting on the bike. To eliminate this I did as suggested above and installed LAChoppers 1" lowering blocks as pictured. The disadvantage to this is that the lower shock mount is now behind the axle making the 440s less compliant over small bumps, not their fault. If I can afford it some day I'll install 13" 440s.

 

Good point 1200C. Perhaps the overall best combination would be 12.5" Progressives with no lowering blocks. They won't raise the bike too much and they have the superior ride quality noted by Charley of the longer (12.5" and longer) progressive shocks. I originally put on the 12" progressives and wasn't too impressed because the ride was still harsh. I'm happy with the 13.5" 412's and lowering blocks but might do the 12.5" with no lowering blocks if I had to do it again. Save around $80-$100 too.

 

Having ridden a MAICO in the 70s and helping my brother with his Street Stock dirt racer suspension for several years I'm convinced of the advantages of more suspension travel if well controlled and the 440s control it very well. How do the 412s do when hitting a bump while cooking it pretty good in a turn? The 440s maintain their composure very well making it easy to trust the bike in a turn.

 

They are better than stock for sure. To be honest they could be a bit better in this regard. I could increase the preload but I was simply looking for a more plush ride. I was sick of fearing manhole covers, railroad tracks and potholes. I've accomplished my goal but I have no doubt the 440s offer even better handling characteristics. I just couldnt justify the cost based on my needs. The Progressive front springs and SE fork brace made a bigger handling improvement than the rear shocks.