Hi

have a 2012 superlow in india , HD being new to india there are too many views not necessarily correct

Need to change my front springs to progressive stock length springs . Weigh 175 pounds . have done only a little over 300 miles

1) can i just remove the existing springs & spacer & put in the new springs/washer/spacer without changing fork oil as i have done only 300 miles ?
2) does the existing oil level need to be increased or decreased ?
3) if i change rear shocks to a longer shock by 2 inches will it need changes in front end again

 

I also have a Superlow, although I don't live in India! I have also raised the ride height of my bike by using RaceTech fork springs and longer rear shocks. If you go to Progressive's website you can find installation instructions for you to read, also on Race Tech's. I recommend RaceTech as they sell single-rate springs and you can buy them to match your weight.

You shouldn't tackle this work without a factory service manual IMHO. You cannot change oil without removing the forks and turning them upside down, or dismantling them! Oil level should be as per the book. Longer shocks will be fine, mine are just over 13".

What you will probably find, as I did, is that your forks sag too much when you sit on the bike. If you set the sag correctly when fitting new fork springs, the ride height at the front will be higher and will balance your longer shocks.

 

thanks , my question was since only 300 miles have been done do i need to change fork oil in the first place ? can i just drop in the springs ?

 

No. Springs are usually shorter than they need to be and come with spacer tubes that need to be trimmed, to give the correct sag.

Your forks currently sag too much. You can check that as follows. Jack the front of the bike up, so the front wheel turns freely. Measure the length of fork tube from bottom yoke/tree to the slider. Put the bike back on the ground and you will see that distance gets shorter due to the weight of the bike. If you now sit on the bike it will get shorter still. In my experience (I am a little heavier than you) it is most likely the sag is more than half the total fork travel.

You could consider using your current springs and simply use extra spacers to lift the forks and reduce total sag to around one third of fork travel. That will be cheapest solution and won't require you to interfere with the oil, as you can leave the springs in.

If you change springs, the old ones will come out wet and you really should drain the existing oil and refill to correct levels.

Whether you fit new springs or use spacers you will lift the front of your bike around an inch/25mm over it's stock ride height.

I recommend you contact the other Indian contributors in this thread as at least one of them has a local solution. To send any of them a personal message click on their name for a drop-down menu.

 

thanks will keep you posted on post install experience