I decided to take the pluge and order a pair of Progressive 440's for my SG. I spoke with the manufacturer 2 times, each timewith a different tech. They both figured the 440's would be the way to go but they differed on the height. One suggested the 12.5 and the other said there is a noticable difference between the 12.5 and 13. He said the 12.5 is wound tighter and will deliver astiffer ride than the 13". He said if you are going for comfort, the 13" is the way to go. I guess I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too which usually doesn't happen.
I don't know if I would be sacrificing handling with the 13 incher. Thinking that the lower shock may make it easier to throw the bike into a turn.I keep going back and forth. I guess if I'm putting out that cash for a more comfortable ride I should go for the shock that would deliver that.
Any opinions from riders with the 440's would be helpful and appreciated.

 

I have installed the 12 inch 440's with standard springs and i am very happy with the ride...much much better than the air shocks...I wiegh 190 lbs...handles better also!! Should mention that I am very much into comfort!!

 

Once I realized that the stock air shocks are garbage (did not take long), I installed a set of 13" 440s and was very pleased. They make a world of difference in both comfort and performance.
Because my bike is blacked out, when I had a chance to get some all black 440s (11.5"), I bought them and put them on. Mistake. They not only bottom out, but the handling was not quite right either. The 13"s are now back on.
The 440s plus the Progressive fork springs are WAY better than the moco setup.

 

Just so that I can make good use of this information, I'm curious how much you weigh. You said you bottomed out the 11.5" shocks, which is what I was considering. I'm around 165lbs, so I want to get an idea if this would also be a problem for me.

 

I weigh 225, which is above where Progressive recomends their HD springs. You should be fine.

 

Street Glides come with 12" shocks as std equipment. I suggest the 12" 440. I've been running them for some time now and they are awesome. They will hydraulic lock at full compression and won't physically bottom. It eliminates the two hammerheads striking each other feeling of the stockers. Keep in mind that the 12" shock itself has limited travel so you will have to set the preload for a ride that's comfortable mmost of the time. If you slam into a pothole and it reaches the end of it's stroke it's doing it's job. I just did a 400 mile trip from including through NYC where the worst roads can be found and only bottomed once and that was on a pothole on I78 in NJ.
Go with the 440's, set the preload correctly and you will love them.

 

Thanks, Beemervet.

You're right about the shock length. I had it written down (just checked my notes) and it is indeed 12", so that is likely the length I'll end up with at some point. Besides, I don't want to worry about bottoming out when I ride two-up with the better half.

 

Just put 12" on my RK and am heading for the cherohala sky way saturday will have a better grasp of the handling changes after that. btw it took nearly a year of patience but I picked these up on eBay for 120.00 plus shipping

 

I installed a pair of 12½" 440's (std. springs) on my SG about two months ago, and I'm happy with the result. I weigh 170 lbs. with 15 lb. of stuff in the right saddlebag, and have the preload set to three turns in from the loosest setting. That's about right for solo riding, but haven't figured the ideal setting for fully-loaded touring trim.

The ride is much better, with no hard, bone-jarring bottoming sensation I got out of the original 12" air shocks when I hit a pothole. There is a slight feeling of looseness in rebound, but it isn't an issue and doesn't hamper the ride for me.

The 13" 440's would undoubtedly ride better, but there would be a cosmetic trade-off, and I can't speculate what effect that extra ½" would have on handling. I don't notice any handling change going from 12" to 12½", and I also don't notice the difference in height, either cosmetically or with the riding position. I was worried it would change the riding position vis-a-vis the windshield height, but what little was affected isn't noticeable to me.

 

Beemervet, What bike did you install the 13's on? Do you have a SG? If so, Did you notice any difference between OEM cornering and cornering with the 13inchers?
Does it feel as easy to lean?