Took a 300 mile trip the other day,My wife is new to riding on the back of my 05 Road King,I have never did anything to the shocks so I guess they are stock.I ran 35lbs.air.But with her on the back and my rugsackon the luguage rack it did'nt take me long to feel maybe I need to look at getting some better shocks.bottomed out a lot on the rough back roads.Now I know where some are going to run with this but the wife ain't all that big.She is about 150 + 75 rugsack is 225-240.I weigh about 220.Thats a total weight of about 450 tops 475.Should I look for some better shocks,if so what&nbsp\\;kind.Or maybe do something else to the bike.Sure could use some help on this one,Thanks

 

I am a lil bigger than you but wife is smaller than yours ,so probably about the same.I usually just ran 20lbs in mine and never had any trouble bottoming out.By any chance yours hasn't been lowered has it?

 

I run about 25 psi in the rear shocks when loaded with luggage and my wife.&nbsp\\; I weigh about 200, the wife close to 145, and total luggage about 75 to 90 lbs.&nbsp\\; No bottoming out with stock suspension, but I did when I tried a 2 + " lowering kit riding 2 up.

 

I have never seen a lowering kit or do I know what it looks like.I have'nt done anything to it,I bought it used but I have allways thought it looked low.I think I'm going to check into that some.
&nbsp\\; Would someone have changed the shocks if they would have lowered it?

 

That would pretty much be the way to lower it.

Another factor might be the mileage on the shocks. If the oil and/or internal valving were excessively worn the compression damping could effectively be non-existent. I do not know the expected life-span of the shocks, but as with anything it can not be indefinite.

I had a left shock blow a seal and replaced with new at 12k miles. It puzzled me that they would change just the one. 12k miles seems to me as if it would be a fair portion of the lifespan...