I just had a Race Tech suspension kit and 21" front wheel installed professionally and will tell you it improved the handling substantially. Cornering is awesome. The front end no longer dives during front braking. I love the 21".

Here is the problem. When hitting certain style bumps the Race Tech suspension will make a terrible CLUNK. To me it sounds like the front end cracked or the fork tubes were hit by a ball peen hammer in around the triple tree.

I spoke to race tech and was told this is normal and is because of the way the fork oil flows inside the HD forks. HMMMMMM??? Race Tech support is very professional and helpful and I was told the clunk is not a problem.

I will admit when searching posts only 1 member mentioned the clunk and switched to Progressive springs. I assumed it couldn't be too bad if only 1 member felt the clunk was unacceptable. No one else mentioned the CLUNK? I can not believe no one else has the CLUNK?

Hopefully anyone reading this that was considering the Race Tech fork with emulators is now aware of the CLUNK and will be fore warned of the annoying CLUNK they will have to live with after spending $280.00 plus possible labor.

 

That clunk is most likely bottoming out.
Look at your fender. Is it dinged?
You can stiffen those gold emulators to take out the bottoming.

 

My Race Tech gear clunked while it was lowered an inch with the 21" wheel. You can stiffen it to avoid it some, but at what price in ride comfort? Mine only did it when the the shock bottomed out over some kind of pretty severe ridge and only if I took it too fast. It didn't do it over RR tracks or normal riding. Still it bothered me, but something I just altered my riding style to avoid when approaching those kinds of road issues. I believe it's your shocks bottoming out vs anything else. I've never had a bike that was lowered in any form in the front that didn't bottome out. Thats why it's a last resort thing for me and ONE of the reasons why I changed my 21" front wheel to an 18"; so I could add the inch back and get a more pliant ride. It didn't change as much as I had hoped in terms of a softer ride, but some better. Both rides are good and handle better than stock. BTW...with the bike back to stock travel specs...no more clunk.

 

Thanks guys. Front fender is fine!

I am no expert but thinking about the bumps that make the CLUNK occur do not seem to be anything drastically compressing the suspension. Glider I agree its happens not only into but off a short ridge. I am not hitting huge pot holes when the clunk happens. In my opinion too short or too small of bumps to be collapsing the suspension and bottoming out. Its more like if the suspension expands off pre load and the suspension parts separate and clunk when compressed back together. My XRay vision is not working right now.

What about the Harley Davidson or Progressive 1 inch lowering springs? If the Cadillac Race Tech bottoms these other 2 must be even worse?

I have 2 turns on the emulator now and other than the clunk I am very please with the handling and ride firmness.

Again Race Tech confirmed the clunk and never mentioned bottoming. Claimed it was the way the oil flows in the HD designed fork tubes?

 

I have the progressive lowering kit and mine does the same. I agree with you, it's NOT coming from the tubes themselves. It's only over sharp small bumps, not hard bottoming out bumps. I read a post about the steering neck being a hair smaller in diameter than the upper or lower tree causing the "hollow clunk" I am hearing. My buddy installed the same kit and now has the same clunk. I tried tightening up my nut on top o the steering stem. It helped a little bit, but did not eliminate it. This winter I plan on taking a closer look and possibly installing a shim if there is a gap between the steering stem and tree.
jason

 

Ya know...
I was running the HD Profile lowering kit before I went to this Race Tech.
I never had this clunk with the HD kit.

No, I'm not going back to the HD kit either.
Just gonna fine tune the Race Tech.

 

speedglide and BadPiggy if you figure it out please let me know.

Thinking back there were a few times I heard a clunk on the stock 08 FLHX suspension. I thought it was the kick stand clunking. I'm talking I only heard it a few times in 3500 miles so I ignored it.

I'm not saying I will never bottom out the front forks but the clunk occurred today coming out of the dealer at very slow speed. No way it was bottoming. Leaving the parking lot there is an uneven section of pavement between the road and parking lot. When I dropped of the parking lot lip of 2 inches , clunk, and when I hit the 2 inch lip onto the road , clunk.

 

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/showt...ight=race+tech

post #8 by Choke.

speedglide has the clunk with progressives spring, no gold valves
choke had the clunk with race tech springs and gold valves
choke solved the problem with progressive springs keeping gold valves


Speedglide what year is your HD? Do you have the HD version of emulators?
My 08 actually had the HD version of emulators before I switched to the race clunk.

 

What did you end up doing with the clunk?

 

Same thing happened to me. 2007 Road glide, 21 inch wheel, Race Tech suspension kit and clunking sound at low speed and medium speed bumps and when I do a low speed quick squeeze on the front break.