I run 14psi in mine. I weigh around 200 lbs. IIRC 14 is near the middle of the suggested range in the manual.....I don't really have a problem with the ride.

 

+1 I had a hard time accepting the fact...but experimented a LOT and 28-30 lbs solo and 40 for 2-up worked for me. Huge diff from my '07 SG...but once you determine what work for YOU on the RK, you'll be fine. Oh, leave the tire pressure alone...run a recommended spec. Why add the variable?

Have fun...

 

FLTRKER,
I feel your pain. I too have an 09 FLHR. It handles great, but rides like crap. I have the factory shock pump and have adjusted the air pressure all over the place (0 - 50 psi). I have a calibrated shock transmission instrument... my wife :-). She spends about 10K miles riding behind me between my 2 bikes each year. My experience w/ the OE airshocks: the higher air the pressure, the worse the ride. I use just enough pressure to minimize bottoming.
I've tried Works steel trackers w/ ARS (13"). No good. I've tried Progressive 440s (13.5" - to get a bit more travel). No good. Progressive told me to get the hd springs (I'm 200, the wife is 150 suited up). So I installed the hd springs. No good. Read another post somewhere that a fellow poured a measured amount of ATF in his shocks after dumping all the factory oil out of the air shock (claims not enough oil in the shock from factory). I made a fixture to compress the shocks. No oil came out, so I added some. Enough that it would burp the excess out under full compression (BTW, I could not compress these guys down more than 2.75" - so much for the 3" of advertised travel). But the added oil didn't do anything for the ride - help or hurt. While the shocks were off the bike, I looked for swing arm binding (tire and drive belt still on bike). No binding. Min. shock mount dimension of sag (tire going up into the fender) was 9.25" before it hit something (don't know what), and the max droop shock mtg. dim.(tire going away from the fender) was 13.75" w/ the axle nut hitting the rt. muffler. Anyway, I haven't found a suitable ride solution as yet. I keep hearing great things about Ohlins, but then again I've also heard great things about Works and Prog. on Harleys.

 

Dirty duck- the responses I have read on this post and another that Graham had highlighted for me have pretty much convinced me that Howard is the way to go. He tunes the shocks to your weight and if and how often you have a passenger or luggage.
Race bikes are set up the same way and a tuned suspension makes all the difference in winning or loosing. The idea in racing is keeping the wheel in contact with the ground as much as possible- a good shock with a spring rate that fits your weight and riding position should make it ride like a luxury car. Hate to see ya buy another set- but read the link for motorcycle ,metal.com
After seeing the responses of the riders with bikes that are similar to mine- I thought about the fact that I had changed my riding position when I had my bars moved back about 4 inches from stock. That small change made me transfer more wt to the back of the bike and might have made it more uncomfortable than if i was leaned over the tank like the stock bars positioned me. All in all the shocks did not give me the ride I needed-even if I was leaned forward or not. It just made it hurt a bit more when sitting straight up.
I have purchased a few items already that were intended to work but only put money in the sellers pocket and made a better shopper of me. Hopefully I have found the right shock with out making the wrong buy.
Lots of luck to you on your quest. There is a better ride out there. I am sure of it.

 

I have been reluctant to post on this subject but I will post something that is readily available for everyone to read. Air pressure on those OEM dampners changes, changing oil weights and levels" Here are some facts:

* Air pressure changes only adds spring pre-load on the outside spring. That's all, no chicken bones and smoke with chants will do anything else.
* Changing weight of oil in effect only decreases the size of the damper orifice. It makes the damper react with more resistance and increases stiction, a form of friction. Thicker oil will always do that unless the operating temperature increases dramatically. Your bike normally does not operate under those conditions especially if it is a bagger.
* Oil level changing, a kind of new one but look what is inside of them, how could it work?

How it works, the short version;


If you really want to know more, look HERE

A comfortable ride ever? What do you expect you could ever get with them? Either suck it in and quit right here or face reality.

What to do next if this option is unacceptable? Educate yourself by reading, start asking questions and interacting with other HDF members and use the resources available to you as members of this great chat site.

 

FastHarley,
The reasons for removing and compressing the OE shocks was to check the shock travel and to look for swingarm travel interference on the bike. My findings were: the stock 13" shock stroke was 2.75"; not very much (no way is the wheel travel gonna be 3"). The oil I added was to assure the units had enough oil and not sucking air (this oil could be dumped out if the shocks were inverted before assembly). The frame/swingarm will accomodate a min. compressed shock length of 9.25" before the swingarm or tire (I don't know which) will hit something on the frame. The max. allowable extended shock length is 13.75" before the axle nut hits the rt. stock muffler. I'd never put anything longer than a 13.5" shock on this bike.
"Either suck it in and quit right here or face reality." I don't know what you mean by this. I'm trying to find out if there is a way to make the 09 RK ride comfortably for my passenger (and myself), or is it just the nature of the design of the overly heavy tire, wheel, swingarm/shocks, cush drive assembly, etc. It's the stuff that changed with the '09 touring bikes and where alot more ruff ride complaints started.

 

I don't have an 09, but a 90, which I have had from new! But I am agonising over rear shocks and follow every thread on the topic, which is why I am here. Howard has mentioned the same dimensions as you on another thread, so you are in agreement with him regarding the limits of shock size. I have tried alternative brands of shocks and would like the next pair to be right at long last! If you look at recent threads with Ohlins in the title you will come across more of this sort of discussion.

Most brands of shocks for Harleys are low tech and poor quality. The brands who supply the likes of BMW don't make shocks for us, which is where Howard has come in. He tunes Penske and Ohlin shocks to suit our requirements, because these people make racing shocks with a wide enough range of adjustment to suit us.

The problems you are trying to resolve are the same I have been playing with for several years, despite my bike being almost 20 years older. Harley use cheap low quality shocks. They have improved the touring frames over the years (I am just fitting a 2007 swingarm to my bike), but have done nothing worthwhile to improve the shocks.

Which puts both of us in the same boat! If you are unable to get your bike to ride as you want it, take a short cut, skip the other brands and call Howard. I am just waiting until I can afford to do the same.

 

dirtyduck, my hat is off to you




for taking the time, investigating the problem and taking one step at a time. Good for you! Now let me answer your questions.
>>> stroke was 2.75"; not very much
<<< The ride and the stroke have little to do with each other. A great shock will handle that 2.74" bump with no problem for most road conditions you encounter. If, for instance you use a great shock, the performance would be great up intil you hit a square edged bump more 2.74" with the given 2.75" stroke. After that 2.74" bump the the frame will start moving. I am not saying bottoming out as the Hi/Med/Lo speed shim stack valving will adjust for the speed of the swing arm moving up (and lets not forget down into holes which is just as important) thus you will start feeling it more as travel is limiting itself. Visualize a square edge 2.75" bump, this is very large and almost never encountered on the road. In this example the sag #'s are not taken into account for simplicity of explanation as you do not get the full 2.75" of travel in actuality.

The problem lies in the way the shock works and what is in side of them. I will ask you to revisit the link I provided for the way your shock works and review the above photo. Dirtyduck, you are obviously smart enough to know how your air shock/oil pump works once split apart as evidenced by you removing the shock, trying adding oil, and measuring the eye to eye distance.

>>> The max. allowable...shock length is 13.75"...axle nut hits the rt....put anything longer...13.5" shock
<<< The bike would ride too high on the back unless you put longer fork tubes on it. The muffler problem can be solved by control denting it like the new bikes with after market mufflers (ie: Monster Ovals et al.) do. The question would be why would you need them so high? I have built a set of 2" over shocks (13" + 2") + added 2" to the fork tubes (actually more due to totoal sag) from OEMl because the owner was very tall with very long legs and he wished extra ground clearance (6" w/full sag) where your stock bike is 4" roughly.

>>> "Either suck it in and quit right here or face reality." I don't know what you mean by this.
<<< After presenting all members with how OEM air shocks as well as air bags work, you have a choice of either considering alternative technology or not, hence "Either suck it in and quit right here or face reality." You have tried all of the cures to get the air shocks to work, short of R&R the oil in favor of heavier weight oil (I can assure you the only benefit is a placebo and hampering the ride), now read the link for my explanation and the cure you will have to figure out yourself.

>>> I'm trying to find out if...or is it just the nature of the design...
<<< Answered in the above link. We have no problems getting the bike to ride like a couch and with your inquisitiveness and drive, so will you. READ...READ...READ!!,,,Than Do.