Nicely put King. Howard gave a detailed description of how the different models of Ohlins compare, in another recent thread about them. Well worth anyone wanting to know more about them digging it out.

 

I have the 3-3s and in my opinion, they do the job.On a sports bike that really works its suspension hard, such as my 999R Ducati, I wouldnt consider anything less than an Ohlins with a remote reservoir and tuned to suit my exact weight. Most of us just want our Harleys to provide an improvement in comfort levels while keeping the tyre planted to the road.I cant really imagine a bagger being able to work its shocks hard enough for me to go to the 6s, too many other modifications to save for.

If you can afford them though, you can be assured that you are riding on the best shocks available.

dewky

 

Dewky, we obviously each have our own priorities with our bikes, but when my wife and I are loaded up in touring mode I reckon we get close to an all-up weight of half a ton. If that doesn't give the suspension some work to do I can't imagine what will! A Ducati is a pip-squeak that has an easy time of it compared with a touring bike, so put cheap shocks on your Duke and #6s on your dresser!

I have a dream that H-D and dresser owners will some day recognise that high quality suspension is not just for exotic race-reps.....

 

great feedback.. thank u king and grb... ya im different - thats y i have a white SG and not black.. still on 50/50 split... got few weeks left to decide b4 placing order. Maybe 3's is cost effective.. no one i know has either and doubt anyone will here in my area.

i dont know how adjustments are done with either from solo from two up.. is it complicated for either 3' or 6's ?

 

Id get 6's if I could figure out how to mount them and hide the reservoir on streetglide

 

Yes, its quite complicated to adjust the 6s. To adjust anything you need to pull both bags off. To adjust pre load you need to use the tool that comes with the kit. You need to adjust both sides by the same amount of turns (obviously) and you need to mark the shock with your solo pre load setting so you can put it back when you arent 2 up. You need to carry this tool in the bags (i have organizers and the tool lives in there). It takes a while to get a feel for how many turns to put on the adjuster to achieve a desired result.

Getting to the compression adjuster on the left side is a PITA (see the pic on page 2 of this thread - its in behind the saddle bag filler. You need to mark the compression and rebound adjusters once you find the right setting for them so you can put them back when you arent 2 up any more. I cant see my marks on the left side adjuster easily any more, as I said its a bit of a PITA. The compression adjuster has 22 clicks or somesuch, and the rebound has about 14. Adjusting by a click can be a little or a lot, so you need to get a feel for what a click does and this can take a while too.

The rebound generally doesnt need adjusting when you go 2 up, depending on how much luggage...

So the bottom line is that tuning the #6s when 2 up and the bags are full of luggage is a real pain. The wife gets sick of it taking 5-10 mins at the road side, or adding 5-10 mins to a fuel stop, but the extra comfort and control are worth it.

I now know why the Ultra Owners with #6s put the reservoir up under the tour back in full view - you can get to it straight away. Oh, and it looks cool too.

I dont know what adjustments the 3s have so I cant comment.

 

Reading back the above post I think its clear why HD put the air shocks on. Adjustment takes a few seconds when you have the HD pump. Ahh, back when life was simple.

 

Its the speed that the shocks have to work at which makes the difference.If your spring and damping rates are correct, your bagger isnt going to be working the shocks that hard. A sports bike is normally going a lot faster when being used in the intended manner, with rapid side to side changes between corners loading then unloading the suspension, sportsbikes suspension has to cope with high acceleration loads also.
A heavy touring bike should be much easier to get right as the difference in weight of a rider on an 800lb bagger isnt a big change compared to a 400lb sport bike.
The only reason the standard suspension on Harleys is junk is because most guys accept it because they've never ridden on better.
I dont know how much extra it would cost if the MoCo told Showa to step up the quality of the internals in their suspension but given the quantity they buy, I'd be willing to bet it wouldnt cost a lot.Rant over

dewky

 

Don't confuse high velocity compliance with high speed riding. The shocks on a 400 lb sport bike are managing a lighter unsprung weight, so they don't have to work as hard as the shocks on an 800 lb bike with a much heavier unsprung weight. Either way, quality shocks with the proper springs, preload, and valving, tuned for the intended use is a universal necessity for a great suspension, regardless of the application. The difference of the weight of the rider and the bike doesn't matter, it's the total weight of rider and the bike that's important.

 

I agree, in addition to this the damping on a HD tourer is going to absorb (and therefore have to dissipate) much more energy than the suspension on a bike half its weight. Every time those shocks compress and rebound the heat put into the damping fluid is double that of a sport bike.