I just got and installed my 3-3’s from Howard. I have not yet tried to adjust them. When you guys say do you mean one full revolution? 1/2 turn means 1/2 revolution? Or are the turns one dot?

 

I'm sure Howard will chime in.

Sag is set with the spring preload adjustment. Half turn means half a revolution.

Damping is set with the dial on the bottoms of the shock. This is adjusted by clicks, not by half revolutions or half turns.

More info than you asked for, but hopefully your question is answered?

 

I installed my #3-#3's last week.You should have received instructions with your invoice. On those, Howard says to call him when you install them. Yes, one-full revolution = 1 turn.

 

This may not be the best way by any stretch but I set my sag using a PVC Pipe setup. As you can see, the "T" fits snug on the lower shock mount and with the bike on a jack stand with the rear tire off the ground I use two zip ties to secure a point of reference on the upper shock mount I then place a zip tie around the PVC even with the one on the upper mounting screw. Then I put another zip tie one inch lower on the PVC from the top zip tie and lower the bike to the ground and after sitting on the bike, if setting for one up riding, I adjust on the preload collar till the zip tie affixed to the upper shock support is even with the zip tie at the bottom, the one one inch lower than the top zip tie on the PVC pipe. Adjust each shock equally to achieve desired result. You can now fine tune your damping... Ride safe!

 

I cannot think of another product that receives such focused fanaticism as Ohlin shocks, especially if they are from Howard. It is truly amazing, and entertaining, seeing the convulsions people will go through on the installation, setup and adjustment of these shocks. I bet the engineering of the space shuttle pales in comparison.

 

Your method seems to accomplish what I did by placing a zip tie on the shaft of the shock and slide it up to the top and snug it. Then I would set the bike down from the lift and climb aboard. This would cause the zip tie to slide down as the shock compresses. Then raise the bike on the lift and measure the distance that the zip tie traveled.

Would you agree this would also accomplish the same task?

 

For anyone that wonders why Howard is so adamant and explains everything each time you call, just read a thread like this.

 

Howard started the ball rolling with high end shocks for Harleys, originally with Penske, then Ohlins. He's been tuning and building Ohlins shocks for us since long before Ohlins themselves woke up to the Harley market. He set the gold standard for all the other brands that have jumped on the bandwagon since. No longer do we have to buy shocks in a box and fit them in hope they will be a bit better. Getting far better results requires a little effort up front, which many of us find is well worth it. Simples!

 

I agree....I was a little intimidated at first but I dug into it and made little adjustments every test ride to get the shocks dialed in. 500 miles took a while for me, but each adjustment (less spring pre-load) yielded better ride quality.

I'm probably 700-800 miles in so the shocks should be broken in. Ride quality is great, and I'm done with the tweaking. Now what to do about the front end...

 

Ohlins FKC102 fork cartridges!