longer shocks

[makster1297]

just wondering about longer shocks, jp cycles has progressive shocks at 15 and 15.75" has anyone used these, would it make the center of gravity higher and less stable?

[XLFREAK]

Those would work great if you were building a dirtbie but for a sportster I would think that 13.5 is about the longest shock you can go. You would have to get longer fork tubes to make the bike look right and keep the trail in check. The center of gravity would be very high.

[Turbota]

Buy a set of Sportster 'S' shocks off Ebay. They are 13 1/2" mount bolt hole to mount bolt hole. MSRP is $600 from Harley. The winning bids on these go from about $160 to $210 a set. They are brand new in the box. Set at there max spring preload, they will raise the rear of your bike a little.

Here is the latest auction on these great shocks: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35557&item=4507642358&rd=1

BTW, you can see these mounted on my bike by clicking the links below. Lots of folks here are now using these shocks:

[stevo]

G'day Makster

15"+ shocks are great for the twisties and ground clearance......The sporty racers over here use shocks at those lengths.

They allow you to set the sag correctly and still have heaps of clearance.

It steepens up your steering head and helps in turning

[flathead45]

13.5 ? my stockies are 14.5 , I went to 12s to get her down nice and low

[Gone]

Makster,

I'm running 15" Progressives. They are not too tall by any stretch. I've ridden sport bikes all my life and even with the 15" shocks, the seat on my Sportster is the lowest of any of them, while the rake on this bike is still probably the greatest of any bike I've ever owned. I wish I had ordered the 15.75". One of these days, I'll buy them when I feel another $155 (cyborgcycles.com) burning a hole in my pocket.

Using 15" shocks WILL change the way your bike handles... for the better. The steeper resulting rake will cause your bike to turn in and transition quicker, and it will hold its bank in a curve with less effort.

My bike is a 1200S... its original Showa shocks were not so great. The single-rate springs on them meant that to get a decent ride, I had to run them on their softer settings, in which case they would wallow while cornering. Cranking up the preload resulted in a very stiff, uncompliant spring, which pretty much nullified the benefit of the adjustable rebound & compression damping.

The progressives have dual rate springs... I weigh 195 lbs and I have mine set on the middle/third (of 5) pre-load setting. I get a ride & handling from this set-up I would not have been able to acheive with the original "S" Showas. I suggest you try a pair. I've been very pleased with mine.

Best regards,

[xl1200r]

I don't think the 1200S Showa shocks are bad at all. I really can't say that there's nothing about them I don't like other than the fact that they weigh a ton. Mine ride and handle much better than stock, and it feels like I was able to get them dialed in perfectly. And as far as I know, the 1200S shocks use a dual rate spring, not a signle rate.

[makster1297]

hey thanks for the info, think ill get a set

[cantolina]

And here I was worried about my 12" 412's....lol

[sportymark]

I am currently running the slightly longer Progressive 412's and they have improved ground clearance but make the bike very unstable over 100mph. The steering geometry has definiatly changed for the worse. Unfortunatly there is no room to move the front forks through the ykes to compensate. I am trying to locate a set of 1200 Sport shocks.

[Turbota]

Sporty ... Can't you bid on those Ebay auctions? ... Or won't TSI Harley ship to the UK.