I recently got my 1200s fork legs installed on my '05 XL1200R. To no ones surprise on this list they bolt on with absolutely no problem as I had read on this list. Figuring that the bike is heavier than the old 1200 and I am heavier than the target market for the fork set up I went ahead and got some racetech springs at the weight recommended for my size.
I haven't had a chance to do more than about 50 miles with this setup but it seems very promising, certainly a great improvement in compliance over stock. The ride is definitely firm but the harshness over bumps is very minimal in comparison.
I also went for Progressive 440s in the rear, a bit longer than stock. Again, a very firm ride but compliance is markedly improved. I believe it is a good shock, better than the Progressive's i have on my FXD which are an earlier version of the 418.
For those debating between Race Tech cartridge fork emulators or 1200s legs I did the emulators on my FXD and they work well, but not as well as these 1200s legs, of course not nearly as expensive either. Given a choice and assuming you can score a decent discount on the 1200s legs I think it is the preferable way to go.

Good post ... I always was wondering if the 1200S front suspension would bolt right up to an 04-05 sporty. I certainly figured they would, but I never saw a post here that actually confirmed it.

I wanted to use those forks on my 04 as a first choice, but settled on a cheaper alternative : Progressive fork springs with Bel-Ray 15w oil ... and 1200S rear shocks. Pretty good combo, but I still would like the 1200S front suspension better if cost was not an issue.

Ron,

Sporttexan has 1200S forks on his rubber sporty, he confirmed the fitment in a couple different posts, so I went ahead and bought them. I just checked my tracking number and my 1200S forks should be here tomorrow...yippee!

--Sean

Good post ... I always was wondering if the 1200S front suspension would bolt right up to an 04-05 sporty. I certainly figured they would, but I never saw a post here that actually confirmed it.

I wanted to use those forks on my 04 as a first choice, but settled on a cheaper alternative : Progressive fork springs with Bel-Ray 15w oil ... and 1200S rear shocks. Pretty good combo, but I still would like the 1200S front suspension better if cost was not an issue.

Ron,

A bit of preload on the fork spings can correct lot of handling problems.
You say there's not preload regulation.
But it's easy to add preload to any not adjustable fork simply adding some big shims under the cap.
You can try with 3-4mm steps. Sometimes no more than 5mm resolve the problem.

--
Mr. Mechano
Kawasaki ZRX1200 152hp
Soon (next week) XL1200C

Mechano ... That's exactly what were doing. In fact, I wrote this and posted it a couple of months ago:
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REPLACING FORK SPRINGS & FORK OIL on 04-05 SPORTSTERS

Read the instructions included with your Progressive front fork spring kit !

To empty the forks: Remove the small drain screws near the bottom of each fork. When you remove these, a small amount of fork oil will squirt out. Have rags on the ground to catch all the oil.

Pump the front end of the bike up and down many times (full stroke) to remove the remaining oil. The majority of the oil will be removed when pumping the forks. When all oil is removed, re-install the drain screws. Clean all oil from the front brake disks, calipers, wheels and the floor.

Jack the bike up so there's no weight on the front wheel and forks.

Put a large thick towel over the fuel tank and remove the handlebars (with everything still attached) and set them carefully on the tank. This gets them out of the way for removing the fork caps.

Using a 1 3/8" socket, remove the fork caps … Be careful, as these caps are under slight pressure from the fork springs. A piece of electrical tape can be placed around the end caps to prevent scratching during removal and installation.

Once the fork caps are removed, remove the springs and pour in approx. 9oz of new fork oil per fork. Recommend Bel-Ray 15wt.

The correct oil level can be insured by now fully lowering the bike so the forks completely collapse (no wieght on the bike lift). With the springs still removed, measure the distance from the top of the fork tube down to the top of the oil level in the fork. This distance should be no less than 5 1/2". I set mine down to the 6" level. (I had to add another 1oz of oil to get the oil level to 6")

Raise the bike again so the front wheel is off the ground. Slide the new fork springs back in. The end of the springs will need to extend approx. 3/4” out of the fork tubes for preload. If the springs do not extend out of the fork tubes the required 3/4", a piece of PVC plastic tubing (spacer) will need to be cut and placed above the springs so as the spacer sticks out of the folk tube the required 3/4" distance. This PVC tubing should be included in the Progressive spring kit. If any PVC tubing is used as a spacer, then a large washer will be need to be placed on top of the spring (between the spring and the PCV tubing) on each fork. These washers should also be included in the kit.

Note: Be advised that since the fork cap will screw 3/4" into the fork, this will actually give a total of 1 1/2" spring preload with the spacer sticking out of the fork 3/4" prior to fork cap install. (my bike required a 3" PVC spacer)

Re-install the fork caps and handlebars.
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Note: The required 1 3/8" socket is not available for your 1/2" drive ratchet. So, get the following socket and adapter for your 1/2" drice ratchet.

Autozone
'Great Neck' P/N S0138
1 3/8" socket - 3/4" drive
$8.99

Autozone
'Great Neck' P/N AD75
3/4" drive to 1/2" drive adapter
$2.99
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Progressive Fork Springs for 04-05 Sportster:

P/N: 11-1527
Alternate P/N: 11-1523 or P/N 11-1130