Air to Spring? Harley Shocks & Harley Chassis Issues Discuss Air to Spring? in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; I ride a Harley Ultra and am not too keen on the stock rear air suspension. They seem to need topping up on a pretty regular basis and the ride ...

[BaggerDad]

I ride a Harley Ultra and am not too keen on the stock rear air suspension. They seem to need topping up on a pretty regular basis and the ride is only ok.

Any recommendations on how to improve the stock rear suspension on a Harley Ultra TC88? Or am I better off with aftermarket rear shocks?

[roadkingjoe]

I've read good things on Progressive 440 i.a.s - check out the "bagger" mag,oct 07
The shocks are kind of pricey - about $540 a set

I have had one customer who installed a set of the Progressive 440's on his Roadking.
He was very pleasantly suprised by the improved suspension.
Just going by what I have learned concerning suspension, ANY reputable aftermarket shock matched properly to the bike's weight and your riding preferrances WILL vastly improve the suspension.
The stock shocks are just "middle of the road" cheapos which I do not find suprising since the factory is just trying to use something universal, yet matched to the weight of the bike and the "average" rider combined, to suspend the rear tire away from the rear fender and at the same time save your spine and kidneys!
The use of air shocks only makes them more "universal" for vehicle+rider+passenger+luggage weight. The damping / internal valving never changes with your psi choice. Everybody rides differently and most people will just settle for what came with the bike new. What a shame! The way a shock ( or fork for that matter ) is dampened / valved to handle bumps and dips and squirrels, rabbits, ect. has tremendous impact on your crusing comfort.
If you are serious about proper handling, try the Race Tech Gold Valve Emulators in your forks and experience a proper fork action. They are completely tuneable to your perferrance ( however you have to remove and re-install your fork springs everytime you want to make a change to them).

[BadBenny]

HD rear suspension on Glides has always been horrible. I don't know where the factory buys that stuff but it's bottom barrel and totally unacceptable. Progressive Suspension is good but real spendy. You might want to try Works Performance. They make a great product and they don't break your wallet just because you ride a Harley. I;ve had a pair on the rear of my '95 FLHT since '96 and they're great. My '06 Streetglide has a pair also. Very good and no more bone jarring from railroad crossings.