Shock suggestions

[Walking Tall]

I'm thinking of upgrading the shocks on my '18 R3R. When I hit expansion joints on the freeway or dips in the pavement, it sends a painful jolt right up my back. I've been told the stock suspension is quite good and not in need of upgrading. However if anyone can give me suggestions as to what may improve my ride, I'd like to hear from you.

 

[Ishrub]

I don't know who told you the stock suspension was quite good. Could only be Triumph.

Stock is horrible. Lots of options in mid priced up to about US$600 eg Progressive 444s (that somebody recently posted a link to for under US$600), Progressive, YSS, Hagon Nitro, Ikon, and a few others and then high end options from Wilber, Racetech, Ohlins (NZ),

The cheapest Progressive 412 model and cheapest YSS are similar in grade to stock. You want their midrange or upper grade models only.

 

[JPHDT]

I had Öhlins on my 2007 Rocket 3. What a change .... It is not cheap, but it is a good investment for your back !
The most important is to choose the right spring (80% of the work of the shock) according to the load on your bike.

 

[1olbull]

I don't know who told you the stock suspension was quite good. Could only be Triumph.

Stock is horrible. Lots of options in mid priced up to about US$600 eg Progressive 444s (that somebody recently posted a link to for under US$600), Progressive, YSS, Hagon Nitro, Ikon, and a few others and then high end options from Wilber, Racetech, Ohlins (NZ),

The cheapest Progressive 412 model and cheapest YSS are similar in grade to stock. You want their midrange or upper grade models only.

Nice post, Ish.
Do not consider those 412!
Got them first for mine way back in 2012. I reckoned they were even worse than the OEMs.
444 Progressive the best bang for the buck and easy to adjust on the fly.
Best would be those Wilbers, of Race tech. Much more harsh and Ohlin even more so.

 

[Stillserving]

If you decide on Progressives, they are running a special till the end of this week (Friday) buy 444s and get their fork springs free.

 

[barbagris]

If you have a bad back - seriously consider Fournales Air suspension. The damping is pressurized in parallel to the springing. So everything is harmonized.
Nope - They are NOT cheap. But worth (imo) every last penny.

 

[RocketEd]

@Walking Tall have you tried adjusting the preload on the stock shocks? Might be worth a try while deciding which brand to replace them with.

 

[Walking Tall]

If you decide on Progressives, they are running a special till the end of this week (Friday) buy 444s and get their fork springs free.

I've given up on Progressive Suspension. Every time I go to their website, the 444's are out of stock and the availability date gets pushed out further and further.

 

[Claymore]

I installed Hagon Nitros. Built to order and to your weight and desired ride height for no extra cost. Very fast delivery from UK and a good price since exchange rate USD to pond sterling is so good for Americans right now . Original shockers were.... shockingly bad ;-) but I was expecting that based on what I read on the forums here

 

[JPHDT]

If you have a bad back - seriously consider Fournales Air suspension. The damping is pressurized in parallel to the springing. So everything is harmonized.
Nope - They are NOT cheap. But worth (imo) every last penny.

I started with Fournales shock absorbers. It was OK for me as a driver but was very bad for the passenger. Very small imperfections on the road are not "eaten" by Fournales shocks which are ok to absorb bigger bumps. That means that for very small imperfections on the road, your spine discs mainly are the shock absorbers. And after a while you can suffer a lot. So it was an investment with Öhlins shock absorbers specially adjusted for R3. Then, after half a mile with these ones, my wife told me that there is a huge difference. As we ride together on the bike 80% of the time, afterwards any ride was better for her.