Wow, DK Custom Comfort Lift is the Bomb

[Capt.Bob]

I have 5k miles on my 2016 TG and lightly scrapped a rear muffler coming out of a gas station one day. A riding buddy had just recently installed a pair of DK Custom Comfort Lift Kit parts on his 2015 TG and was raving about how transformative the mod was. The only sad part of that story is that the local dealer had charged him 3 hours labor for the install and that seemed excessive but I did not know much about the job.

I called Kevin at DK and had a great conversation with him about the Comfort Lift Kits and a range of other topics. Kevin seems to have a great mixture of common sense and a passion for actual data rather than guessing (his recent thread on high airflow kits and dyno tuning is a good example). Kevin had advised that his installing dealers were finding that the install of the Comfort Lift Kits was generally taking an experienced tech between 45-60 minutes and that some of us older geezers could do it in 90 minutes or less if we read the instructions and had done it at least one time before.

The key it seems to folks having a challenge with the install is in not reading the instructions before install which is clearly recommended in the accompanying step-by-step instruction sheet. I called another Harley dealer a couple of hours from the house who was not familiar with the DK product but seemed interested in the proposition of learning and installing the kit. I brought my TG and kit to them and gave the tech $20 in advance and asked that he just thoroughly read the instructions before attempting the install. I felt like the tip was an incentive for him to not feel hosed in having to read instructions which many guys just don't seem to want to do.

Well, the story was a pleasant one with the install taking about 75 minutes and this was for a first-time install with an experienced tech. The tech said that the install was easy and the only thing he got hung up on was that the shocks were not quite aligning properly so he backed up on the instructions and read 12b where it states "If all the bolts do not line up easily, (no force on the shocks or bracket is needed) then go to the General Notes below regarding the swingarm and exhaust)". He said that after he loosened a specified muffler clamp identified in the instructions that everything lined up without force and the job moved along swiftly.

It seems there is a take home message in this. RTFI

Now for the rest of the story. The increase of 1.25" inches height on the rear shocks translates into 1.6" at the rear of the trike and the ride is so amazingly better! The first thing I noticed in the dealer's parking lot was that the change in rake by just lifting the trike 1.6" made the steering forces feel to be at least 30% less than stock by the seat of my pants and arms. The stopping power of the front wheel increased because more weight was being put on the front wheel with the change of rake. The ride is a bit less harsh due to the change in the shocks travel geometry but this did not seem as significant as the other two changes. Lastly, the riding position and view over the top of the windshield has changed a fair amount. Riding home, it took a while to get used to the changed view of the gauges, handle bars, tank and forward direction.

As a FYI, I am very slow to make any changes to my bikes without doing a lot of research because I don't want to go backwards in performance when it comes to messing with the original engineers' design decisions. Engineering is always a compromise task and some compromises can be bettered with innovative products such as the DK Comfort Lift Kit. This to me is a highly recommended product IMHO. I do suggest talking with your installer about reading the instructions carefully before install if you have someone else perform the work.

At age 67, there are some jobs that I just don't want to crawl around on the floor and do myself. This was one of them and it was performed magnificently by the installing dealer. I let the service writer ride the bike and he came back with this huge grin on his face. I think they plan to become an installing dealer because they reportedly sell a lot of trikes.

[Steve on 3]

Put me down as another satisfied customer. Got mine a couple of weeks back and worried over the installation. This past Saturday was cool and rainy. It took me longer to get my tools out and remove the tires and clean up later than it did to install the kit.

the results were great. Even my wife loved the new ride. No scraping. And no more dragging a** look to the back. If you ave a triglide, get a DK Comfort lift.

[DK Custom Products]

Thanks guys!


On the instructions thing...we just got a new sticker that we started putting in packages today.







Kevin

[Capt.Bob]

Thanks guys!


On the instructions thing...we just got a new sticker that we started putting in packages today.







Kevin

I can't believe it! I thought this yellow sticky thing was a metaphor for us end users paying more attention to the instructions. Noooooooooo, I actually got some DK floor board extenders in the mail for my TG yesterday and there, mixed in with the product and a sheet disclaiming any responsibilities/liabilities for the product now and for the rest of time was this tiny little loose yellow sticker suggesting that I read the instructions and provided me with the potential benefits for reading said instructions! How rude! However, I did notice that my comprehension levels for the parts installation increased miraculously. It must be a lucky coincidence because guys don't have to read instructions, do they???

[Capt.Bob]

I was mentioning in my last post that I had received some DK floorboard extensions. I also had received that cute little yellow note about reading the instructions. What I didn't mention was that just at the time that I had the DK Comfort Lift installed, I had a leaking left rear shock that I had noticed x2 just before going to get the lift kit installed. Well, the dealer got the rear left shock in and I rode up and had them install that under warranty and also had them install the DK floorboard extensions and some Harley Get a Grip hand grips (part #56100015) that I had felt on a used Tri Glide they had at the dealership the weekend before and really liked.

I hate to sound like a shill for anyone but I have to say that the DK floorboard extensions which move the floorboards out about 1" laterally, really made a difference in my riding comfort level this afternoon as I returned the 90 miles from the dealership. I have a bad left hip and the stock position of the floorboards was a bit tight for me in terms of comfort. With the lateral extensions on both rider floorboards, my comfort went up almost exponentially and my right boot heel is no longer putting traces of black rubber on my hot muffler shields! That coupled with the new Harley Get a Grip grips with the fatter center part made the feel of the handlebars much more pleasant and gives me extra leverage over the stock Harley grips. I didn't use my cruise control nearly as much as normal and really enjoyed the feel of the handlebars in my hands.

On my first post about the DK Comfort Lift Kit, I was wondering if my leaking left rear shock was having any influence on the ride quality when I first rode home with the kit installed. It turns out that it indeed had made a difference that was less comfortable than when I rode home this evening with the new shock, 21 pounds of air in the shocks, 37 psi in the front tire and 21.5 psi in the rear tires, the overall ride quality was more significantly improved than when I had the defective rear shock. So much so that I would have to say that all three improved qualities of easier turning, better front braking and trike ride quality have all been significantly improved.

The GM asked if I could let his Sales Manager try out the new configuration and I let that person ride the TG around the parking lot and encouraged him to flog it a bit and do some tight 360's turns. He came back wide eyed and was raving about what a difference the lift kit had in terms of turning effort. He backed a stock 2016 TG back to back with my 2016 TG and took many pictures on his cell phone. He was remarking that he could think of lots of folks that they have sold trikes to who would benefit from the DK lift.

I would like to point out as a disclaimer that I am not getting paid a nickel from DK to say these nice things and just think that the two products I have purchased from them are really fantastic. Coupled with that, is almost instant shipping from DK's very friendly and well-trained staff. I can't say enough about the whole experience of having upgraded my trike with the above-mentioned products. Of course, as always, YMMV.

[Capt.Bob]

Man, does Kevin of DK Custom products know his stuff! In the instructions on the DK Comfort Lift Kit for the TGU, it states to change shock pressures in very small increments because it will make a big difference in the ride. Well I read the instructions but I don't follow things as well as the manufacturers would probably like me to. My wife hopped on the TGU this afternoon and we rode out to a quaint rural Florida town to do some perusing of their interesting shops. When we started out, I had 21psi of air in the rear shocks and the ride was very comfortable. On the way back, I decided to try pumping the shocks up only 4psi to 25psi and the ride went to hell. It was way stiffer and more "jiggly". So, I stopped on the side of the road, brought the shocks back to 21 psi and the really comfortable ride returned. Now, I can see why Kevin suggests VERY small incremental changes of no more than a pound or two, so I may try 20psi on our next dual riding experience and see how that feels? The decreased effort to make tight slow turns on the TGU with the comfort lift kit installed still continues to amaze me.

[Capt.Bob]

With the DK Comfort Lift kit changing the TGU geometry just a tad, I am finding that the bike continues to be very responsive to fine tuning. I was finding that 37-37.5 psi in the front tire was a tad too much and the front end wanted to slightly wander. I dropped the front tire to 36.5 psi and the feeling went away. I also set my rear shocks at 20 psi and this coupled with the rear tires at 21.5 psi has made for the best ride yet with a 175# solo rider and full fuel. I continue to be amazed that for such a massive piece of equipment that very subtle changes to the suspension following the addition of the lift kit has allowed me to "trim" the trike like I would an airplane. How cool!

[Capt.Bob]

On the continuing journey to understand the characteristics of the TGU, I went out and burned a tank of gas yesterday with my front tire down to 36 psi. It was just a bit harder to steer at walking speeds but was absolutely rock steady at any speed up to 78 mph. I was frankly amazed that 1/2 a pound of air in the front tire coupled with the DK Comfort Lift mod could again be actually felt in performance.

Another very interesting thing that I was reading about here on the threads was that many folks do not snick their TGU into 6th until going 65 mph. They essentially contend that keeping the revs up helps from lugging the engine and translates into better MPG performance. Well, this is in fact the case as I was traversing a rural road where I kept the rpm in the 3k range on my stock motor in whatever gear would maintain that for the varying speeds of the road and sure enough, my residual mileage indicator kept showing increased range. I would have thought after 50 years of riding that I would know how to properly operate my TGU but it turns out that I am still learning a few tricks. This one about revs was not such a subtle trick and I should have known to keep the revs up a bit because the power band reportedly is in the 2500-3500 rpm range and the trike has a significant amount of mass to be pushing. Man, this trike is fun to ride. I am headed over to a multi-state cop motorcycle rodeo that came to TLH today and watch a bunch of good riders with guns and tazers on their hip do pretty insane technical rides with their service bikes.

[missedem]

LED light bulb first on the list ... second comfort lift as soon as I get over the sticker shock of this summers two week long " must go see the parents " trip with my sweet heart at the end of July.

[dafoot2]

Not to hijack but I'm selling a comfort lift on the for sale page

[Capt.Bob]

Not to hijack but I'm selling a comfort lift on the for sale page

A fairly local Harley dealer said that these are currently on back-order so a good opportunity for someone. The Harley dealer that I had install mine on my TGU and let several of their staff test it several months ago said that they have installed two sets and are planning to install many more. They said it must be a popular item to be back-ordered. I told them that the DK Comfort Lift continues to impress me in a positive way.

[DK Custom Products]

A fairly local Harley dealer said that these are currently on back-order so a good opportunity for someone. The Harley dealer that I had install mine on my TGU and let several of their staff test it several months ago said that they have installed two sets and are planning to install many more. They said it must be a popular item to be back-ordered. I told them that the DK Comfort Lift continues to impress me in a positive way.

If the dealer was saying the Comfort Lifts were on back order, it must be because they are out of stock on them. We are not back ordered on them.

Kevin

[rhino 2]

If the dealer was saying the Comfort Lifts were on back order, it must be because they are out of stock on them. We are not back ordered on them.

Kevin

On back order is dealer speak for; Out'a stock, And we didn't take the time/bother to restock...