Pro Action 14" adjustments ?

[MDF48]

I am pleased with my DK Pro Action 14 inch shocks and lift kit. However, I have a question for some of you. I know that to change the pre load on the springs you will have to take the wheels off to get enough access to adjust them. (unless you are a sure enough contortionist) My shocks came with the rebound screw in what I call the 4th click position. I turned it to the left until it stopped and then counted the clicks to the right until it stopped again. It was 6 clicks total stop to stop. I ended up with my rebound adjustment just 2 clicks to the right from the left "stop" position.

I tried the 3rd and 4th positions but the rebound was to "fast" or "sharp" for me. The 2 click setting really made a lot of difference. The ride is much better and I am very pleased. Now, as far as the "bumper" that rides on the shaft goes, I have a question for some of you. The first time I rode with these new shocks on I purposely rode over a certain railroad track at about 55 MPH. I have been over this track many times. It does not have a "hump" in the middle but it is a little rough. It is basically flat but at the point it crosses the road the track is at an angle to the road. In other words one rear tire is hitting the track a little before the other side hits it.

After finishing that ride I came back and changed the rebound to 2 clicks and tried to see where my little "bumper" was on the shaft. Well, I can't see it to tell if it is all the way down or maybe the desired 1/4 inch still left. Can any of you see this while laying on the ground on your side, or am I going to have to jack the trike up to be able to see that far down? I have tried using a mirror etc to no avail. I am just trying to see if I can do it without jacking and or removing the tires. Thanks for any suggestions.

[ultrafxr]

Mike, I did check the bumper on my 14" Pro-Action shocks also. It's been a while but I'm pretty sure I was able to see it without pulling the wheels. I had also played around with the rebound clicker but still wasn't exactly sure if I had all the settings the best they could be. So I removed the wheels and backed off the pre-load collar one full turn. Not sure where it was to start with so your experience may be different but it made a huge change.

Thought it was OK and took it to the Three Wheel Rally in Deadwood, SD, and I soon found out it was not OK. The ride was very 'bouncy' on anything less than a very smooth road. When I got home I put it back the way it was. Reason I say this is so if you make a change in the pre-load be sure to ride it sufficiently locally to make sure it is OK for you.

My shocks are set up great for two-up and especially two-up and loaded. The ride is superb compared to stock. But when riding solo it is a bit harder than I'd prefer but the adjustments are not easy enough to do so I just leave it where it is.

Hope this helps and good luck. Once you get them dialed in you'll love them.

[MDF48]

Thanks ultrafxr. I never ride two up unless it would be a case of somebody breaking down etc. Mine was setup by DK Custom based on no 2 up, rider weight 200-210 lbs and maybe 25 lbs in trunk and 15 or so in the tour pak. I might be off a few pounds on those weights I gave them, can't remember exact figures. I am pleased at this point since adjusting the rebound rate. I guess I will just jack up each side and remove the wheel one at a time enough to let the shock down and check the bumper position. It is not that big of a deal since I can just do one side at a time and not have to fool with jack stands.

I think I will measure the gap from the collar up to top with a dial micrometer while I am at it and record the info. Just counting visible threads it is about 21 to 22 threads showing above the collar. If I play with the preload I will do it one turn at a time on each side for sure, and then ride it for a few days.

[DK Custom Products]

I am pleased with my DK Pro Action 14 inch shocks and lift kit. However, I have a question for some of you. I know that to change the pre load on the springs you will have to take the wheels off to get enough access to adjust them. (unless you are a sure enough contortionist) My shocks came with the rebound screw in what I call the 4th click position. I turned it to the left until it stopped and then counted the clicks to the right until it stopped again. It was 6 clicks total stop to stop. I ended up with my rebound adjustment just 2 clicks to the right from the left "stop" position.

I tried the 3rd and 4th positions but the rebound was to "fast" or "sharp" for me. The 2 click setting really made a lot of difference. The ride is much better and I am very pleased. Now, as far as the "bumper" that rides on the shaft goes, I have a question for some of you. The first time I rode with these new shocks on I purposely rode over a certain railroad track at about 55 MPH. I have been over this track many times. It does not have a "hump" in the middle but it is a little rough. It is basically flat but at the point it crosses the road the track is at an angle to the road. In other words one rear tire is hitting the track a little before the other side hits it.

After finishing that ride I came back and changed the rebound to 2 clicks and tried to see where my little "bumper" was on the shaft. Well, I can't see it to tell if it is all the way down or maybe the desired 1/4 inch still left. Can any of you see this while laying on the ground on your side, or am I going to have to jack the trike up to be able to see that far down? I have tried using a mirror etc to no avail. I am just trying to see if I can do it without jacking and or removing the tires. Thanks for any suggestions.

Mike,

A few notes-

For damping adjustment, the clicker should be turned all the way counter-clockwise until it stops, then turn it clockwise, stopping the 3rd time you feel it "click". This is a good starting point, then you can move it clockwise or counter-clockwise one click from that point to see if either of those feel better.

For pre-load adjustment...I just re-read all our instructions and don't see anywhere where there is an indication that you want to see the rubber bumper on the shaft 1/4" from the bottom.

While that may be ideal on the 2 wheel bikes with the 12" or 13" shocks, it is not what we recommend on the Trikes with the 14" Trike Series Shocks™.

Ideally, when you hit a bump really hard at speed you want the bumper to go all the way down, but not feel a hard bottoming out. This is because even with it all the way down, that rubber bumper is designed to compress, at least another 1/4 of an inch before you would feel any bottoming out.

If you will look at the following video and take note of where the bumper is at the 2:31 mark. I had just hit a really hard bump, but still had over an inch before the bumper was all the way down.

Now, I the body were on, and I was riding two up, the rubber bumper would have been pushed all the way down, but I would not have felt it bottoming because it would not have fully compressed the rubber bumper.

So, all the that to say...the ideal is for you to hit the hardest bump you can find, and then go under and, carefully, use a pencil or some other wood item (you don't want to scratch the shaft with metal) and see if you can push the bumper down any further. If you can, then your pre-load is too tight and you may benefit from turning the top collar 1 full turn.

Hope that helps!

Kevin

[MDF48]

Hello Kevin. Yes, your instructions for adjustments are plainly stated in the install instructions and I understand how to adjust them. You are correct that information didn't come from anything DK Custom had posted. The 1/4 inch reference I was talking about came from a video from Pro Action that was made about 2 years ago. The video is definitely for a two wheeler but I thought maybe the 1/4 inch info he was explaining would probably be about the same for the trike. I know there is a lot of difference in valving and other things with the trike shocks. Anyway, I was just wondering if anybody had a trick to allow me to see the bumper with trike on the ground. I will just jack each side one at a time and remove the wheel so I can see where it is. I definitely have not felt a bottom out so far, but I have not really hit a "bad" bump or pothole yet.