Bumpers on Pro Action shocks

[DK Custom Products]

Thanks for the reply. I still would like to know how you check the bumper. Do you remove the wheel? I can’t see any bumper on mine looking underneath. My problem is my wife sliding forward on the harsh bumps and complaining it jars her back so I’m wondering if preload needs tweaked but can’t see bumper to tell.

Thanks I may give Kevin a call. I just want make sure I have a problem before I bother him Wife says she don’t think it’s bottoming out but she is getting jarred and sliding forward on hard bumps. As I said I can barely see the top of the bumper on bottom of shock but can’t tell if there Is any gap under the bumper. I’m thinking I may have to pull one of wheels to see what is going on. We are in Illinois and roads are pretty rough. I know the pa shocks and lift kit made a world of difference. Just hoping maybe I can get them a little better. Thanks again to everyone.

Hi Mike,

You can check the bumper by getting on the ground, behind the Trike and looking forward to the shocks with a flashlight. You will be able to see the bumper thru the spring coils. When the bumper is ALL the way down, you will barely be able to see the top of it. This is because the bottom collar is concave and there is more stroke than you can see when looking at the shock from the back.

Definitely call or email us, it is no bother. We will help get it adjusted so that there is no hard jarring on anything except on huge potholes.

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Oh my goodness! There is some serious misunderstanding regarding the Convertible Comfort Lift™ for the 14" shocks.

We have one lift kit for the 14" shocks, that can be seen at this LINK.

Convertible stands for it having two different height mounting options...primary and secondary

Comfort stands for it changing the angle of the shocks to help them absorb the smaller bumps better

Lift stands for....well that is what they have always been called, but is possibly the source of some misunderstanding.

When using the primary mounting points, it does lift the mounting point of the Trike about 1.25". (.25" from the Lift and 1" from the 1" longer shock) The primary mounting points should be used on 09-13 Trikes. They may also work on 14-16 Trikes...just depends on how far off Harley was on their tolerances.

On 2017 and up Trikes only the secondary mounting points should be used. This is because of the exhaust changes Harley made.

When using the secondary mounting points it actually LOWERS the shocks by 3/16 of an inch.

The myth that using the Convertible Comfort Lift™ raises the back of the Trike higher than the factory brackets is just that, a myth.

They actually lower the back of the Trike 3/16" compared to the factory brackets.

Why do we recommend the Convertible Comfort Lift for the 14" shocks on 2017 and up Trikes?

1. The change in the angle will give a better ride quality

2. Harley tolerances vary wildly. Sometimes you can install the 14" shocks on the stock brackets. But the majority of the time, when trying to install the 14" shocks with the factory brackets, the swingarm will come into contact with the exhaust on the right side, resulting in not being able to install the shocks properly, and/or causing the swingarm to clank against the exhaust when topping out the shocks on a larger bump.

This is why we have the secondary mounting points for the 2017 & up models (you cannot use the primary for the 2017 & up models). The secondary mounting point is 3/16 of an inch Lower than stock.

The Math:

Stock brackets with 14" shocks = 1" higher (at the shock)

Convertible Comfort Lift with 14" shocks = 13/16" higher (at the shock)

As always, please feel free to call or email (or post on the forum here) with any questions.

Kevin

[Trikesyke]

In all fairness, I would like to add my input. First and foremost, my post is not flaming anyone/product. I am offering up facts. I will start by saying I have never reached that 'cloud' ride on my PA shocks. Not even once. I had the comfort lift kit already on the trike, before I had the new PA shocks installed by the local HD dealer. (I have bad hips that are worsening and can't do a lot of the work like I used to.) The first season I was constantly adjusting them and made numerous calls/photos to the place where I purchased them. I detected some, let's say shortness, on their part after many of the calls. I admit I was misunderstanding some of what they suggested in the beginning. They probably considered me the one guy you can't make happy. I can understand their perspective. The season ended and I gave up on it until the next riding season. The ride was still uncomfortable/painful so I contacted PA directly. I worked with them many times over the phone as well. Still no improvement. I even volunteered to drive to their shop and have them assess my ride. Wanting to save me from traveling that far, PA suggested I return my shocks to them for analysis and they would send me a replacement pair. Turns out my original set had bad valves and they leaked out all of the nitrogen (?). They described the resulting ride would be as if I had no shocks on the trike at all. Whew, finally a solution and I wasn't crazy after all. The second set of PA shocks are better, but now into the second season on those, still no 'cloud'. I have laid on the concrete garage floor too many times to take the wheels on/off to remove/adjust the settings and I can't keep doing it. And I probably have become a thorn in their sides, so, bottom line is that I have to accept what I have and live with it. (In full disclosure, I do have a great deal of bad luck. Things always go wrong/break and I have never gotten used to it. But I have to move on sometimes.)

[FuzzyWuzHe]

(In full disclosure, I do have a great deal of bad luck. Things always go wrong/break and I have never gotten used to it. But I have to move on sometimes.)

I too am in the 10%% that always has bad cr$p happen ... having said that, I would definitely call Kevin at DK. he can explain things much better than I can. Especially getting them set up.

The bad thing is you may need to have HD do the setup again ... since there's lots you can't do now.

[Tinner]

I took trike out Wednesday set both clickers to 4 seemed better but wife still sliding some. Stopped and set right to 5 a little better. The bumps that are the problem are heaves in The road all the way across the lane that Even jar my shoulders on the handle bars. Illinois roads are horrible maybe I’m expecting to much from the shocks. I have 2 questions I may call D K about. 1 if I can see the top of the bumper at the top the black concave shock fitting on bottom do I have the quarter inch required clearance under the bumper? 2 is moving clicker up to 4 or 5 the right direction to absorb these bumps or should I be going down to 2 ? Thanks again to everyone especially Kevin for taking time out of his busy schedule to reply.

[ROAD DOG]

Oh my goodness! There is some serious misunderstanding regarding the Convertible Comfort Lift™ for the 14" shocks.

We have one lift kit for the 14" shocks, that can be seen at this LINK.

Convertible stands for it having two different height mounting options...primary and secondary

Comfort stands for it changing the angle of the shocks to help them absorb the smaller bumps better

Lift stands for....well that is what they have always been called, but is possibly the source of some misunderstanding.

When using the primary mounting points, it does lift the mounting point of the Trike about 1.25". (.25" from the Lift and 1" from the 1" longer shock) The primary mounting points should be used on 09-13 Trikes. They may also work on 14-16 Trikes...just depends on how far off Harley was on their tolerances.

On 2017 and up Trikes only the secondary mounting points should be used. This is because of the exhaust changes Harley made.

When using the secondary mounting points it actually LOWERS the shocks by 3/16 of an inch.

The myth that using the Convertible Comfort Lift™ raises the back of the Trike higher than the factory brackets is just that, a myth.

They actually lower the back of the Trike 3/16" compared to the factory brackets.

Why do we recommend the Convertible Comfort Lift for the 14" shocks on 2017 and up Trikes?

1. The change in the angle will give a better ride quality

2. Harley tolerances vary wildly. Sometimes you can install the 14" shocks on the stock brackets. But the majority of the time, when trying to install the 14" shocks with the factory brackets, the swingarm will come into contact with the exhaust on the right side, resulting in not being able to install the shocks properly, and/or causing the swingarm to clank against the exhaust when topping out the shocks on a larger bump.

This is why we have the secondary mounting points for the 2017 & up models (you cannot use the primary for the 2017 & up models). The secondary mounting point is 3/16 of an inch Lower than stock.

The Math:

Stock brackets with 14" shocks = 1" higher (at the shock)

Convertible Comfort Lift with 14" shocks = 13/16" higher (at the shock)

As always, please feel free to call or email (or post on the forum here) with any questions.

Kevin

Do the 14" shocks fit a 2020 tri glide without the convertible comfort lift ? thank you

[ROAD DOG]

In all fairness, I would like to add my input. First and foremost, my post is not flaming anyone/product. I am offering up facts. I will start by saying I have never reached that 'cloud' ride on my PA shocks. Not even once. I had the comfort lift kit already on the trike, before I had the new PA shocks installed by the local HD dealer. (I have bad hips that are worsening and can't do a lot of the work like I used to.) The first season I was constantly adjusting them and made numerous calls/photos to the place where I purchased them. I detected some, let's say shortness, on their part after many of the calls. I admit I was misunderstanding some of what they suggested in the beginning. They probably considered me the one guy you can't make happy. I can understand their perspective. The season ended and I gave up on it until the next riding season. The ride was still uncomfortable/painful so I contacted PA directly. I worked with them many times over the phone as well. Still no improvement. I even volunteered to drive to their shop and have them assess my ride. Wanting to save me from traveling that far, PA suggested I return my shocks to them for analysis and they would send me a replacement pair. Turns out my original set had bad valves and they leaked out all of the nitrogen (?). They described the resulting ride would be as if I had no shocks on the trike at all. Whew, finally a solution and I wasn't crazy after all. The second set of PA shocks are better, but now into the second season on those, still no 'cloud'. I have laid on the concrete garage floor too many times to take the wheels on/off to remove/adjust the settings and I can't keep doing it. And I probably have become a thorn in their sides, so, bottom line is that I have to accept what I have and live with it. (In full disclosure, I do have a great deal of bad luck. Things always go wrong/break and I have never gotten used to it. But I have to move on sometimes.)

I can not find that cloud

[Trampas]

Do the 14" shocks fit a 2020 tri glide without the convertible comfort lift ? thank you

Yes it does, Posserider has the 14" shocks on his without the comfort lift.

All for now Trampas

[DK Custom Products]

Do the 14" shocks fit a 2020 tri glide without the convertible comfort lift ? thank you

Below is the answer to your question. Unfortunately, it is not a yes or no...it is a sometimes. See the 3:06 mark in the video below to see why, the majority of the time, the 14" Convertible Comfort Lift™ (which really lowers the mounting point) is needed.

Harley tolerances vary wildly. Sometimes you can install the 14" shocks on the stock brackets. But the majority of the time, when trying to install the 14" shocks with the factory brackets, the swingarm will come into contact with the exhaust on the right side, resulting in not being able to install the shocks properly, and/or causing the swingarm to clank against the exhaust when topping out the shocks on a larger bump.



Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

In all fairness, I would like to add my input. First and foremost, my post is not flaming anyone/product. I am offering up facts. I will start by saying I have never reached that 'cloud' ride on my PA shocks. Not even once. I had the comfort lift kit already on the trike, before I had the new PA shocks installed by the local HD dealer. (I have bad hips that are worsening and can't do a lot of the work like I used to.) The first season I was constantly adjusting them and made numerous calls/photos to the place where I purchased them. I detected some, let's say shortness, on their part after many of the calls. I admit I was misunderstanding some of what they suggested in the beginning. They probably considered me the one guy you can't make happy. I can understand their perspective. The season ended and I gave up on it until the next riding season. The ride was still uncomfortable/painful so I contacted PA directly. I worked with them many times over the phone as well. Still no improvement. I even volunteered to drive to their shop and have them assess my ride. Wanting to save me from traveling that far, PA suggested I return my shocks to them for analysis and they would send me a replacement pair. Turns out my original set had bad valves and they leaked out all of the nitrogen (?). They described the resulting ride would be as if I had no shocks on the trike at all. Whew, finally a solution and I wasn't crazy after all. The second set of PA shocks are better, but now into the second season on those, still no 'cloud'. I have laid on the concrete garage floor too many times to take the wheels on/off to remove/adjust the settings and I can't keep doing it. And I probably have become a thorn in their sides, so, bottom line is that I have to accept what I have and live with it. (In full disclosure, I do have a great deal of bad luck. Things always go wrong/break and I have never gotten used to it. But I have to move on sometimes.)

Hi Kevin,

I am sending you a PM with my personal contact information.

We can work fairly easily to get the best possible ride, which should be Greatly improved over the stock ride. But I am not sure I would have the expectation of riding on a cloud.

On a good to moderate road surface, it should definitely be very smooth and a huge improvement over stock.

I think one of the things that happens is folks talk about how amazing the ride quality is after installing the Trike Series Shocks™, or even the 13" PA shocks...but every term they use, AND every term I've used in this post is subjective, and can mean many different things to different folks.

The other thing I run across is that road surfaces vary greatly around North America.

Just last week I was talking with a gentleman that could not understand why he could not adjust his shocks to get a smooth ride. I listened to all the things he done (he had followed the instructions well) and he still was not getting the ride quality he expected.

THEN he described the road he was using to test his shocks on at 40 mph. It was a stretch of road near his house that had "speed bump shaped mounds in it, ranging from 2" - 4" high".

Even though it is a public road...those are speed bumps. No Harley is going to feel smooth riding over a speed bump at 40 mph.

In the following video, at the 4:10 mark it shows the kind of improvement that can be expected. The bumps will move the trike less, and more importantly, it won't be a sharp jolted, it will be a more rounded movement.



I don't know your road surfaces, but I do know I can help you get the best possible ride quality out of your Tri Glide.

Give me a holler.

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

I took trike out Wednesday set both clickers to 4 seemed better but wife still sliding some. Stopped and set right to 5 a little better. The bumps that are the problem are heaves in The road all the way across the lane that Even jar my shoulders on the handle bars. Illinois roads are horrible maybe I’m expecting to much from the shocks. I have 2 questions I may call D K about. 1 if I can see the top of the bumper at the top the black concave shock fitting on bottom do I have the quarter inch required clearance under the bumper? 2 is moving clicker up to 4 or 5 the right direction to absorb these bumps or should I be going down to 2 ? Thanks again to everyone especially Kevin for taking time out of his busy schedule to reply.

Hi Mike,

Not sure if we spoke last week or not. But here is some useful info-

Regarding the "quarter inch required clearance under the bumper", those are instructions on the PA website video regarding 2 wheel bikes.

That is Not how we co-developed the Trike Series Shocks™ with PA.

When you are fully loaded, and riding the roads your normally ride, you want that bumper to go all the way to the bottom, but Not feel a harsh jolt.

Those bumpers will compress to about 1/3 their height before you feel a harsh jolt.

So to get maximum use of the stroke you want the bumper to go all the way to the bottom when fully loaded and hitting a typical hard bump.

Regarding the clicker, you should start at 3 clicks on each side. Then move one side 1 click up (4 clicks) and see if the ride quality is better. If it is not, then go back to 3 and move it 1 click down (2 clicks) and see if the ride quality is better.

If either direction gives a better ride quality, then move to the other shock and put it at a matching point (2 clicks or 4 clicks) and see if it is even better.

It is perfectly fine for one shock to be at a different level of clicks than the other shock.

The important thing is to get the best ride quality for you on your roads.

The technical things that happens when you adjust the clicker are:

When you move from 3 down it allows the oil to move more quickly, reducing the damping effect. Too far and you get a pogo effect because there is not enough damping control to stop the spring from pogoing (bouncing).

When you move from 3 up it restricts the oil and increases the damping. If you go too far (5 is the max damping effect, even though it will click past 5) then shock movement is restricted and it will feel too stiff.

Here is a video where the clicker is shown how it works is explained-



Kevin

[Tinner]

Thanks Kevin for the info on the bumper. It sounds like i may be alright because my bumper is on the bottom of shock. I will keep trying different combinations on the clicker. As i said before the ride is a major improvement over the stock shocks and the roads in Illinois are pretty bad. I should also mention that the day we road the road with the problem bumps my 2 friends were on CVO street glides and they were complaining about the bumps and their wives were sliding forward on the seat. So it is possible that my shocks are tuned in the best they are going to get. Thanks again to everyone else also for the info it has been very helpful.