If this has been asked before.... (shocks?)

[Bill J. from Austin]

I searched the forums as best I could, but no one seemed to be discussing this particular question. If it has been asked before, I apologize, but I need some straight skinny.

I have a 2016 Freewheeler I picked up in April. Limited riding time since then, so I've only put on about 3000 miles. Absolutely love the ride on the highway and decent surface streets, but man, those bumps! 😱



One of the threads I read before posting this pointed out that with three wheels, all in separate tracks on the roadway, you get three times the bumps. Makes sense to me, but there has got to be something I can do to mellow this beast a bit.



Red Mountain Pass, Colorado.

For reference, I rode a rigid-framed shovelhead with a frame-mounted butt bucket for forty years. I'm not a whiner (most days) and I don't think anyone would mistake me for a lightweight.



Skyline Drive above Cañon City, Colorado.





Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado.

I put over a half-million miles on my shovel, and by the time I clocked my first hundred miles, I'd figured out how to avoid or compensate for most bumps and road surfaces. On the Freewheeler, at 3000 miles, I'm still getting the Christmas beat out of me on a regular basis!

Before anyone suggests tire-pressure and air pressure in the OEM shocks, I did that. I'm pretty sure the OEM shocks leak, and adjusting them doesn't seem to help. The tire pressure didn't seem to make a difference, either.

The parts guy at the stealership recommended Progressive 444-4073B or the Legends REVO shocks, which cost more and require an additional $225 lift kit that Progressive specifically prohibits using. 🤷🏻 I looked at DK Custom Products, and they might be everything they promise, but OMG! they are pricey! I'm not a wealthy man, so they'd have to be really special to justify that outlay.

Anyhoo, does anyone have actual experience on their trikes with any of the three brands of shocks mentioned? Is there some other shock absorber you'd recommend instead?

Thanks.

PS: I hope this isn't like asking what oil to use. 😆

[Old Road Dog]

I have DK Customs NextGen shocks and they work very well. But I'm not a complete fool no matter what my 3 ex wives say (they refuse to die) . With a solid axle your never gonna get a Cadillac ride. DK says you can install the shocks without removing the body. Maybe if you have little hobbit hands. I lifted the the body to get to the top mount. If you do decide on new shocks come here for advice on body lift/ removal.

[Old Road Dog]

Oh...I didnt use a lift kit. I like the low slung look.

[Bill J. from Austin]

I have DK Customs NextGen shocks and they work very well. But I'm not a complete fool no matter what my 3 ex wives say ( they refuse to die) . With a solid axle your never gonna get a Cadillac ride. DK says you can install the shocks without removing the body. Maybe if you have little hobbit hands. I lifted the the body to get to the top mount. If you do decide on new shocks come here for advice on body lift/ removal.

Oh...I didnt use a lift kit. I like the low slung look.

Thank you for all of that, and the quick response.



I had the taco box off the first week I had her. Other than the initial test ride, I refused to put any miles on mine until I replaced the 4" unbaffled exhaust tips the previous owner installed. Per the manual, removing the body is the only way to accomplish that. Stupidest setup I've ever seen!



Anyhoo, while I tried to follow the directions in the manual, I'd welcome any hacks or tips someone with more experience might share.



And like you, I'd prefer low-slung, as much as possible, so I'm glad to know the DK's don't require the lift kit. The way I read their website, it seemed mandatory.

[Old Road Dog]

Looks like you got body removal down. Good time to clean things up.I had a petrified dead squirrel up under there. I'll add I use lots of blue painter's tape. The 13" Next Gen didnt require a lift but some other models may.

[Noodles107]

I am really looking forward to a set of DK Custom NexGen Shocks for my 2017 FW. I will be ordering these in stock 13" right after the 1st of the year. I'm pretty sure that I will go with the package and include the Comfort Lift. All of my research leans this way. I too really like the "low slung, if you will" footprint but the guys at DK tell me that ride improvement outweighs the very minimal height increase with the kit ... 1/2" or so is not visible to the naked eye. I am not equipped to do the install so I will have my HD Dealership do it for me. Very excited

[Bill J. from Austin]

Looks like you got body removal down. Good time to clean things up.I had a petrified dead squirrel up under there. I'll add I use lots of blue painter's tape. The 13" Next Gen didnt require a lift but some other models may.

No dead squirrels, just those gawd-awful 4" cones. Ugh! I'm actually one of those guys who believes loud pipes do save lives, but there are limits!

Excuse my ignorance, but what was the painter's tape for? 🤷🏻*♀️

I notice you and Noodles107 both went for 13" shocks. I'm guessing those worked well? I'm 185 pounds and will be riding solo almost exclusively. After the hit-and-run that almost killed us both, my wife is not getting back on motors. Me, I'm not that smart. 😏



As for weight: it will mostly be my 185 pounds and maybe some camping gear next Spring or Summer.

I put on a bunch of miles yesterday -- a lot of Austin's crappy surface streets with some high-speed miles on our expressway and brand-new toll roads for dessert -- and got a little bit better at anticipating and responding to bumps, but I'll still be eager to get working shocks on there. I was telling my wife this afternoon that A) I'm pretty sure the seals are out on the OEM shocks -- that they're not holding air at all -- and B) that riding this beast as it sits is like getting the worst of a rigid frame's ride with none of the benefits of a rigid frame. 😢

Me, I'm ready to plunk down some cash somewhere.

Thanks again to you and Noodles107 for your feedback.

Sláinte!

[Old Road Dog]

No dead squirrels, just those gawd-awful 4" cones. Ugh! I'm actually one of those guys who believes loud pipes do save lives, but there are limits!

Excuse my ignorance, but what was the painter's tape for? 🤷🏻*♀️

I notice you and Noodles107 both went for 13" shocks. I'm guessing those worked well? I'm 185 pounds and will be riding solo almost exclusively. After the hit-and-run that almost killed us both, my wife is not getting back on motors. Me, I'm not that smart. 😏



As for weight: it will mostly be my 185 pounds and maybe some camping gear next Spring or Summer.

I put on a bunch of miles yesterday -- a lot of Austin's crappy surface streets with some high-speed miles on our expressway and brand-new toll roads for dessert -- and got a little bit better at anticipating and responding to bumps, but I'll still be eager to get working shocks on there. I was telling my wife this afternoon that A) I'm pretty sure the seals are out on the OEM shocks -- that they're not holding air at all -- and B) that riding this beast as it sits is like getting the worst of a rigid frame's ride with none of the benefits of a rigid frame. 😢

Me, I'm ready to plunk down some cash somewhere.

Thanks again to you and Noodles107 for your feedback.

Sláinte!

The blue tape is to protect the paint. Especially around the louvers where the exhaust pipe extend. Along all the lower fender ridge lines..you get the idea. Dont forget where the seat extension "tongue" extends toward the bulkhead. Murphy loves people that remove trike bodies!

[TonkaDriver]

Investing in DK shocks will not disappoint. The ride quality difference between stock and good aftermarket shocks is night and day. This is a modification that is totally justified.

Kurt

[WindyOne]

I had Pro Action 14" shocks, DK lift kit,as a DK bundle, Progressive front fork kit installed. I am about 168 on a good day and only ride solo. Back roads here are to me pretty rough. I don't think any shocks will help them. On the better 2 lane roads I think the ride is much smoother. It has taken me some time to come to that conclusion.

The lift kit helps with lighter steering as well as keeps the underside of the exhaust out of the drain ditches.

Would I do this all again having gone through this experience? Probably because that solid rear axle needs all the help it can get.

I do think the only bad action here is no action at all. I think the oem shocks are worth being replaced with whatever choice you make.

[Bill J. from Austin]

The blue tape is to protect the paint. Especially around the louvers where the exhaust pipe extend. Along all the lower fender ridge lines..you get the idea. Dont forget where the seat extension "tongue" extends toward the bulkhead. Murphy loves people that remove trike bodies!

Oh, Murphy (the bastard) has my address memorized!

Thanks for the tip.

[Bill J. from Austin]

I had Pro Action 14" shocks, DK lift kit,as a DK bundle, Progressive front fork kit installed. I am about 168 on a good day and only ride solo. Back roads here are to me pretty rough. I don't think any shocks will help them. On the better 2 lane roads I think the ride is much smoother. It has taken me some time to come to that conclusion.

The lift kit helps with lighter steering as well as keeps the underside of the exhaust out of the drain ditches.

Would I do this all again having gone through this experience? Probably because that solid rear axle needs all the help it can get.

I do think the only bad action here is no action at all. I think the oem shocks are worth being replaced with whatever choice you make.

Investing in DK shocks will not disappoint. The ride quality difference between stock and good aftermarket shocks is night and day. This is a modification that is totally justified. Kurt

Consensus seems to be in favor of.

After yesterday's ride -- several hours on our Farm-to-Market roads through the horse country east of Austin -- I'm ready to move on this. The roads aren't that bad. They've gotten rougher with age, but our FM and RM (Ranch-to-Market) road system should be the envy of every state: clean, well-maintained two-lanes through some of the prettiest rural countryside the Republic has to offer.



Photos from the one stop I made yesterday. Temps in the 70s, light winds, no time for an extended photo-shoot!

Still, between the crap suspension and the weight of the helmet bouncing up and down on my already-compromised neck, I woke up in agony this morning. Granted, I'm just getting back up after several years off motors, so my riding muscles are somewhat atrophied, but I rode rigid for much of my career, and loved it. I can state, unequivocally, that the stock suspension on the Freewheeler offers all the negatives of a rigid frame, and not one of the benefits!

I'll be ordering today.

[Bill J. from Austin]

Consensus seems to be in favor of.

I'll be ordering today.

Ordered the 13" shocks and lift kit -- the package from DK -- after a lot of Google searching, review reading, and speaking to Duane at DK on the phone.

I should be able to do the install myself -- thousands of dollars worth of tools, thirty-odd years in a shop and almost forty-five years of wrenching my own bikes ought to count for something, right? -- but if I think of it, I'll try to do a step-by-step with photos to share here. Fingers crossed.

Again, thank you to all who responded, and thanks to Trike Talk for providing this forum.

Cheers!

[Bill J. from Austin]

If nothing else, DK gets major props for fast shipping. These showed up at my doorstep this afternoon!



Nice neat box, with all items securely packaged.



The lift kit, of fairly hefty steel with a nice finish.



The bushings that will be required for installation.



The main event. If you love well-made things, these certainly look the part! Give me a few days (family obligations intrude) and I will begin the install.

Meanwhile, to any and all reading this:

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanza, Blessed Solstice.... whatever you celebrate at this time of year, have a good 'un!

Sláinte!

[My Turn]

Meanwhile, to any and all reading this:

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanza, Blessed Solstice.... whatever you celebrate at this time of year, have a good 'un!

Sláinte!

Hey Bill good luck with the install. I have pro action 14" shocks, lift kit, and the richor intimidators in my forks. All were worthwhile improvements.

Happy Festivus to all

[1dn5up]

It’s not a hard install , other than the top shock bolts being a bear to remove . HD used a tube of white lock tite to secure them . Replaced mine with body on , have bandaids by your side .

[JTJersey]

If nothing else, DK gets major props for fast shipping.

Nice neat box, with all items securely packaged.



The lift kit, of fairly hefty steel with a nice finish.

Meanwhile, to any and all reading this: Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanza, Blessed Solstice.... whatever you celebrate at this time of year, have a good 'un!

Sláinte!

What's the purpose of the lift kit and is it necessary to use with those shocks? I really don't want to lift my Freewheeler. I like it where it is.

[My Turn]

It’s not a hard install , other than the top shock bolts being a bear to remove . HD used a tube of white lock tite to secure them . Replaced mine with body on , have bandaids by your side .

Take the body off. It is 6 bolts and one plug. You will save yourself hours of frustration. I have had the body off my freewheeler twice, takes about 15 minutes.

[My Turn]

What's the purpose of the lift kit and is it necessary to use with those shocks? I really don't want to lift my Freewheeler. I like it where it is.

When I first installed the 14" shocks I had to compress them about 1/2 inch even with the swingarm in full droop, thus giving up that amount of travel. The lift brackets eliminated the need to compress the shocks thus I am getting the full 4" of travel. It raised the rear ride height less than 1/2"

[TonkaDriver]

Hey Bill good luck with the install. I have pro action 14" shocks, lift kit, and the richor intimidators in my forks. All were worthwhile improvements.

Happy Festivus to all

When Does the "Airing of Grievances" start?

Kurt