Triumphrat

ohiorider · 04-21-2007

I replaced the stock shocks with Progressive 440's about one year ago. i went a bit heavy on the initial springs, and sent the shocks back to Progressive, where they installed lighter progressive springs. Things were much better.

Lately, I looked at my T100 and thought "... maybe the stock shocks in chrome look better than the all black (and relatively expensive) 440s ... why don't I re-installl the stock shocks and use the 440s only for trips with lots of ballast on the bike ....?"

Well, after one day of riding approximately 125 miles, I got my answer. Those OEM shocks are sprung way too stiff, at least for me.

So, the 440's are going back on .... appearances be d*****!

Anyone else swapped their OEM shocks, then switched back?

It was enligntening, to say the least.

Bob

rodburner · 04-21-2007

Bob,I swapped in two different sets of Hagon Nitros and rode them for over a year. I switched back to the stockers and found them to be better riding and more comfortable than either of the Nitro`s. Then I went to my current setup which are HD Sportster 12-1/2" Progressive 412s [all black] with the light springs and they are the best of all. Its good to be able to change things once in a while to see where we are.
Steve

dazco · 04-22-2007

It's very true that it's often a good move to switch back after a while to see where things really are. Sometimes the difference we see when changing things can be deceiving. Sometimes we perceive "different" as being better when in reality the mere fact that it feels different is mistaken for "better". Changing back often gives you the real picture that for some reason the initial change didn't. I find this to be the case often and when changing back i realize the "improvement" really wasn't.

In the case of the 440's tho it turns out they were indeed worth it. I too did this with my shocks.........put my stock ones back on, and once i did i realized the 440's ARE much better.(they LOOK a lot better too !) But there have been many times when i realized the stock part was better. Last time was with the taller and pulled back risers i tried. At first i thought i liked them better. But after a time i felt the stock ones may have been more comfortable. And after swapping the stockers back i realized they indeed were.