Fitting Harley Shocks

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cutsit
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Fitting Harley Shocks

#1

Post by cutsit »

There are lots of Harley take off Progressive shocks around either on ebay or the net.

Has anyone used them on a wing? If so, what did you do to make it work?

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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#2

Post by sunnbobb »

I have not tried it, but it presents an idea worth examining.
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#3

Post by Whiskerfish »

There are not "Clevis" and "Eye" are they?
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#4

Post by Neil »

Most Harley shocks are eye to eye and come in a variety of length. You can find eye to clevis off the older iron head sportsters that should work on the 1000 wing.
Fitting them to our wings is not a problem, you need the correct size inner spacer for the eye and a usable substitute can usually be found in a hard ware store. What I mean by that is a nylon bushing, there not sold as a motorcycle part but do the same thing.
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#5

Post by cutsit »

This was the information I was looking for. The shocks for a FL seem like they would work based on size and weight. My 82 does not have the clevis end, so it would work there too.

Seems like the stock height is 13". Would the Progressives translate to that height too?
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#6

Post by hmratbam »

If they don't say how long they are,you'll have to ask. There are many different lengths out there!
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#7

Post by IndianaJohn »

Don't know why anyone would want to use Hardly shocks. I've rode my buddy's Sportster, and the damn thing will literally beat you to death on anything but a perfectly smooth road.
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cutsit
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#8

Post by cutsit »

Ebay is full of Progressive Shocks that are Harley take offs. More than Wing shocks by far and at a lot cheaper price.

Everyone here that has Progressives on their Wing seems happy.

I was trying to see if anyone had used the Progressive shocks meant for a Harley on a Wing. Looks like it can be done.
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#9

Post by jophoenix »

if your mounting it on a goldwing earlier than 1980, it wont fit without a adapter bracket. Becuase early Goldwings used an eye mount on the top of the shock, and a clevis on the bottom, where as the gl1100 and later used a eye on top and bottom, in line with other manufacturers of the time.

Although I have had luck fitting the new style of Shock onto the older bikes by way of a specially made adapter bracket. But this is a suspension component we are mounting, it needs to take abuse and not be weak in any way. I've purposely overbuilt mine, and I can becuase I run a motorcycle shop and I have the tools available to me. I would not recamend it to the do-it-yourselfer becuase it adds a lot more risk and uncertainty to an otherwise safe and tested piece of equipment on your bike.


in short, if the harley shocks you are looking to buy feature the same mounting style as the shocks currently on your bike. I would go for it 100%, they offer a great ride and last a long time.
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#10

Post by Crash7 »

So I’m looking for the adapter you mentioned. Is there one I can buy commercially? I have been searching but largely unsuccessful. A buddy gave me some Showa air shocks off his Harley. So free is always the right price.
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#11

Post by Oldewing »

jophoenix has not been back to our site since 2010, so he "may" not answer


How ever from his post, he says he runs a shop, so my guess he made a bracket himself.
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Re: Fitting Harley Shocks

#12

Post by wingrider »

Crash, Ole496 had found a solution to running Harley style shocks... you can find some of that info right here.
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