I am another rider with a bad back that can’t take sudden jolts from rear shocks so I’m considering buying some longer replacement shocks.  I read the thread concerning rear shocks but would still like some opinions especially about the length.  I plan to add some padding to the seat so I have to consider the overall height increase.

If the back end gets jacked up and causes the steering to quicken up a little I would consider that a good thing.  Does anyone know at what length the quicker steering is noticeable?  But my real goal is a nicer ride without a lot of extra work or $$$.

Having read the threads and looking at Ebay for low cost solutions I see three alternatives, Progressive shocks which can be found new and used in various lengths, Intruder shocks which are 12 ˝ long, and stock Harley Sportster shocks (there are always lots of them, lengths seem to vary).

Lengthwise I don’t think the Progressives would need to be as long as the other alternatives because the progressive rate spring resistance would prevent bottoming out.  11 1/2 seems good because it gives an extra inch of travel but wouldn’t effect the reserve fuel tank capacity, accuracy of the oil window and oil distribution, seat height and belt guard to any great extent.  Any opinions as to what length Progressives would be needed to make a nice gentle ride?

There are many used Harley shocks for reasonable (read cheap) prices on Ebay.  They look well made.  Several people mentioned them as an alternative.  I can make bushings easy enough so they would fit.  But since the spring is constant rate it seems that longer ones would be needed.  Any suggestions on length for stock Harley springs?

At present I can find only one set of stock Intruder 800 shocks but they have 40,000 miles on them and I think they must be getting close to worn out.  They are long, 12 ˝, and people say they have a great ride but do they cause any problems, such as the fuel in the tank and the oil in the crankcase running forward? (Don’t want to starve the transmission and flood the crank shaft in oil)

A set of Progressives 11 ˝ long is available to me but they are model 412-4200C and are fairly soft.  I don’t know how they would fit, they are replacements for some older Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Honda models.  Also, some bargain priced Progressives are new but apparently have been stored for some time, I wonder how long they last in storage before the seals take a set or the nitrogen leaks out?

I would appreciate any opinions.

How much do you weight?

I weight about 240
the 412-4005 are too light, I maxed out the preload.
the 412-4201 are a better choice for me.

I found a set of 440's for about the same price, much better.

I've been looking for used 440's but they are hard to find.  How long are your 440's?

engineer wrote on 02/16/11 at 19:06:17:

11"

don't know if dug this far back - here's some digging around on shocks, spring rates, bike lift and such from a few years ago:

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1126562337/45

bet one of these would work real well for you :

Standard 11" (90/130 lb/in)  
412-4232c

Standard 11" (115/155 lb/in)
412-4233C


both are on ebay right now for a little over $200

of course there is a set of used 440's 90/130 in/lb springs for $75 on ebay - that would be a fine deal - need to come up with a metric bushing however:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/11-Progressive-Suspension-Rear-Shocks-440-4005...