I got about 1200 miles on my new roadglide and my rear suspension just seems stiff,I can feel all the bumps.i have tried playing with the preload adjustments and found the lowest setting 0 to be the best and I weigh 190.i love the way the bike handles and corners just can't get pass this rough riding on the highway,it does have the lower rear shocks.
If they're the same as the 16 special then they just suck and you need to weigh out your options and pick up some different shocks. I have about 1600 on mine and hate em. They will jar your back if you're not careful. Good luck.
I weigh about 200 and I rode it with the preload at the lowest setting 0, and it was stiffer to me than when I had it set in the middle. Maybe its just happy in the middle of the range, worth a shot. Go to the dealer and test ride a different one, dont tell them why, just say you might want another one. Set it in the middle and take it for a spin.
17 RGS. Same for me. I can live with because the way it handle. But not my wife. I wonder if Ohlin or super shocks will be better. I have all the winter to read somes comments on shocks before I pulled the trigger.
My suggestion is buy a better seat first, you will get a new one anyway if you ride 2 up. If you think your seat position is rough wait till your passenger rides on the back. I'll bet she won't last 30 minutes before telling you to get a better seat before she rides with you again. The RGS stock seat absolutely sucks for a passenger, not only is the foam thinner than the rider position but it is slanted down toward the rear fender. Without a passenger backrest your passenger could slide off onto the rear fender under hard acceleration unless she constantly holds on tight, which can be fatiguing for her. My personnel favorite seat is the Harley Sundowner simply because it is very comfortable for both rider and passenger and is less expensive than aftermarket seats. Also you might get lucky and find one used on Ebay in good condition for great savings over new.
You are absolutely right . I already have a mustang seat coming from my 13cvo roadglide. We rode with that seat on the 17 and the ride is less smooth than it was with the 13 (especially for my wife). That doesn't mean that I don't like the bike. It is the best one I ever had in 40 years. I just love it! It is just that I wonder if the ride will be smoother with aftermarket shock without losing the feeling of being "solid rock" on the road.
My 2015 RGS rode terrible with the shock preload set to zero. I initially had set them there thinking it would soften the ride but I think they were probably just bottoming out jarring my back with the slightest pothole. Turning them up a couple notches above what the owners manual recommended for my weight gave me a much smoother ride.
The things are most likely broken! I'm sure thay are made in China. You know if Trump has his way, witch is fine by me our beloved Harley Davidson will cost like sixty grand
Showa, made in Japan. This company probably makes more MC shocks than anyone in the world and provides OEM for almost everyone who builds MCs. Every new bike I have ever owned, and most used, came with Showas.
Spend all you want and it will still be a hard ride. The only true fix is to increase the travel. Try a pair of take offs from someone that wanted to lower their bike and done. You can't fight physics you can only make the best of the short travel to maintain the low look.
I have done 2000km Om my 17 RG. Rear suspension is too hard!!!!!!!! Terrible.
When you spend big money on a well advertised pumped Harley phenomena and you end up with a back issue, there is an issue.
This should be a recall.
When i first rode the 17 i thought the suspension was better but after spending some time on them i realized the rear is no better than my 14 or 16. While the front is a little better many just feed into the hype, and try to persuade others to hop on the bandwagon. You are riding a bike with a short travel lowered shock it always gonna feel rough and jarring. Get the ultra shocks and you will be in a new world. I got my special/s knowing that they are lower and therefore i am sacrificing some comfort between seat and suspension. Once i changed out the stock crap seat it made a world of a difference for the wife and i only took 6-7 seats to really find the setup we both love.
remember, you can't apply what you know from 16 and down to the 17s. the 17s come with the 'new' hand adjustable shocks. and yes, they are different than the older premium hand adjustable shocks.
Just going through the same thing on a 2016 RGS. Took off the stock shocks, one side adjustment. Tried 12" air shocks, tried progressive 444, same problem. Came to this forum and quite a few said to go to Super Shoxs. I did and it works. Go to supershox.com , great products
Only thing I didn't try first was 13" air shocks, but I am very pleased with the Super Shoxs.
Correct me if I am wrong. But I think the FLTRX's came with 13" front suspension. And 12" rear suspension. If this is the same for 2015 and up (including m8's). Then you could just put 13" on the rear. I think an extra inch on the rear would make a substantial difference in ride quality. Actually, I am wishing I had done this before I lowered my front end. JMO
I had a '15 RGS and the rear suspension was the non-air, manually adjustable, Showa twin low shock "upgrade" setup. It sucked ass. It actually scared me several times going over railroad tracks, and I had the preload set for my weight with gear.
Now I have the '17 RGS with the non-air, manually adjustable, Showa twin low shock "further upgrade" setup. Eight full turns from zero on the preload with my 180 lb. butt in the saddle with gear is like riding on a pillow. With the upgraded front suspension, it is night and day different from the '15's suspension, both in ride and handling.
With my 130 lb. GF on the back, 20 + or - full turns in takes care of it, depending on how much stuff we are carrying.
Harley did a damn good job with this suspension, as far as I can tell.
You are running your rear suspension too soft and not letting it do its job. I suggest that you increase your preload to about eight - nine full turns in from zero.
I had the same problem. My dealer put new shocks on it. Problem solved. Apparently, the manufacturer of the shocks have had some quality issues. I went up there for my first service, rode another Road Glide Special, it rode perfect. They replaced the shocks and ta da! Problem solved.
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