['05Train]

For starters, I pay for my own stuff, I'm not an employee of a shock company, nor am I sponsored by anyone,

I've run Progressive, Ricor, JRI, Ohlins, and now Pro Action shocks on my Harleys. I've tried Progressive Monotubes, Ricor Intiminators, and Ricors with Racetech springs in my forks. My Roadie's front end has needed help for a while, and I've researched the hell out of my options. While I'm sure that the 30mm Ohlins kit that Howard sells are amazing, they're just not in the budget. I was set to do the Ricor/Racetech setup again when I stumbled across Pro Action's kit. Spent about 40 minutes on the phone with George there, and got the lowdown on what they do. I won't go into detail, but basically it's new damper rods, custom-wound springs, and heavier oil. I was intrigued. So I made an appointment and rode up last Monday. The PA Turnpike is a rough road, so I got to feel the full effect of how lousy the stock front end is. I also noticed the back of the bike kicking me (I'm running Ohlins 2-1/2). I got there, they asked my weight, how often I rode 2-up, how often I had the Tour Pak on, and how aggressively I rode. Then they asked if I wanted to try the rear shocks. They offer a 30 day "test ride", so I said sure.

George's team rebuilt my forks and swapped the shocks out in a few hours. It's like getting a suit custom tailored. They sent me out on a test ride to see what I thought, and damn....Their $300 front fork solution is amazing. It's much stiffer than stock - which is fine - but the amazing thing is that you're not crashing through 2" of fork travel every time you touch the front brake. It's "sports car firm". The compliance is there, but all the pitch forwards and backwards is gone. Grab a handful of brake and the bike stays relatively level. Pounce on the throttle, and you're not staring at the sky. The front end is far and away better than anything I've had before. And for $300 it's a damn bargain.

The shocks though are what you feel, as they're what's holding the bulk of the bike's weight. I've got 450 miles on them, and I've got them dialed in perfectly. Today I threw everything the s*itty roads around here could offer. Farm roads, gravel, frost heaves, 2" bridge joints. The Pro Action shocks are really, really good. Once I had them dialed in, they ate up everything I could throw at them. After a 200 mile day, I got home, ran a 15-mile loop by my house that's a shock-punisher, whipped the jack out, and put the Ohlins back on. Then I did it again. Same bike, same rider, same day, just 10 minutes later. The Ohlins, between the extra 5/8" stroke and what is clearly better damping are the better shock on lousy roads.

Now this is not taking anything away from the Pro Action shocks. They're really, really good. Far better than the JRIs or the Ricors. And if I lived farther south with better roads they'd be great. And I'm going to call them tomorrow to see if they have any tuning advice. But frankly I know what I know, and they're set as good as they're going to get.

So I unhesitatingly recommend Pro Action. The staff is wonderful, and at $300 the front end kit is a bargain. Their shocks are better than most, and for many people they'll be better than fine. For the s*it roads I ride on, they just can't keep up with the Ohlins.

 

[scooper321]

Rats. I thought I was going to be able to buy your Ohlins from you...!

Nice write up.


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['05Train]

I want to make sure I'm perfectly clear about this.....The Pro Action shocks are really good. But with 5/8" of extra stroke, the Ohlins are better.

 

[Zedbra]

I have admired my Pro Actions from day 1, and now with over 30k on them, I am still impressed with how well they handle the road. I will always recommend them to other riders

 

[SteadyEddie]

Nice, Train.....thank you, Sir

 

[DanHappy]

So.the charged $300 for the front end and labor?

Good write up!

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[Zedbra]

I want to make sure I'm perfectly clear about this.....The Pro Action shocks are really good. But with 5/8" of extra stroke, the Ohlins are better.

You are comparing the 13" shocks, correct? I can't see on the Pro Action site any details about shock travel

 

[Lu]

Thanks for the review. Did you get your rear Ohlinrs from Howard? If so, which one did you get?

 

['05Train]

Labor was an additional $250, which is also a bargain. The 2-1/2 Ohlins are a hair longer and have 3-5/8" of stroke versus 3" on the PAs.

 

[twowheeladdict]

Nice write up. Glad to hear that the money I spent on Ohlins is still money well spent.

I am fortunate to have Traxxion Dynamics within a day away from me, and being in Woodstock, GA, I never come home the same day, just head up to the mountains. Their springs, with gold valve cartridge emulators work really well on damping rod forks.
I went full cartridges on my Moto Guzzi because it is a bike I felt comfortable splurging on with no desire to part ways with it. They make their own cartridges in house. One is compression and the other rebound. They carry different lines of rear shocks, but I had to Bitubo shocks with red springs to go with my bike and because they are Italian like the bike. LOL!

 

['05Train]

Passed a thousand miles on the PA setup yesterday.

When I let George know my feelings about the shocks, he suggested a different setting on the bleeders (2 left, 4 right). I also pulled some preload out, as I'd set it on one of our worst roads. Much, much better. The shocks bottom on the really big hits, but they're designed to do so, and it's not jarring. Did the back-and-forth again with the Ohlins, and the PAs are staying on the bike. 350 miles yesterday, and I didn't think about the suspension, other than to marvel at how well it works.

 

[Zedbra]

^ one little click makes such a difference with the PA shocks. I was running 4 right, 1 left and just recently added one more click to the right - seems to be the right balance for me in combination with my front Legends

 

[OhioRuss]

Passed a thousand miles on the PA setup yesterday.

When I let George know my feelings about the shocks, he suggested a different setting on the bleeders (2 left, 4 right). I also pulled some preload out, as I'd set it on one of our worst roads. Much, much better. The shocks bottom on the really big hits, but they're designed to do so, and it's not jarring. Did the back-and-forth again with the Ohlins, and the PAs are staying on the bike. 350 miles yesterday, and I didn't think about the suspension, other than to marvel at how well it works.

If you don’t mind me asking what was the whole deal OTD, like the fact to be able to roll in and be done in a day.

 

['05Train]

If you don’t mind me asking what was the whole deal OTD, like the fact to be able to roll in and be done in a day.

I don't have the receipt in front of me, but it was around $1,350. Definitely less than $1,400. Plan on spending 4 hours there.

 

['05Train]

So....Long story short, the Ohlins have been sold and the Pro-Actions are on the bike for good.

I've got about 3,000 miles on the Pro-Action setup, and count me as a True Believer. Everything's settled in, and I've got them set up perfectly. At the outset I thought the front end was a bit too harsh, and that 15wt fork oil would probably suit me better. Nope, it's perfect. I can bomb through corners like no one's business, and rough pavement doesn't upset it. There's zero head-toss from hitting the brakes, and panic stops are drama-free.

The rears - once they broke in and I finessed the adjustments - are the best shocks I've run. The coarse threads mean that it's 2-1/4 turns going from solo to 2-up. Big hits are mitigated. Small stuff vanishes. My 900 pound bike is a surgical weapon. As good as the Ohlins are - and they're very, very good - these are better. And they're better with less stroke.

I've been an Ohlins fanboy since I got my first set. I'd recommend Pro-Action over Ohlins without reservation.

 

[Blowby]

Train,
Do you know what brand of 20w fork oil they used? I’ll be installing the kit with a 1” lowering spacer next week.

 

['05Train]

I believe they use Maxima oil.

 

[Zedbra]

Deleted - wrong thread.

 

[tphillips]

T

So....Long story short, the Ohlins have been sold and the Pro-Actions are on the bike for good.

I've got about 3,000 miles on the Pro-Action setup, and count me as a True Believer. Everything's settled in, and I've got them set up perfectly. At the outset I thought the front end was a bit too harsh, and that 15wt fork oil would probably suit me better. Nope, it's perfect. I can bomb through corners like no one's business, and rough pavement doesn't upset it. There's zero head-toss from hitting the brakes, and panic stops are drama-free.

The rears - once they broke in and I finessed the adjustments - are the best shocks I've run. The coarse threads mean that it's 2-1/4 turns going from solo to 2-up. Big hits are mitigated. Small stuff vanishes. My 900 pound bike is a surgical weapon. As good as the Ohlins are - and they're very, very good - these are better. And they're better with less stroke.

I've been an Ohlins fanboy since I got my first set. I'd recommend Pro-Action over Ohlins without reservation.

Thanks for this write up. On point, and on time. I had been looking at these for comparison...and this answered all my questions.

 

[Rauzer]

Great write up and explaination. Just my lack of knowledge here, do you think it's necessary to have them do the install? Beaver Falls is about 4 hours from my place, and I have an Indy shop about 10 mins from my place that I really trust (Blettner Power Sports). Overall I'm OK with my stock suspension, but the front end dive is annoying, like you mentioned. Thinking I could just call them and order the front end kit and see if Blettner will install it. Maybe if I do that I'll see the light and upgrade the rear suspension after that. Thanks!!