Question for Harley experts | GTAMotorcycle.com

Question for Harley experts

TwistedKestrel

TwistedKestrel

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I was reading a summary of the 2017 Street Glide so I can better empathize with Harley owners, when I noticed a shocking detail - the Street Glide has cartridge forks.

When did that happen? How long has Harley been putting cartridge forks on their bikes? How much of their range has them?
 
My '99 XL1200S had cartridge forks. Rebound & compression damping adjustments front and rear (and preload, of course)

image_zpspsxccinp.jpeg
 
FLSTC said:
My '99 XL1200S had cartridge forks. Rebound & compression damping adjustments front and rear (and preload, of course)

image_zpspsxccinp.jpeg
Click to expand...
That's still a bad-ass looking bike.

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FLSTC said:
My '99 XL1200S had cartridge forks. Rebound & compression damping adjustments front and rear (and preload, of course)

image_zpspsxccinp.jpeg
Click to expand...

Well... okay, but that only sorta counts, it's a niche bike. I'm sure some CVO bikes have had them before now as well, but they don't count either. The XR1200 definitely does not count. The Street Glide is a bread & butter bike though
 
(Just now noticing the XL1200S had forward controls when the XL1200R had mid controls. ????)

Oh wait. That's not stock
 
Yes, I added the fwd controls , the 2 into 1 exhaust, and the s&s air cleaner.

I now wish that I would've kept this bike when I bought the Heritage Softail...

Harley doesn't have any bread & butter bikes. They're all cake.
 
I'm a Harley expert in a way not usually associated with the definition of "expert" so my facts may be compromised but a steady rotation of the latest 2017 Milwaukee 8 HD yt vids reveals it's a going concern beyond the new motor up to and including engineering improvements over all. Fork cartridges are indeed part of this new move into the 21st century.
 
What are cartridge forks?

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Joe Bass said:
What are cartridge forks?

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Click to expand...

This is not a bad summary on what's different and why you want them: http://racetech.com/articles/CartridgeForks.htm

Every bike I've had with damping rod forks, I think about how much I hate them any time I hit a bump. They actually used to be better when we had anti-dive, because then they could use less damping for the rest of the time. Cartridge emulators are not a bad compromise, but they're only for bikes that you really like and to adjust them you have to take the whole fork apart. People like to cheaply "improve" damper rod forks by using higher weight fork oil & stiffer springs, but it completely destroys any semblance of ride quality on Toronto streets.

For the longest time capital t Touring bikes intentionally used damper rod forks for a reason other than cheapness, but I can't remember what it is. The Goldwing used to have one cartridge and one damper rod... still does?
 
Never really thought much about my front forks. They always worked well. Overall my Harley has a very cushy ride. I like springer front ends too, soo cool.
 
yodude said:
kinda goes like this
https://www.google.ca/search?q=cartridge+forks&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=3cLdV9_sG-HqjwS5i7bwBg
Click to expand...
I am not a fan of the Google. I can find out what they are and then I can find out what the others are then I can find out pros and cons....
Or I can ask, and someone usually the op can enlighten me. And then we can discuss. Not a shot at you, I just think Google is over used. You and I are ild enough to have lived a large part of life where if you didn't know something, you (a) asked (b) read a book (c) racked your brain to try and figure it out/ remember.


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Most HD touring/bagger models come with non-adjustable (and overly soft and squishy if you intend to ride somewhat aggressively) front suspension. No sense spending money on adjustable stuff since 95% of the riders wouldn't care and just happily plod along.
The rear shock has preload only adjustment. Most are air-filled and leaky requiring constant adjustment (2017 improves the rear by adding a knob for easy adjustment and less leaks).

Of the HD riders I regularly ride/talk with, none know what a good handling bike feels like nor do they check their rear air-shock (until the bike keeps bottoming).

Nice to see HD improving the handing a bit this year though.
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
The rear shock has preload only adjustment. Most are air-filled and leaky requiring constant adjustment (2017 improves the rear by adding a knob for easy adjustment and less leaks).
Click to expand...

an air assist shock in good shape, including associated plumbing if equipped, doesn't leak any significant amount of air,

leaky requiring constant adjustments is a maintenance issue, fix or fiddle

air assist shocks are very common with heavyweight bikes & you wouldn't see them on new bikes going on ~ 35+ years now, if they didn't work
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