Progressive 944 Series Ultra Touring Shocks

To retain stock rear ride height, you'll want to choose the 13" long shocks and the heavy-duty springs rate. Heavy-duty springs are recommended for solo riders between 250 - 350 pounds. What's certain is that these shocks would be an excellent upgrade when compared to stock. You'll really like the way the bike rides after putting these on!

First, thanks for the details, it's really helpful in getting a recommendation right for you! For spring rate, go with the standard rate springs. It's when you get over 220lbs. solo that we recommend the heavy-duty springs. OEM shocks on your bike are 12", so you'll need to go with the 12.5" long shocks since that's the closest length available from Progressive to fit your bike. Once installed, I'm confident you'll find the bike rides really well and it'll be a significant improvement from stock. Enjoy your trip!

As far as the 944 series shocks, you would want to go with the 13" low version which will bring you down 1". For the spring rate, Progressive states that standard is meant for a rider/passenger combo of up to 250 lbs., Heavy-Duty for 250-350 lbs and Super Heavy Duty for any combo over 350 lbs.

In the case of the 2011 Street Glide, it came from the factory with 12" long shocks.If you want to lower the rear end of the bike by one inch, and this is strange, though Progressive made 'em this way - choose the 12-1/2" long shocks. Once installed on the bike, it'll actually sit like you put 11" shocks on the bike. In this way, you'd be lowering the rear of the bike 1" like you asked.

Yes, all Progressive shocks can be serviced by a competent suspension tuner. In the event you can't find one that you trust, you can certainly send them in to the manufacturer to have them serviced as needed.

These shocks are adjustable by turning the top collar clockwise by hand to increase the preload and counter clockwise to decrease preload. No special tools are required.

It all depends on her weight and how long those trips are going to be. Happy wife, happy life. For your weight you are right on the edge of needing the heavy-duty spring rate solo. If you take longer rides with her on the back I would recommend the heavy-duty spring rate. You would just want to have the preload ring set low for solo riding and you can increase the preload when she hops on for a trip or with loaded luggage. If you use the standard duty and the trips are long and the bags are loaded the ride may be a little lack luster. With the adjust-ability of the shock preload you would be best suited in the heavy-duty range. You also want to consider your weight with full riding gear as well. Hopefully that helps guide you to the shocks that best suit your ride. Feel free to give us a ring if you have any more questions.

That is correct, you would want to be in the Super-Duty spring rate for your combined weight of 375 lbs if you are riding two-up more than 50% of the time. You can always dial down the preload if you ride solo to work or just a short trip alone. If you are not riding two-up more than 50% of the time, you may want to consider Heavy-Duty as a compromise when loaded at full capacity. The ride would be much less stiff when solo with Heavy-Duty vs Super-Duty. Just be certain to measure your center-to-center length at the mounting eyelet to be sure of the length you require for your ride. Keep in mind these shocks sit lower than their advertised length of 13" at 12" under the bikes own weight. This allows for a lowered ride height without sacrificing suspension travel.

Certainly, lowering the shocks will lower the bike's center of gravity. It's one of the first things riders notice when they get on the bike and take it off the kickstand for the first time. Of course, that will translate into easing up the amount of work you need to do when executing U-turns. As far as exactly how much the seat height will be lowered, it's difficult to say for sure, but it won't be as far down, when measured against stock - as the rear shocks were lowered. To balance that out, we recommend a Progressive Drop-In Fork Lowering Kit to go with the shocks so the front and rear of the bike are lowered the same amount and, more importantly, steering geometry is retained. In matching the front and rear of the bike, you get the lowest seat height possible, and of course, increased stability in U-turns and other low-speed situations all while retaining the bike's stock overall handling characteristics.

That's correct - the rear end of the bike will have a firmer feel when you're not riding two-up. And this is where the compromise starts - if you're riding with a passenger more often than not, go with the heavier springs. Otherwise, go with the standard rate springs as those are about as close the stock spring rate as you're going to get. So long as the bike wasn't awful when you were two-up with the stock suspension, it's certainly not going to be any worse if you were to install the 944 shocks with the stock spring rate.

All 944 Series shocks actually lower the rear of the bike, no matter what you choose. At the moment, Progressive doesn't produce 944 shocks that provide for the same seat height as the OEM shocks they replace. In the instance you wish to retain OEM geometry, the best shocks Progressive makes for your bike would be the 444 Series Shocks. If you were to go that route, be sure to choose the 12" length shocks as that's what the standard '17 Street Glide shipped with from the factory. Whether or not that's the case with your particular machine, I can't say since that's sometimes offered as an option. So, be sure to check the extended length of the shocks on your bike before ordering. As for your weight, at 170lbs, the standard rate springs will be fine. Mind you, if you're riding two-up often (at least 50% of the time) and/or with a full load of luggage, then opt for the heavy-duty springs instead.

For your particular needs, you'd want to go with the 13" long 944 Series shocks as they'll lower the rear of the bike about an inch while retaining plenty of travel. Just be sure to choose the appropriate spring rate for your particular needs so as to get the most out of these shocks. Recommended rates are for combined weight of the rider, passenger and/or luggage loadout used most commonly: standard rate: for loadouts up to 250 lbs. heavy-duty: for loadouts between 250 to 350 lbs. super-duty: for loadouts greater than 350 lbs. Choosing the proper spring rate is critical for the best ride quality possible. So, be sure to consider the weight range for the configuration in which you'll most often be riding.

Yes indeed! These shocks are sold in pairs.

That's correct, you can choose the 944 Series Ultra Touring Shocks to be sprung with heavy-duty springs. The color will be very similar to the image on our website. Keep in mind, while these shocks will measure 13" in length eye-to-eye, the are specifically designed to deliver a comfortable ride at a 1" lowered stance. Once installed they will ride like a 12" shock, but they will have the extra inch of travel on rebound if you were to go over a larger bump in the road.

There's an old adage that says "you don't know what good suspension is until you've tried it." That certainly holds true with Progressive's shocks. For your particular needs, (assuming you're riding two-up at least 50% of the time), your best bet would be the heavy-duty spring rate shocks that are of the same length as stock. You'll find the ride quality is significantly improved and the bike will handle a lot better. In addition, since you're putting heavy-duty spring shocks on the rear of the bike, you'll want to match the front fork spring rate for the best possible ride. To do that effectively, check out the Progressive Heavy Duty Fork Spring Kit.

If you ride two-up more than 50% of the time, then you'd certainly want to go with the heavy-duty shocks. In addition, we highly recommend that, if you were to go with a set of heavy-duty shocks, you also install a set of Progressive heavy-duty fork springs to match the front forks with the new rear shocks. You'll find handling, especially with matched front and rear components - to be significantly improved with the installation of these Progressive suspension components.

The only real way to adjust how stiff the ride of your bike happens to be is to adjust the compression damping valve. Yes, the springs do have some influence on how hard the bike's ride happens to be, but really - springs mostly control how far the shocks will travel when you run over a bump or other irregularities in the road. Compression valving only controls how fast the shock itself travels when it encounters those irregularities. And, most of the harshness (or softness, for that matter) is controlled by compression valving. What the 944 shocks from Progressive allow you to do is adjust the preload with ease. In doing so, you're setting the sag (ride height) properly based upon your exact riding weight. In doing so, the shocks will perform best as they're valved to handle the bumps in the road best at proper ride height. If you're frequently riding with or without a passenger, changing the amount of luggage you put on the bike and such - these shocks are ideal for those needs if you're looking for the best possible ride. If you're looking to adjust the ride based on stiffness of the shocks alone, then take a look at Progressive's 970 Series Shocks. With the 970 shocks, you'll be able to adjust compression damping without having to send it off to a dedicated suspension tuner for re-valving. Of course, the 970 shocks also allow for preload adjustment, so you can set the proper ride height too - but unlike the 944 series, whose preload you can adjust by hand, you'll need to use the included wrench to make preload adjustments on the 970 shocks.

You'll find that Progressive's 944 shocks will be a significant improvement over the stock suspension - even the premium option equipment, on any Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Furthermore, the bottoming-out issue you're having is the result of inadequate spring tension. That is to say, the spring rate on those shocks isn't enough to handle your two-up weight requirements. Since it's the spring rate that determines whether or not the suspension bottoms out, these shocks will undoubtedly solve that problem so long as you choose the heavy-duty spring rate option. Progressive's heavy-duty spring rates are recommend for solo riders that weigh more than 220lbs or anyone that rides two-up and/or with a full load of luggage at least 50% of the time.