Ohlins STX 36 Blackline Shocks

I can't say how many times I've told people, but it's probably, at least, a thousand times - you don't know what good suspension is until you've tried it. Ohlins is, basically, at the pinnacle of motorcycle suspension. I put their equipment on every bike I can ... Now, to your needs. You can certainly expect a less jarring ride due to the quality of the valving in these shocks. Springs, basically, control how far the shock is going to compress on a given input. Heavier spring rates will travel less compared to lighter springs when exposed to the same amount of force. How fast that shock compresses is based upon the valving. And it's the valving the makes all of the difference in quality of the ride (caveat emptor, only if you're using the correct spring rate for your needs). You may have also noticed that the ride gets worse the longer you go - that's because the OEM shocks' internals on your bike do heat up as well. And with that heat, valve response degrades. The STX shocks are designed first, with exceptional valving and second, use a piston design to compensate for temperature changes. In this way, you get (MUCH!) better ride quality and a consistent feel no matter how far you go. You're still going to feel every bump in the road, but it won't be a jarring sensation, but rather, a much more comfortable push as the shocks deal with imperfections as your tire rolls along. You did mention your weight, so be sure to choose the shocks according to your needs most of the time. That is, if you ride 2-up and with a full load of luggage at least 50% of the time, I recommend you choose the 250-565 lbs. springs. If not, go with the 185-500 lbs. springs.

If you ride 2-up more than 50% of the time, choose a spring rate that's closest to 375 lbs. If you ride solo most of the time, choose a spring rate that's closest to 235 lbs.

In a word - yes. I tell everyone that asks, "you don't know what good suspension is until you've tried it." And that fact holds true, especially when you're talking about Ohlins components. The quality of the valving - which translates into feel on the road, is second to none. Once you get your bike set up properly, the harshness of the rear goes away and the bike will track better through corners and just feel better under all riding condition. The stock components on HD bikes have never been that great, and she'll notice the difference, for sure! Spring rate and shock length aside, the most important thing is to set up ride height as outlined in the included instructions for your bike. That way, you put the shock in the part of its stroke where it's most effective at doing the job of smoothing out the ride. The 2022 Road Glide shipped from the factory with 12" long shocks, so would recommend you choose that shock length for your bike. Then, for spring rate - just choose the shocks that closest match her weight and you should be all set!

The OEM shocks on the 2001 Road King are 13" long - so you'd want to choose the 12" long STX 36 shocks. And to your second question - yes, basically, hell yes - you don't know what good suspension is until you've tried it. We put this Swedish-made goodness on just about all of our bikes here at PartsGiant. There is, arguably, no finer suspension in the world. You will notice a much improved rear end on your bike with these shocks, for sure!

Assuming it's the OEM shocks you're talking about, yeah - not so great. These shocks from Ohlins, properly configured, are much - MUCH better than the OEM components they replace. Just be sure to choose the correct spring rate for your particular needs and you'll find the quality of the ride will be improved significantly when compared to the stock items. These shocks are indeed pretty awesome.