These are high quality American shocks that were designed specifically for AMA Sportster dirt track racing some years back. They are more robust than street shocks. Construction is double wall. The big beefy shaft is precision ground and hard chromed. Shocks use a fluid cell to produce fade free damping. Pre-load adjustments have five positions for your weight. And most importantly they are 15” tall.
In addition to leveling the bike, these taller shocks allow more fender-to-tire clearance for my license plate assembly. The bike will lay over more on the side stand but still works. These progressive shocks have 60/130 springs. This is an all-round rate to suck up the small bumps (60) and a stiffer portion (130) to handle the rough jolts. I removed the geeky looking collars that come on the OEM shocks. That makes these shocks look more dirt tracky.
Here’s a reaction from Rob Robinson, Woodside, CA:
I wanted to share with you what happened when I put these shocks on my 883 Sportster. Being a slight fellow (at 280 pounds) the stock 12” shocks were terrible to say the very least. I had to max out the preload so they didn’t bottom out as easily. They were stiff and even then I still managed to find the bottom almost habitually. (Pain in the you know what....)
The shocks were beautifully painted (orange) and they are very high quality, exactly as stated. I took the bike for a spin after installing them and I could not believe the difference they made. It was like I jumped on a completely different motorcycle! The bike steers quicker and feels 100 pounds lighter. I think the taller shocks affected the fork angle, which could account for the quicker steering. My tracker transformation is in-progres, so I still have the stock 16” rear tire. I imagine the new 19” rear might be even better yet.
These shocks are worth every cent, so if you're on the fence about purchasing them, I say JUMP!