Easy. Lower your front end with Progressive Suspension Lowerig Kit. Explanation & installation by David Zemla. marketing director. Must be because he talks better than any technician in the company.
Progressive Suspension Drop In Fork Lowering Kit
Published by January 8th, 2009 in Editorial and Suspension.
10 Responses to “Progressive Suspension Drop In Fork Lowering Kit”
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i just dont think this system is safe..when doing a wheelie or riding very bumpy terrain your forks still have the ability to extend to full length then immediately crush back to lowered height with very little spring force for a couple of inches of travel..looks cheesy. wont install one at my shop..as it shows its for the home mechanic to install that way there is no liability for the shop. i would prefer a positive stop and spacer below the dampening rod to control fork extension…just doesnt seem right. also there is no adjustment of fork oil level t offset less volume of tube length? just “drop it in”…if im wrong maybe the marketing director can explain the safety merits of his system..or i s he interested in only the ease of home installation?
Progressive Suspension also offers traditional fork lowering kits that utilize additional top out springs that limit fork extension for those who prefer that style. However, the Drop In kit springs are designed to work together to not only lower the front of the bike, but to also provide appropriate spring force to control fork firmness and bottoming, even when the fork is being compressed from full extension. The key here is that the Drop In Kits springs develop combined spring forces surpassing the stock spring’s capabilities. As far as requiring an oil level change due to “less volume of tube length” The full volume of tube length is still in play with the Drop In kit, so no change is required. The unique design of the Compensation spring is such that it is designed to repeatedly go solid, in fact it, as with all springs from Progressive Suspension, these are covered by our lifetime warranty. Progressive has been around coming up on 30 years, safety and performance have always been a hallmark of our product. I recommend you ride a Drop In Kit before you denounce it.
Ride More. Type less.
DZ
you danced around the point of extension control..i have used all of your products for years..excuse my lack of tack..but i didnt denounce your product i said i wouldnt install it…i use all of your other products all the time..i just dont see how you control the extension of the fork..please explain oh great one.
Rebound damping and top out springs remain in control of the fork extension, same as prior to the installation of the Drop In kit.
Harley uses the same basic idea with their low profile FL softail lowering kits(‘89-’06 #54596-94) except they just replace the spring with a shorter one which is “progressively” wound on one end. So your really just simulating a worn out spring with a little better ride. The drop-in at least has a spring to take up the slack. Definitely not my favorite method to lower a front end, but quick for the guys at home. Also the Harley kit recommends a little more fork oil than the service manual calls for.
David, I have a 41mm fork assembly that is a HD wide glide copy…I don’t know the manufacturer but it came on a 2006 Swift Lucky Strike Bobber…do you have any of the drop in lowering kits that would fit this fork? If not what other lowering kit would work? Thanks for all your help.
-Keith
This kit does NOT do what it states for FLSTF. You cannot drop in this kit 10-2003 for the FLSTF. The chrome piece on the tree interferes with the tube. So guess what? You have to disassemble the forks like a standard lowering kit. Nice advertising Progressive.
Got my kit and installed it on my Night Train with no problems. Sure the fender, wheel and brake come off and you need to slide the forks out of the triple tree but come on guys it is still pretty easy and you can do it at your house your self with little experience. I installed it and put the stuff back on and put bike on ground and didnt like it so back apart and cut another 1/2 in out of the pvc. Over all the kit is easy to install ( just looks tough ) as for the ride ….I love it and I am giving progressive 2 thumbs up on this one…the video above is misleading if you own a night train, but never the less easy….
David, is that your “Two up” article in the June “Motorcycle Cruiser”? That was a good read and right on point. Do you have any other articles out there? Mr P
How much does it lower the front end? I have a Street Bob that I’d like to lower. I stupidly had Harley install their lowering kit. 1/4″ didn’t make a bit of difference.
Thanks