Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Highroller54]

Hello all,

  Been riding for many years, always have owned bike with standard fork shocks.  Was looking at two used SE springers the other day and wondered how they ride compared to a standard shock forks.  By the way it was a 2007 and a 2008, also noticed one came with a 21" front tire and the other had I think an 18" front also notice Harley swapped the front break from the right to the left side.  Any particualr reasons.  Thanks for the insite.

[Desertwndrr]

Springer front end rides beautifully.  I love mine.  I've got both a 2012 Deluxe and an '07 CVO Springer.  I prefer to ride the springer.

The change from the right side to the left died brake is due to the change from the FX to the FL springer front ends.  Mine being the '07 model has the 21" front with the FX front end.  I haven't ridden an FL equipped bike but I would assume that it would run a smidgen better.

[Old Badger]

I ride a 2008 with the 18" front tire, I also have apes on it. We have taken a couple 5,000 mile trips on her doubled up and I have no complants on the ride, how ever I can tell you the standard front ends ride smoother in my opinon, I will give up a little of the smooth ride for the looks.

[gmeikle]

I have a 2008 FXSTSSE2 CVO Springer, front end is " firm " compared to teleforks but I LIKE IT !!

Bike handles real well and has reasonable ground clearance

I also have a 2013 CVO Breakout , feels " wallowy" in comparison ( not actually a word bit you'll get the idea !) Conventional Showa forks.

Does not handle as well as the Springer , mostly due to poor right side groundclearance as much as anything. ( 240 rear don't help neither !!)

The Breakout rides " smoother" when cruising , so it's a bit of a trade-off in my opinion.

I actually REALLY like both bikes and find it hard to choose between them !

[FlatsFlite]

I have a 2008 FXSTSSE2 CVO Springer, front end is " firm " compared to teleforks but I LIKE IT !!

Same here.

I've raced motocross and ridden sport bikes my whole life and the Springer is a pleasant surprise. The front end works without you realizing that it is working. Front-end dive under hard braking/cornering is barely noticeable, yet feels plush. Really hard to explain when you are used to feeling suspension doing things and this one does it, without bringing attention to it. Smooth would be a good word.

I couldn't have picked a better ride for my first Harley. Best handling bike I ever had around town (slow speeds).

[sygibson]

Highroller54,

Not sure if you'd made a choice/purchase yet?  I'm new to Harley's in general - but have ridden a number of various cruiser style motorcycles.  Prior to buying my 2008 FXSTSSE2 softail springer, I have never owned a Harley or Springer bike. 

When I was looking to buy a new bike, I took a really long time to check out the Harley landscape.  I rode 17 different bikes in 12 months.  Some as one and multi day rentals, others as quick dealer/private seller demo rides.

I also had the chance to ride all three of the FXSTSSE model year Springer bikes.  Please note these are "handling" characteristics in respect to how I prefer to ride a bike, and others have different opinions of the handling characteristics.  Here are my notes:

 * 2007 - the 21" front wheel and slightly slacker head tube angle make for a "lazy" steering feeling - to me it felt like the bike kept trying to "sit up" when cornering, and I'd have to push it back down, however, initial steering response was relatively quick and agile
 * 2008 - the smaller 18" front wheel, 200 mm rear, and slightly steeper (IIRC, about 1.5 degrees) head tube make this bike handle very quickly, and when pushed down in to a corner, she stays down and eagerly carves the corner and holds her angle
 * 2009 - no changes to the front fork/rake angle (IIRC), but the rear goes from the 200mm wide to 240mm wide - this is similar to the "breakout" configuration - I find that the bike is a lot harder to corner due to the big fat 240mm rear - the "shoulder" of the rear tire doesn't "get over the hump" as easily, and you have to really push the bike hard in to a corner to get the same turning radius on a narrower width rear tire

I personally ride very hard, and very aggressively.  Somewhat at odds with the "laid back cruiser" look/style.  So for me - ultimately performance and good aggressive handling were important. 

In general - I found all of the Softail models I rode (5 in total) to have the best handling characteristics and weight/balance/ride height for me.  I also rode several Glide models (Wide, Super, etc), Road Kings, Softail Heritage, Softail Classic, Sportster 1200, Iron 883, Breakout, Fat Boy, Low Boy, etc...  I kept notes on the handling of each bike, and felt like for my riding style - the 2008 FXSTSSE2 was by far the best bike.

For the ride characteristics of the Springer .... I hear a lot of people on this forum say that it's "firmer" - but to me, my Springer fork is softer and seems to more actively work than a standard fork.  I do get pretty significant brake dive - which I'm looking at replacing the front shock absorber to correct.  Not sure if it's an issue with my bike - or an issue with my perceptions of the Springer front end -vs- a standard fork? 

I'm also a fairly big guy (6'3" and 220 lbs) - so my mass may play a part in it ... plus I ride two-up fairly often w/ the GF - and even though she's not heavy (very neatly proportionate, I'd say - but won't share her weight, since ... well, you probably understand why) ... we are right at the full weight limit on the bike (1150 pounds) with the accesories/addons/saddlebags/travel gear/etc...