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[pwatson]

Witch one have rides the best?
arnott or legand air ride

[sadunbar]

Witch one have rides the best?
arnott or legand air ride

I can't speak regarding Arnott, but I am very satisfied with my Legend Air Suspension...   

[pwatson]

does it ride better than stock

[sadunbar]

does it ride better than stock

Substantially....

[asdel67]

Legend rides better......I've had both on two diff touring bikes.

[Rooster]

I have Legends on my bike but I don't like how slow they pump up. The Arnott compressor goes up and down much faster so I found out you can buy Arnott's compressor for about $100 so I am planning on doing so. Legend used to include a pressure gauge but no longer do. Trying to find that spot when 2-up can be a chore as I drop them at lights alot then my BSR keeps saying more shock, more shock until I get it right. Where if I had the gauge I could just add the right amount and go. With an older bike I had it figured out so much for me, so much for 2-up and so much when I pulled the trailer.

[The Bolvine Gigolo!]

Legend rides better......I've had both on two diff touring bikes.

I can't agree with that I have both and I can't tell any differents at all, I agree with Rooster the comp is way to slow on the Legends. 

[petewerner]

I have about 1000 miles on the Arnott system, but traded the lower cost system to the 11 way adjustable Aldans. These are pretty good shocks and an airbag and pump system that rocks. I got the shorter of the two sizes, being 11.6" Extended and 9.5" retracted. I think that this length is perfect for me with a 30" inseam. As airbags go, this seems to have a fairly wide sweet spot. I run mine at about 10.5" which doesn't allow the tire to rub and yet looks lower than the stock stance of my '11 RGCustom.
I can tell u if u have a load and drop it to the bottom, no air, and are going 30 mph or faster, the tire rubs under the fender, the electrical box where the front of the rear fender is cut out for this electrical box.
I just don't do it and everything is good, set the shock settings on 1 and it is a Caddy, set it on 5 and u have a BMW, turn it to 11 and u have 'stiff as a race bike' rear suspension...
They are Black Annodized Billet Aluminum with the same material for the cover of the airbag. Very sweet looking, even matching caps for the Big shock mount bolts on both ends and sides!!

[sixgun95]

I have the Arnott 11 way adjustable.  The compressor is fantastic, very fast.  I generally ride with mine about 2/3 way extended, ride is just OK IMO.  But when fully extended the ride is great.  In brief, I think if you need to ride with them less than fully extended you will loose some ride quality.  Overall I am quite happy with the Arnott, it lowers me when needed and the ride is satisfactory.  If I wasn't short and needed the bike lowered I would go with Progressives. 

[petewerner]

I have the Arnott 11 way adjustable.  The compressor is fantastic, very fast.  I generally ride with mine about 2/3 way extended, ride is just OK IMO.  But when fully extended the ride is great.  In brief, I think if you need to ride with them less than fully extended you will loose some ride quality.  Overall I am quite happy with the Arnott, it lowers me when needed and the ride is satisfactory.  If I wasn't short and needed the bike lowered I would go with Progressives.  

I will play with it some more. What I do is raise it without me on it until it just gets to top of stroke but when I get on it goes down with my weight slightly. However, if I understand u, u fill them to 2/3 and that is ok, but the best ride is when full?  Here is a part of an email I got from one of the people from Arnott:      

" We have two different models of shocks for the Baggers. The first is the Bilstein.  It’s the firmer ride of the two models. We profile the Bilstein for riders under the age of 35. Taking shorter trips and appreciating the firm response to the road.  You know the aggressive riding, and maintaining that low profile look. The Bilstein comes in two sizes.  Below are the specs. This model is retail priced at $599.99  for black and $798.99 for chrome. These prices are for both sizes.
    The Aldans are more for the long haul riders. ( 35 years of age and older ) Taking the long trips, single, double up, and wanting to get through the end of the day not feeling worn out. One of the reasons is the 11 way adjustment on the shock. This adjustment is the rebound control. You can dial down the rebound to get that softer ride. These shocks ride almost similar to the stock shocks. Look below for the Specs. This model is retail priced at $1099.99 for black and $1199.99 for chrome. These prices are for both sizes.
     Both these shocks enable the bikes to operate at lower levels on the bikes suspension, enabling shorter riders to touch the ground flat footed to maintain better control at stop signs, traffic lights and in parking lots. The best ride on both models is in the middle of the ( Up and Down ) travel.
Bilstein Shocks
12” Extended > 9.75” Collapsed
13.25” Extended > 10.25” Collapsed
Aldan Shocks
11.6” Extended > 9.6” Collapsed
13” Extended > 10.25” Collapsed
Thanks,
Bill Markley                                                                                                      
 800-251-8993  ext  112                                                                                              
bill@arnottinc.com "
 
"

[sixgun95]

What I do is count 6-7 seconds when filling from full down, thats about 2/3 rds extension I estimate, I'm not that anal about it.  Ideally a gauge would be best but counting is a great start for me, also I can tell the height just by my footing. Full extension is the best ride but its too tall for me at stops...I'm to lazy to adjust at each stop in town. I have the Aldans. Hope that helps.

[petewerner]

Yeah I also did the seat, Super Reach or Reach r 2 of the Harley choices, The super reach was too far forward and a little lower than I liked. I went with the reach which still moves u forward and down and is narrowed at the very front so that u don't feel splayed open and feel like u r a child on the back of a huge horse. I did the shocks to improve the ride quality as much as I did it to use the lowering when I back out of my garage because it is VERY steep and I have to get sideways on the slope to turn around. I lower it all the way so I can get my foot on the ground on the drop off side. It really shines at that point. I think if money was no object, I would keep looking for the perfect set-up. These r better than the stock setup in terms of function and form, I don't know what else is out there.
 As per Bill Markley, filling them(Arnott air shocks) full is not as good of a ride as something less than max pressure. The thing I find is, when I get it to max pressure, it rides much stiffer and my 156 lbs will not cause the shock to depress. Once I let some pressure out then it rides much smoother, problem is that it is lower and if I really want to hustle down the road, it will drag stuff if I don't pick my lines carefully...

[sixgun95]

Good point, why do you want air shocks?  If it because your short I think they are the best option. As soon as you mess with seat changes, then comes the bars, cables, front end, etc.  In my Ultra I spent a fortune to get it just perfect, on this bike I wanted to keep the ergonomics stock so I went with te Arnotts.  IMO it was the "best" choice for me.  It makes backing up so much easier! 

[Midnight Rider]

I've had the Legends on two different bikes...an '06 SEUC and now on my '11 SERGU.  On both bikes, the primary purpose was to get me lower when trying to park the bike, back it up, walk it out of the basement, etc.  On the '11, the installation was a bit easier because of the new frame and the new compressor mount Legend has...

They do offer a dash mounted gauge (takes the place of the useless air temp gauge), but only in either white or black face.  Having a gauge would make things a bit more convenient, but after a while, you get a "feel" for where it needs to be based on ride quality and the angle of view over the windshield.

Basically, any height where the shock does not bottom out will be comfortable with regards to ride quality, which generally means at least halfway pumped up.  The rear tire will not scrape under the rear fender, even all the way lowered, but you don't want to ride it there because it is like riding an old hardtail.  The Legend bladder does not expand in diameter when you pump it up, and the boot is made of a Kevlar material, so it's very durable.  Personally, I don't find the slow compressor speed to be an issue.  The chrome switch can be mounted on either side of the bars, taking the place of either the clutch clamp or the front brake clamp.  The quality of the switch is very good, as is the chrome finish.  It is possible to run the switch wires internally to the bars, though it's a bit of a PITA.  The ability to adjust the ride height and quality on the fly is really nice, particularly when you are two up and loaded with gear.

There are better shocks out there if you don't need the height adjustment feature, but the Legends are excellent for the purposes I use them for.  On a scale of 1-10, with the stock HD air shocks being a 1 (they are turds), and a shock like the Bitubo being a 10, I'd rate the Legend ride quality at about 7 or 8.  IMO, they are the best solution for those riders who have issues getting their feet firmly on the ground when needed.  I have no personal experience with the Arnott system, so can't really comment on it.