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[Twolanerider]

Nope...that's why I questioned the comment.   

Fork seals are wear items, and ABSOLUTELY will wear out and fail eventually...in anybody's front suspension.  Replacing them in Traxxion forks is no more (or less) of a service task than with stock forks - or any other forks that I've worked on.  Traxxion gives you the option of sending your forks to them for service, but it's not a requirement.  I replaced my fork seals after 20K as a precaution - but didn't find anything abnormal when doing so...

Ditto....

[Midnight Rider]

Traxxion recommends a fork service at 20-25K.  Ideally, at that time they would like to check the cartridges out for any wear.  Having said that, I have talked at length with Max (owner of Traxxion), and he told me that in checking out their cartridges, even after 50K, there has been no discernable wear in any of the components that Traxxion manufactures in house, which is all of them.  They have installed 100X more of the AK-20's in 'Wings than in HDs, mostly because that's how they got a name for themselves outside the racing circuit.  Yes, even Goldwings have chitty suspension, both front and rear.  Probably not as chitty as what comes stock on a HD, but chitty, nonetheless.  And some of these Wing riders have put tens of thousands of miles on the Traxxion cartridges, and Max and his crew have examined them thoroughly...no wear on their parts.

So, regarding maintenance, a regular servicing of the front end at the 20-25K mark is what is suggested.  That would mean new bushings (they wear the most), seals, and the PROPER weight of fork oil, and the proper amount, precisely measured.  If memory serves me, Traxxion uses a racing fork oil in 7wt.  Heavier weight oil is totally unecessary, and I would bet that is the same with the Progressive Monotubes as well.  Heavier fork oil only makes the ride harsher, regardless of what components are in the front end.  From my understanding, the Ricor system is a VALVE, not a cartridge.  Basically it emulates a cartridge, the key word being emulate.  A valve cannot possibly compete with a true cartridge, by design.  Not knocking Ricor, as I'm sure it's an improvement over stock, but almost anything would be.  BTW...HD front forks already have emulators in them, just not very good ones.  As to the 2012 CVO touring bikes having the HD cartridges in them, I would be shocked (no pun intended) if HD put anything different in the CVO front end than is put in every other touring bike they produce.  After all, they can sell you the "better" parts and make more money, both on the parts and on the labor to install them.

I went with Traxxion in my SERGU simply because I'd had them in two other bikes, and the performance was a known in my mind.  Plus, their shop is 150 miles from my house, so it's relatively easy for me to get service, if/when needed.  On top of all that...I like the guys, I know they produce a superior product, and I know they will go the extra mile to ensure their customers are taken care of.  And it's more of a "custom" front end with regards to them setting it up.  Are they worth the extra money? I don't know, as I have no basis for comparison.  I do know that there is nothing better, and I have no regrets.

[Talon]

Craig's how's it going?

When you say "easy to install".  The fork still needs to come apart and the Ricor goes in the bottom, correct?  If so, the Monotubes would be just as easy to install I would think.  The Traxxion I understand needs some special tools or machining to make it work, I may be wrong on the Traxxion though.

Thanks.

Hey Dan, yes, but I have a RK! No fairing to remove!  Just slide the tubes out drain the oil, slip the valves in, oil, then springs and close it up. Yea, I think the Traxxion require some machining but not sure. I'm telling you for the money I really love my Ricor setup, you can also tailor the ride a little more by the amount of oil added, but if you ad to much you'll get a harsh ride. I talked to the rep because I had a question and I think he recommended I add a Little less than the instructions stated. I posted the info on one of the Ricor threads, but gettin old can't remember exactly how much he recommended. I should find it and write it down for next fork oil change.

Craig

[Midnight Rider]

No machining required with the Traxxion.  If you take your bike to their shop, they will "clean up" the inside of the tubes prior to installation (if needed), but no machining is required for fitment.  Same thing if you ship them your forks.  The springs inside the forks rub against the inside of the tubes to some extent, so not having burrs, etc in there is better for the springs over time.  In fact, I think they now put a sleeve over the springs to keep this from being an issue.

Here's a video with a guided tour of the facility in Woodstock, GA

Please guys...I have no vested interest in what you put on your bike, I'm just pointing out the professionalism in their operation.

[ultrafxr]

I am thinking about the Progressive Monotube cartridge system for my '12 cuse7 and spoke to their tech support.  He told me the 7wt synthetic fork oil I used in my '07 cuse2 with the Traxxion suspension would be fine with the Progressives.

He said the oil was for lubrication purposes only and was not used to control the dampening or rebound of their (Progressive's) system.  It is with Traxxion's and oil level for them is very critical and must be measured by height in the fork tubes - not just ounces poured in.  With that said I had my local H-D dealer service my Traxxions after about 35k on them - yeah I know I went over their recommendation.  But the tech told me the fork oil was clear and no signs of wear at all.

From what I'm seeing and hearing both options look very good - only one is less expensive.  I have several years and many miles with Traxxion so I am on the fence as to which way I'll go right now.

[Midnight Rider]

Here's the second part of their operation, so you can see that all parts are made in-house.

[TexasBowhunter]

From my experience the stock bushings wear out and should be addressed as soon as the notorious clunking is detectable
I have like 15,000 on my bike and feel that the bushing should be replaced

As far as the Ricor is I can find it I'll post but there is room there for improvement as well
I was considering this but have since opted to retire the Ricor because I don't m honestly believe one can achieve the same handling with the valving system as you can with a cartriage system as far as it be TD or Progressive

I like the idea of having everything made here in the US with aircraft grade materials
I'm not sure where the parts are made for the progressives
The TD cartriage system has been around allot longer then the progressive system has
The progressive system had several bugs they were dealing with when 1st offered this system to the public and has since lost some of its potential customers buissness from all the bad 1st results...I'm still occassionally reading where someone has had a defective front end that Progressive supplied and if the system is soft you have to go back into the tubes and add or subtract the clips needed for your taylored style you are seeking...

I have never read anyone not liking there TD front end although it is a bit pricey and sought to get rid of it and get the progression where as I have read of riders opting to remove there Progressive front end and go another direction...

Well I think I just answered my question guys
I'm looking for the best...Then it seems its a no brainer
paul
Oh by the way Midnight Rider thanks for the videos links
Quit informative

[TexasBowhunter]

One more question
I feel like Traxxion has done a extensive amount of R&D and gotten all kinds of information detailing the ideal weight of springs and what they should be set at for a particular bike, rider, and weight whether it was 2 up or ride solo all the time...So when a customer comes in they have a starting point to accuratly get the forks just right for them...

So with this said should one be afraid to ship the forks off to them and have them work there magic and send them back and feel assured they are set right?
or
make the trip

If they need tweeked what was done at the factory? complete tear down? or just adjusting the knob on top of the forks?
paul

[Twolanerider]

One more question
I feel like Traxxion has done a extensive amount of R&D and gotten all kinds of information detailing the ideal weight of springs and what they should be set at for a particular bike, rider, and weight whether it was 2 up or ride solo all the time...So when a customer comes in they have a starting point to accuratly get the forks just right for them...

So with this said should one be afraid to ship the forks off to them and have them work there magic and send them back and feel assured they are set right?
or
make the trip

If they need tweeked what was done at the factory? complete tear down? or just adjusting the knob on top of the forks?
paul

Once their assembly is done any needed adjustment is done on top.  A little bit of adjustment there can make a very noticeable difference (says the dumass who one day wondered "hmmm, wonder how much difference this will make!").

[BUBBLEHEAD]

Once their assembly is done any needed adjustment is done on top.  A little bit of adjustment there can make a very noticeable difference (says the dumass who one day wondered "hmmm, wonder how much difference this will make!").

Sounds like story time 

[ultrafxr]

Once their assembly is done any needed adjustment is done on top.  A little bit of adjustment there can make a very noticeable difference (says the dumass who one day wondered "hmmm, wonder how much difference this will make!").

I can relate to that.

[Midnight Rider]

So with this said should one be afraid to ship the forks off to them and have them work there magic and send them back and feel assured they are set right?
or
make the trip

If they need tweeked what was done at the factory? complete tear down? or just adjusting the knob on top of the forks?
paul

From my experience, they will have you fill out a form asking for information such as how you ride, how much weight you normally carry, two up or solo, etc.  They basically use that information to select the proper springs.  Of course, that is always going to be somewhat of a compromise, as nobody does one thing ALL the time.  So think about your riding and respond accordingly.  If I lived too far away, I would not hesitate sending the forks to them, but if possible, I would go to them, simply because they do such a good job and take care of the bike.  Plus, they will loan you their Wing that's been tricked out to go eat lunch, etc.  Or they did me anyway.  They used to have a video showing their system  compared to a stock Wing, but that video has been removed...probably because Honda didn't appreciate their stuff being compared to good stuff.  Talk to Max, Mike, or Dan...be sure and tell them you are a member here to get a bit of a discount.

[Banana man]

Traxxion has the best, period.  Progressive Monotubes are the best for the dollars spent. period.

[ultrafxr]

I did some research on Progressive Monotubes on several of the other Harley owners websties and found some folks with problems.  Biggest issue I saw reported was nitrogen gas leaking from the cartridges.  This was a while back when the cartridges were first introduced and supposedly   this has been addressed.  Several reports of clunking from the front end were reported and some were advised to adjust the preload via the number of spacers in the fork.  This of course requires complete disassembly which is a major pia or a major and expensive pia for those of us who don't do it themselves.  And I saw a post from someone who said he was an employee of Progressive Suspension answering a question about servicing the cartridges.  Answer was they are not serviceable and have an expected service life of 40-50k miles.  That would make for an expensive service.  For what it is worth (and that is a lot, imo) Progressive was reported to have been responsive in addressing any issues.  Even so there was a couple instances where the cartridges were on backorder and not available for several weeks.  Again this was a couple years ago and may not be the situation at all today.  But in any case they aren't going to pay someone to fix what is wrong, just replace or repair any parts.

Now I know full well not to believe ANYTHING I read on the internet, lol.  Mother Harley taught me well in that regard.  

But I gotta say that these potential problems give me pause.

[Talon]

From another Harley fourm


Comparing front shocks: Progressive Monotubes to Ricor Intiminators

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know I have had parts of this in other threads, but thought I would compile it all here. I ordered the Progressive Monotubes in February and had them installed this winter. I was like a seven year old waiting for Christmas, as I waited for the snow to melt and things to dry out. The first ride out I hit my front brake to check the dive and there was a "clunk". It would occur at both fast and slow speeds each time the front brake was applied fast. If the brake was eased into slowly, there was no clunk. The dealership ruled out the neck bearing and the floating rotor. They couldn't get rid of the clunk. The second problem came when going over a rain curb into the gas station, where it bottomed out. I went over it several times and each time there was metal on metal and it actually hurt. A couple of times with my wife on the back end, hitting a manhole cover it would bottom out. It made us cringe whenever we saw a bump coming that I couldn't go around.

Progressive company seemed interested in helping at first, but after a couple of phone calls, Frank at Progressive dropped the ball and wouldn't call back. I lost faith in him too. I asked him to send me a new set of Monotubes and I would return mine for their quality control dept. to look at. They weren't interested because it had never happened before, (remember, it only took one run away Toyota to start something). He did send me a free set of preload spacers because mine didn't come with any. But I would have to spend the $175 (2 1/2 hrs labor) for them to be put in. Frank said they wouldn't help with the bottoming out though, just the height. I got a set of Ricor Intiminators and had them put in instead for the $175 labor it would have cost me to put in the spacers.

Ride comparison after 200 miles on each:

They were both stable and smooth to 105 mph.

The Monotubes had quite a bit of front end dive when the brakes were applied or when the front end was bounced. The Intiminators are very firm, but not hard, when the brakes are applied and there is no dive. Today I had a turkey walk out of the ditch in front of me and I had to apply the front brake hard( it wasn't him I was worried about it was the next two or three), it was firm and I had a lot of control as I slowed. I do a lot more slowing with my front brake now than I ever did before, it's kinda fun.

As I said the Monotubes bottomed out when I went over a quick bump. The Intiminators have never bottomed out. The first thing I did with them after they were installed was to ride to the gas station and hit the curb at different speeds. It was smooth each time. They feel like you are riding over rubber when you hit a hard bump.

The measurement from the middle of the front axle to the lower end of the "cowbells" was 12 1/4" for the Monotubes and is 13 1/4" for the Ricor Intiminators. But I didn't have the preload spacers in, as the early ones didn't come with them. I don't know what the measurement is with them in----can anyone help here?

Both shocks improved cornering at high speeds. With the Monotubes, I felt some fading at 15mph over the posted speed around corners and had to slow down. They were definitely better than the stock shocks. I don't feel that fade with the Intiminators. I can consistently corner the twistys at 15-20 mph over posted speed. When more confidence comes, I'm sure I won't have a problem leaning even harder and slingshotting out of the curves. I also feel more confident in the corners when the road is not completely smooth.

I feel as though the Intiminator valve makes the shocks feel harder when you push down from on top, as in bouncing them in the driveway or putting on the front brakes. But when the "push" comes from down below, as in a bump, they are very smooth and resilient. I like the ride much better with the Intiminators than the Monotubes. It feels more secure to me at both high and low speeds. I would highly recommend the Ricors if you're looking for some better front end shock handling.