Nothing's Shocking | 1996 Harley Davidson Softail Springer Suspension Lowering

1996 Hd Softail Springer Suspension Lowering Kit Combined

01. Here's a look at everything we got for the install. (A) Burly Springer Fork lowering kit ($149.99), which comes with chrome compression springs, spring spacers, and bushings. (B) Progressive Suspension Springer Damper ($185.35). (C) Burly Springer Compressor Tool ($34.99). And (D) Progressive Suspension's 422 Series shocks ($617.95). (E) The 422s come with a preload adjustment tool.

01. Here's a look at everything we got for the install. (A) Burly Springer Fork lowering

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One of our project bikes, a '96 Softail Springer, was ready for some new life in the suspension department. Knowing that we wanted to drop the rear a little bit we figured we should drop the front as well for a more even look and better ride. When it comes to rear shocks for Softail models there are plenty of options to choose from, but unlike conventional frontends, lowering kits for Springers are a bit limited.

Progressive Suspension has been in the suspension game since 1982 and is continually developing new products and refining existing products to create top-of-the-line suspension components so we knew we'd be happy with a set of the company's 422 Series shocks. The 422 Series is fully adjustable for both ride height (stock to 2 inches lower) and preload (adjusts for riding style, rider's weight/carrying load). While we were at it we also picked up one of Progressive's Springer Dampers to replace the stock unit up front. To lower the front we came across Burly Brand's Springer Fork Lowering kit for H-D Springer models, which will drop the frontend 1 1/2 inches. In order to install the Springer lowering kit we had to get one of Burly's Springer Compressor Tools. We were able to complete the install in one of our home garages in just a few hours.

02. Space can be pretty tight to gain access to the shock bolts, so we jacked the bike up to give ourselves enough room to get a wrench between the shock bolts and lift table. A couple blocks of wood held the frame up while a jack under the rear tire allowed us to easily adjust the rear tire/swingarm as needed.
02. Space can be pretty tight to gain access to the shock bolts, so we jacked the bike up
03. Here's a cutaway of Progressive's 422 Series shock. The shock works with a combination of a spring and damping piston/oil system and high-pressure gas. While the spring takes up the initial hit of the bumps, to help avoid the pogo effect of the spring, the internal damping system smoothes out the compression/rebound for a plush ride. You can also see the preload and ride-height adjustment points. You may also notice that this cutaway is of a unit for '00-later Softails. The only difference between the '89-99 unit and the '00-later is the swingarm mounting point (arrow).
03. Here's a cutaway of Progressive's 422 Series shock. The shock works with a combinatio
04. With the stock shock already pulled, we installed the new 422 by first bolting the front of the shock to the frame. We used the stock shock bolts with some threadlocker and torqued the bolts to factory spec.
04. With the stock shock already pulled, we installed the new 422 by first bolting the fr

05. The 422's come already preset at 1 inch lower than stock ride height. However, at that height we didn't like how high the fender was sitting over the tire so we used the jack to get the tire to set inside the fender. You can see that the swingarm/rear shock mounts didn't line up so we loosened the lock nut and adjusted the ride height settings on the shocks. The more threads exposed on the adjustable eye, the lower the bike will sit. We made sure to adhere to the instruction warning of not running out more than 9/16 inch of exposed threads, measured from the locknut to the end of the threads (arrows).
05. The 422's come already preset at 1 inch lower than stock ride height. However, at tha
06.…we loosened the lock nut and adjusted the ride height settings on the shocks. The more threads exposed on the adjustable eye, the lower the bike will sit. We made sure to adhere to the instruction warning of not running out more than 9/16 inch of exposed threads, measured from the locknut to the end of the threads (arrows).
06. …we loosened the lock nut and adjusted the ride height settings on the shocks. The mor
07. Once the shocks were properly adjusted, we installed them and applied some thread locker to the rear mounting bolts, torqued them to spec, and made sure the locknut on the shock was tightened and torqued.
07. Once the shocks were properly adjusted, we installed them and applied some thread loc