Speed Merchant sent us some of their $152 39mm preload fork adjusters for the H-D Sporty. I knew Tim Loveless was building a gorgeous Sporty, so I asked him to review them. This is what he said...
'They are a beautiful bit of kit, cnc machined in 6061 aluminium. They are really easy to fit, you don't even have to take your bar's off. I jacked the sporty up to relieve the tension on the springs to make it easier to fit [and safer. You don't want a bloody fork cap hitting you in the teeth!]. Just remove the standard chrome fork cap, drop in the steel shim supplied with the kit, re-fit the Speed Merchant adjusters and you are ready to go. The adjusters have grooves machined into them so you can tension or loosen both sides to get the correct alignment. I'm running Progressive Suspension fork springs and Silkolene race fork oil in my Sporty but, to tell you the truth, I have never been happy with the front forks until now. I stuck a 3/8" spanner in my pocket and hit the 'test track', [my favourite police 'safety partnership' free road!]. What a difference!
The adjuster's work really well and the bike handles better with them for sure. The front end feels more planted in the turns. The standard Sporty front end wallows, never out of control but these little beauties certainly make the ride a lot sharper.
They are a good investment for sure and only take half an hour to fit, [and ten minutes of that was drinking tea and admiring the quality!], highly recommend.' Tim, Loveless Blogspot.
Tim's Sportster is going to be in the Rollerburn invite-only custom show in November. If you want your bike in, send us photos to convince us.
back in the 70's I watched my father loosen a fork cap while sitting on a Maico.
ReplyDeletethe spring hit him in the center of his forehead leaving a red circle.
I laughed so hard I thought I was going to die.