Ricor Intiminators

I purchased and installed Ricor Intiminators for my front end. I have installed them according to instructions cutting about 0.5" off the preload spacer (the intiminators take about 0.5" just below the spring). I have added this upgrade in search of better handling and more stability from the bike in the twisties. Time and miles will tell how well these things work and if they are worth the money. I will update this post when I have more info. So far I can say that the install is very simple. Drain old oil from forks, take the springs out, pop the intiminators in, add a bit of oil, push the intiminators down to the bottom with a spring, but keep the spring out for the time being. Add correct amount of 5W Amsoil Shock Therapy (fork oil recommended by Ricor for this application), add spring and preload spacer (adjusted for the 0.5" of the intiminators), button it all up and it's a done deal.

Update April 16, 2010
So far I have logged over 300 miles with the intiminators in the front end and the short summary is: THEY ARE GREAT!!!

The longer story goes as follows. Right after installing the intiminators and going for a ride around the block you may say to yourself, what the heck is the big deal?! Why did I just spend close to $300? Well, that's just the thing. Around the block or on a gentle ride to your favorite watering hole you may not notice a significant difference. And frankly, in those situations Sportster is already good enough anyway. Well, some of the smaller road imperfections seem to go unnoticed even at an easy pace, but that's not worth $300, I don't think. So, if you are thinking of buying these things and expect your bike to become a Cadie on two wheels, forget it. Here is where the intiminators really kick in. Twisty back roads where you tend to go a bit over the speed limit :) The thing is that even on those roads the bike does not feel much different, except when you look at the speedo. First time I did that I had a bit of a shock and quickly closed the throttle instinctively. I was going around curves I knew very well at about double my usual speed without ever realizing it. Everything about the turn felt the same. The lean angle, the effort at the handlebars, etc. The speed, however was much higher. Catching a small pothole (or even a large one) in the curve did not upset the bike any more. The stability of this Sportster was improved by an order of magnitude. I am still playing with some settings like the height of fork tubes in the triples, etc. But in general the front end is very, very VERY good right now. It also made the rear end behave better. I have dialed the 1200S shocks in and now I have pretty sweet handling Sportster. I am very impressed and highly recommend the intiminators to anyone who is frustrated when pushing the Sportster through the curves (too slow, way too much lean, I am going to scrape stuff if I go any faster around this curve, that type of frustration).

1200S Showa Shocks

I've been running 13.5" Progressive Suspension 412 shocks on this bike for a long time. They ware a great improvement on the stock shocks. But they still felt harsh and the handling still left a lot to be desired. I knew of the 1200S fully adjustable shocks for a while and finally got my hands on a pair from eBay. These shocks came stock on the venerable Sportster 1200S Sport and are made by Showa. They have adjustable spring pre-load (4 settings), adjustable compression damping (15 settings) and adjustable rebound damping (10 settings). They measure about the same as my stock shocks, 13.25". They seem to have a much softer spring than the Progressive 412, but I don't know that for a fact.

I mounted them in reverse, left shock on the right and right shock on the left to accommodate my Easy Brackets with saddle bags. This way the oil reservoir is forward of the shock rather than behind it, which would interfere with the saddle bag brackets. The small problem with this is that the left shock can and sometimes does interfere with the rear brake caliper. This can be solved by adding about 0.5" more spacer to get the shock away from the caliper.

Rear Running Lights/Brake Lights Module

I bought this module, HD P/N 69463-06 to convert my rear turn signals into running lights, brake lights and turn signal. This was a very quick and effective plug-and-play affair. The module makes existing single fillament turn signal bulbs work as running lights (constant on at low power), brake lights (high power when brakes are applied) and turn signals (alternating between low and high power when the turn signals are on). The kit included red replacement lenses.

My Only Dyno Run

This is the only dyno chart I ever got for my bike so far. This was done about 4 years into ownership and twiddling around on my SeatOfPants Dyno. I think I have it dialed in assuming I am  running drilled out stock mufflers.

Tachometer Kit

This tachometer kit (genuine HD part) is great, but very expensive. MSRP is $285. I bought mine when my local dealer was blowing them out at 70% off the MSRP. I highly recommend this upgrade. It is very easy to install and works great. Here is a review I wrote for this product on Sportster.org

Engine Guard

I bought this genuine HD engine guard after I had a low speed spill at a stop sign in Amherst, MA. There was some sand at the stop line and I was on the front brake and turning to the right slightly. This resulted in a 3 MPH spill. I enough damage (bent handlebar, small dents on the tank, broken turn signal, scuffed muffler) to convince myself to get this guard. I do not exactly like the looks of it, but it is functional. I had hard time installing it and needed to bend the metal tangs a bit to make all the holes line up. Other than that it is fine.

Sportster Maintenance Spread Sheets

 These are based on Owner's Manual maintenance schedule. Hope you find these usefull

2003-Earlier Sportster Maintenance Spreadsheet - Furnished by Coasty and not edited in any way

2004 Sportster Maintenance Spreadsheet - Furnished by Coasty and edited by myself for 2004

2007 Sportster Maintenance Spreadsheet - Furnished by Coasty and not edited in any way