The upgrade that makes a BIG difference!

Before I go into the product part here allow me to tell you where this all began.

I had started playing around with 49mm forks and triple trees when the VROD models were introduced in 2002. They were a lot sturdier and reduced flex very significantly. I built a couple of bikes using VROD forks back in the day. Here’s one I built in 2007 that I called ‘Family Resemblance’:

Then, when the Dyna models got 49mm forks in 2006, I was sure the touring models would be next in 2007. Ok, how about 2008? 2009? Obviously, it took a ‘little’ longer for the most deserving models to get that critical upgrade…… 2014.

I had been working on improving my 2003 FLHT ever since I bought it second hand in early 2006. I admit, not much of the original bike is left but the goal was improvement in all aspects - not so much the cosmetics of it.

So, this bike became the original GeezerEngineering that I tore down several times to swap things out and test. Over the years I did this, among a lot of other things:

Jim’s 131 motor, 6-speed transmission, CVO swing arm and rear fender, 6-gallon tank and 08-up seat, converted to EFI, 18 inch wheels with 180mm rear tire,… 

She’s a fast bike and does roll-on wheelies for bragging rights. 😊 I don’t set records for rear tire life, 3,000 miles tops.

However, handling a bike as heavy and powerful as this one in the corners of my favorite mountain passes has never been great. More like mushy and sometimes even wobbly. Every once in a while, I like to push it a little bit – with the result that my safety margin decreases and corrections are more often necessary than at lower cruising speeds. Some situations were of the ‘change-of-underwear-required’ type, not good for my confidence. Ever since I bought my first bagger, a 1999 Road King, I felt the need for improving handling characteristics of the touring models.

Harleys tend to live long lives as many owners love their bikes, maintain them well and there are plenty of options when it comes to repairs. It is entirely possible to keep older Harleys reliable and fun to ride. The new models with better performance features etc. are undeniably tempting but not all of us can afford those or even want to afford a new bike.

So, there is a huge number of Harley touring models in the market that have forks that are barely adequate -in my opinion- for bikes that are bone stock performance-wise.

After many years of work on ideas, prototypes, test riding, improving and testing again – we are finally launching our Fork Conversion Kit! We have tested this with varying suspension components on my ’03FLHT, a 2003 FLHTCUI, a 2006 Street Glide and several Road Kings from 1999 to 2015. We have retained OEM rake and trail set for 2013 and older models but added solid clamping on our CNC machined 6061-T6 triple trees for a very solid setup.

All of those bikes have vastly improved handling characteristics. One of our testers said: “It is like a new bike! I had no idea how bad the old setup was!”

If you are interested in how this all works you can read it here in our Triple-Tree Installation Manual . Our Fork Conversion Kit for Harley touring models will improve handling characteristics of pre-2014 models. At the same time, it opens up a lot better options for suspension parts like nitrogen cartridge products, emulators etc., all of which benefit from the much larger inner diameter of 49mm compared to the 41mm tubes!

We invite 2-3 owners of 2013 and older Harley touring models to review our products. For more details please email contact@geezerengineering.com . Please put ‘REVIEW’ and year model of your bike in the subject line. We’ll get back to you asap!

I’m Andreas, one of the owners of GeezerEngineering LLC. My first Harley was a 1980 FXWG. I still have it and will not ever sell it. I’ve been around Harleys for decades and hope to stick around for a while longer. Ride safe!