I wrote up my experiments with Progressive shocks in the past. Progressive is unhelpful with what shocks go on what bike with what loading. They will however, refuse to RMA shocks that have been installed, as will their retailers like Amazon subcontractors. Also they claim they don't make them for Valkyries. Baloney, all you need to do is shorten one of the bushings in their kit. Also they call the 444-4020 as "HEAVY DUTY". They are HD only for Harleys - actually I think the HD designation is not defined as Heavy Duty but Harley Davidson instead. I believe it was Jorge (see below) who suggested that. (Lincoln welding also uses the "HD" designation for one of their welders. But it doesn't mean Heavy Duty as they imply. It means Home Depot. It's a dumbed-down MIG welder w/o infinite volt controls, but click-stop so you have to vary your cycle time, not match the actual power needed. And they have unreparable/unreplacable parts inside, like the circuit boards. It's a throw-away when it pukes. Be careful what you buy at big box stores - lots of cheap products like that made to a price point by big name brands but they are cheapos - like the bogus John Deere small, belt driven B&S or Kohler powered stamped-frame lawn tractors at $1500, or Jacuzzi spas, or DeWalt drills with cheapo chucks. True JD small tractors are heavy, hydrostatic, diesel, liquid cooled, with 2 or 3 PTO's, 4WD, power steering, 3-pnt hitches and various hydraulic implements available, including front loaders, backhoes, power augers, 2&3-bottom plows - sold by tractor dealers with repair garages, not big box stores. And cost ten times as much as the green and yellow painted fakes. They are pretty much copies of Kubota tractors who invented the genre. Along with copies by Kioti, Mahindra, New Holland and so on. BTW I won't buy a JD toothbrush due to their bad right-to-repair policies. And I would NEVER put my name on substandard junk built to a cheap price point. But I digressed...)
My load data was, I was at 290#, wifey at ~135, and I pull trailers - a Timeout when loaded with camping gear is quite heavy, and I make sure the hitch load is sufficient for proper tracking. Gets around 60-70# I'm guessing. I welded on a large cooler frame so I could use a Coleman large SS cooler and load it with plenty of liquids and ice to control the tongue weight. Did the same with my Tagalong ripoff HF trailer. On trips the wife typically rides her Magna while I pull the Timeout. But sometimes she rides bitch with the T/O in tow. In those cases we might bottom out sometimes. Otherwise the shocks don't bottom. I leave the preload maxed out always. I've lost weight and now run about 235#.
My experiments - all of these are 13" shocks, same length as OEM. Originally tried 444-4020's, with 105/150 springs. Too light, bottomed a lot. Got heftier springs for them but that didn't work. Jorge at Progressive (their long-time guru - the others didn't know diddly) says you can't just change the springs - you need the shock to match due to valving inside. Tried out 444-4039 with 210/250 springs, being careful to not mar it in any way. Took her for a small local spin - WAY too stiff, like a hardtail even with zero preload. Returned it to the seller (yeah I observed their intent but not their letter - sorry they are TOO EXPENSIVE not to, considering they are NO HELP on sizing). Got in a set of 444-4057's with 140/200 springs. Goldilocks says "JUST RIGHT".
So maybe this will help you, given my data on loading and corresponding spring tryouts.
Mark, what shocks are on George’s old bike, they look short. I have a set of 11” shocks on my bike that I got used for a good price and I like the look, the ride is just ok, but with heavy duty Progressive front springs the handling has suffered some too. If I ever get the bike roadworthy again the rear shocks will need to be changed out again.
