The suspension I got replaced the stock rear shocks that originally came on the VRod. Here are some before and after pictures, along with a few details about the installation:
This is how the rear suspension looked before the Air Rides were put on. One of my goals is to reduce the amount of chrome/silver on the bike so removing the stock shocks is a good thing.
The first step then, was to remove the seat and the right and left shocks:
Once the original shocks were removed, the next step was to install the air pump. The shocks are raised by adding air from a pump that is installed in the airbox. Here is what the bike looks like with the airbox removed. The battery is in front (with the red cover over the positive terminal) and the white plastic coolant tank is in back:
Mounting the air pump was easy and only required drilling 2 small holes in the front part of the plastic airbox. Here is the airbox with one of the holes, circled in red:
And here is the airbox reinstalled with the mounted pump:
Activating the pump or releasing air is done through two buttons mounted to the left switch housing on the handlebars. Pressing one button starts the pump and pressing the other opens a valve in a manifold that distributes air to both shocks:
The next step was to install the air shocks themselves. They are very well made and being all black, help to complete the dark look I have been going for. The installation was simple, just bolt them in. I had to do a little manipulation of the bike lift to move the back wheel into the right position.
NOTE: If you are installing these, they look the same but the threaded hole where the air line attaches should be toward the inside to keep the lines hidden. I have circled a small, knurled knob that is used to adjust the flow of oil in the shock, letting you set it for a stiffer or smoother ride:
After the shocks were installed, the next step was to install the air distribution manifold. The instructions suggest putting it under the seat. There is a perfect spot for it with a single mounting hole already drilled into the metal bracket/pan where the ECM electronics are located (under the passenger pillion):
The manifold kit comes with a metal bracket that can be installed in several ways to accommodate mounting it in numerous configurations. In the picture, the manifold is attached to the black shelf with a single bolt which is also used for the ground wire coming off the air release valve of the manifold. The air pump hose attaches to the silver fitting on the left side and the hoses going to the two shocks attach to the two gold fittings in front. The gold bolt looking thing on the right is an air release muffler that can be adjusted to change the speed at which the shocks are lowered. This is so the bike won't slam down when you let air out of them.
The final step was to hook up all the wiring. The kit comes with a fuse connector, relay, and quick release crimp-on connectors. Getting everything hooked up wasn't difficult but I found that my wire crimping skills were a bit lacking so I ended up soldering several of the connectors after they were crimped just to make sure they made a good connection. The hardest part was finding a place for all the wires so they would stay hidden. Fortunately, the kit comes with plenty of black zip ties so I was able to bunch the wires together, zip them and tuck them in behind the left side cover. I didn't get any pictures of this as it was a pretty tangled mess.
Before putting all the parts back on, I tested the shocks to make sure they worked, which they did. It takes about 8-10 seconds to raise the bike and about 3-4 seconds to drop it. Here are two pictures of the new shocks, the top is when they are fully extended and the bottom, fully lowered:
And the completed bike:
Overall, I think the look is fantastic and I cannot speak highly enough about Arnott's products and customer service. If you have a question or problem with the installation, they are more than happy to help you out.
To complete the lowered look I have some fork springs from Progressive Suspension (part number 10-1565) on order that will drop the front end by 1-2". I'll give up some lean angle on cornering but I think the overall look will be much better than stock. Oh, and one thing I found is that raising the bike makes it much easier to slide the bike lift under it. No more rocking the bike back and forth while sliding the lift underneath to get it to go all the way under the frame.











