Strut your stuff...

This product is by no means original, but none of the precious few shock struts we've seen on the market hold a candle to these babies. The Biltwell shock strut fitment mules shown here are made to the same specs as the finished product, which is to say this: they are 1020 high-tensile steel, and both ends are CNC machined from bar stock. A baloney-cut butted section on each end of the strut is TIG welded to the machined boss and the center tube, and believe us, these welds are beautiful. The 10-inch length of the finished product will lower stock Sportsters approximately 2.5" inches in the rear end, with no clearance headaches (see photo.) Installation is dead simple, and took us about five minutes including photo time.



Step one: remove old shocks.



Step two: slide the shock strut over the stock shock bolts and reinstall the nuts



Step three: repeat step two on the opposite side



Step four: stand back and enjoy your handiwork.



As you can see, the stock drivetrain has plenty of clearance between the belt and the rear subframe.

As Bill's bike clearly shows, Biltwell shock struts definitely toughen up the look and stance of any late-model XL. Strippers have been saying it for years and we agree: Bolt-ons ARE better!