Progressive 444 Shocks Review

The key element to consider for a motorcycle while giving it an upgrade is all about upgrading its suspension. Riders who are suffering from the wicked tormenting of OEM rear shocks unless they experience the upgrading of their OEM cans with high-quality shocks. In this article, we will review progressive suspension 444 series shocks.

Table of Contents

Progressive 444 Suspension Shocks Review

Check Price On Amazon

Progressive Suspension is one of the trustworthy go-to brands for its products like Progressive 444 Shock as it’s made with the best quality material to give immense pleasure in the long run. Let us get deeper into the Progressive 444 shocks review.

Progressive 444 Shocks Specs

This is what exactly Progressive 444 Shocks specs are stated by the company:

Frequency Sensing Technology (FST) allows the shocks to sense the frequency of a bump and automatically adjust damping for superior ride quality.
Deflective disc valving.
Adjust spring preload by hand (ring marks).
No special tool is needed.
Progressive rate spring.
Standard or heavy-duty spring rate and black or chrome finish.
Lifetime Limited Warranty & made in the USA.

All the specification sounds good, but it’s the FST that adds value for riders to fall for it and install them in their bikes. Progressive 444 is truly worth the price.

Performance And Comfort

Progressive 444 series shocks recommend having an eye-to-eye length of your OEM shocks. They also recommend that if you are touring passengers or any sort of luggage for most of the bike rides, weighing 250 pounds and above then it’s better to add heavy-duty models of it.

The Progressive Standard 444 shocks versus the OEM shocks have also given remarkable results to users. One Single ring of pre-load adjustability is enough if you go for a solo ride, else three rings of increased preload are perfect for touring riding.

The quality of Progressive 444 gives the performance and enhancement in the bike even after riding it for 40,000 miles on the road.

The Progressive 444 shocks have no fading of their performance during long-distance and it is all thanks to its deflective disc valving within the shocks. They work amazingly in hot weather as well with no decrease in their performance.

Installation And Adjusting

The packaging of Progressive 444 shocks are stuffed with everything needed to install them on your motorcycle. The packaging is done in a protective cardboard box with all the essential hardware required to install. All the hardware is lightly coated with oil to protect it from rusting.

The installation is quite easy and not so time-consuming if we have a motorcycle jack, although it is possible even if the motorcycle is on a kickstand too if the eye-to-eye length of Progressive 444 is equal to or very close to the length of your OEM shocks.

Talking about the installation time, it might take an hour if you are doing it by yourself including plentiful rest in between. The instruction about installation is quite clear and can be followed by an inexperienced rider.

The preload rings are adjustable by hand. To do it, you just need to simply grab the top part of the shock and rotate it till you see the ring marks. The preload will be higher with more ring marks. The actual packaging of Progressive 444 comes as stock with no preload that is no ring marks. Every ring mark made by rotating the top of the shock means an increased level of preload. The preload can be adjusted up to 4 rings.

The benefit to the hand rotates preload is it can be done any time any place just in seconds. Switch the solo ride to touring, your shocks are instantly ready to preload.

Advantages Of The Progressive 444 Shocks

Let’s highlight a few advantages of Progressive 444 Suspension Shocks:

Improved riding quality than OEM shocks.
Comfortable riding compared to other products in the market.
Repetitive dumps and road imperfections are handled well even while riding at high speed.
Automatic Rebound control helps to suppress chassis flex on cruiser motorcycles in particular.
Firm on flat terrains regardless of riding speed.
Overall handling of the motorcycle gets enhanced.
No performance fades in the long run.
Durable in extreme conditions.
Just in seconds adjustable preload ring.
Competitive price.
Made in the USA.
Limited lifetime warranty.

Disadvantages Of The Progressive 444 Shocks

Let’s highlight a few disadvantages of Progressive 444 Suspension Shocks:

No rebound adjusting for really customized performance.
They are not tailor-made shocks from Progressive Suspension.
Chrome plating could be more resilient.

1. Are Progressive Shocks Worth It?

Performance and comfort. Absolutely, the Progressive 412 shocks yield an improved ride over OEM shocks. While the improvement isn’t as mind-blowing as Progressive’s premium 444 shocks, the improvement in ride quality is more than noticeable for what is, at heart, Progressive’s entry-level shocks.

2. What Is The Difference Between Standard And Heavy-Duty Progressive Shocks?

“You go by the rider’s weight – if the rider is less than 250 lbs. (regardless if you ride two-up or not), use the standard duty shocks. If the rider is above 250 lbs. (regardless if you ride two-up or not), use the heavy-duty shocks.

3. What Do Progressive Shocks Do?

With Progressive suspension, the shock travel relative to rear-wheel travel changes as the suspension is compressed. The progressive suspension (when setup right) is ‘plusher’ on small bumps but stiffens up as the travel is used, meaning it won’t bottom out as much.

4. How Long Do Motorcycle Shocks Last?

How long should my shock absorber last? Ideally, the suspension should be serviced every three years if you want to really keep it working at its best, though five years should be okay for most road riders.

Conclusion

We discussed progressive suspension 444 series shock reviews and provided everything that one needs while improving their motorcycle ride handles and complies.

Upgrading OEM shocks over Progressive 444 Suspension shocks won’t be an easy and cheap transaction but will improve your riding experiences to smooth one in the long run. This can be the best investment for a jarring-free and relaxing ride with your partner.

Let us know in the comments below which Shocks are you investing in your motorcycle to have a comfortable ride.