Progressive 425 shocks
Progressive's 425 H/D Shocks
I bought my 08 Rhino in July of 2008, it is a Special Edition model with the basic pre-load adjustable shocks. A little over a year and nearly 1400 miles later I set out looking for an affordable set of aftermarket shocks that will fulfill my needs on the trails. My bike is a trail machine not a race machine, I will not be running wide open for hours at a time jumping whoops and racing professionally but I will be riding 25-35 mph over some pretty rough terrain at times and playing in a little mud here and there, so I need a set of shocks that will take the abuse as well as absorb the terrain. After a lot of research and several hours on the net looking for the best shock setup for me I found Progressive Suspension, a company that has been around for many years building shocks for on the road bikes, offers the 425 series shocks for ATV's and UTV's at a very affordable price. I also found several racers as well as trail riders run and recommend the Progressive shocks, so I decided these shock were the ones for my Rhino.
I am highly impressed with the structure and sturdiness of these shocks, they look like they could handle anything I could throw at them. These shocks have collars for adjusting the ride height, which are easily adjusted with the tool included in the kit. I have also read they yield 3/4 inch more suspension travel than the stock shocks. Installation of these shocks was very quick, easy, and painless. Just jack up the center of the bike to take the load off the shocks, change both shocks on the front then move to the rear and do the same.
After riding several miles on a little bit of everything from some old chip roads, gravel roads, and rough trails I got to say I was very impressed with these shocks. The ride quality is noticeably improved at slower speeds, greatly improved at faster speeds, and also very impressive in the rough stuff. With these Progressive shocks there is no more bottoming out in front and no more bucking in the rear. My rhino now drives strait and smooth instead of bouncing around on the rough high speed trails, I almost find myself getting to fast for the terrain because the suspension now absorbs the terrain so well. I also feel the looks of my bike are improved due to the new ride stance.
In conclusion I feel if you are a trail rider like myself and in the market for a set of shocks I highly recommend you check out these shocks from Progressive suspension. I feel they are a very worthy and affordable investment.
I took a few measurements before and after installing.
Before I had 12 7/8 inch Ground clearance in the rear After I now have 12 1/4 in the rear.
Before I had 10 1/2 inch Ground clearance up front After I now have 11 in the front.
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