Lifestyle Cycles Product Review: Legend Suspensions Revo Arc Shock

"All right, Kevin at Lifestyle Cycles here, and I've got Nick who's come all the way down from Sturgis, South Dakota, to talk with us today about the Revo Arc shocks. He's here to give you guys some information about how it's made, how it fits, and how it rides. Nick, thanks so much for making the drive down; I appreciate it. These are great-looking shocks. Let's dive right into it. What can you tell me about the reservoir Revo Arcs?"

"A couple of the big things with the Revo Arcs is this is a much more tunable suspension. We have the Revo A, which is a very comfortable ride. You can make this just as comfortable, but this is also going to work if you decide to do a track day or if you're a pretty aggressive rider up in the hills. You can really tune the suspension into that riding style."

"I noticed these seem to be a little larger in diameter than a lot of other shocks that I see out there. Can you go into that at all?"

"Yeah, one of the biggest things is when we designed the suspension, it was based on the weight and handling of Harley-Davidsons. So, a couple of the big differences with ours are the diameter of our coil is wider than our competition, and the spring on a 13-inch shock is about an inch and a half longer. It's designed to handle the weight and handling characteristics of the bike to provide better control."

"One of the significant features is the spherical bearings that we put in all of our shocks. If anybody's ridden a Harley with stock suspension, they've likely felt the twitch in the back during curves. That twitch is due to suspension binding because the subframe and swingarm are twisting. With our shocks, they're able to turn 10°, reducing suspension bind and providing more control over the bike."

"Now, how would this compare to, say, a stock shock that comes on a motorcycle?"

"The biggest difference is obviously how tunable it is. The big thing with a stock shock is that most are oversprung for the weight of the riders. It's a one-size-fits-all approach. With our suspension, we set it up specifically for your weight—whether you're riding solo, with a passenger, or with gear. This shock is adjustable so you get full travel with the weight on the bike."

"When we were training our techs down below, I saw how you put the rider and passenger on the bike, figured out where the sag needs to be. I've heard some people don't understand this; they'll buy them themselves, install them, but don't get into the technical aspect of setting them up correctly. Once set up correctly, it's a night and day difference for them."

"Absolutely. On stock suspension, if anyone's ridden as a passenger, hitting a pothole causes the bike to drop, compresses the spring, then rebounds. With ours, with preload set, when you hit a pothole, the wheel travels down, maintaining stability, and rebounds smoothly. We have seven positions of rebound adjustment on this shock, whereas the Revo A has six. It's a needle valve, allowing you to adjust softness or firmness. Additionally, there are seven positions of compression adjustment for those wanting to do track days or aggressive riding. This shock offers an extra half-inch of travel, totaling three and a half inches on a 13-inch shock."

"You can adjust all this whether you're riding solo, with a passenger, or taking a road trip; you can make it ride like a Cadillac."

"Yeah, you can make this just as comfortable as the Revo A. If you're riding from here to Sturgis to visit us during the rally, you can set this up to be just like the Revo A. But you have the control; if you're in the Colorado mountains and want to ride more aggressively, you can firm up the shock for better cornering."

"The setup looks really accessible, especially when mounted on top; you don't even have to remove the bags to access it."

"No, just tilt your bag out and adjust your rebound. We recommend setting rebound first after removing the bags to avoid complications. Once in the mountains, adjust compression for the area. Whether on a long trip or for the day, adjust both ends for a perfect ride."

"That's great information. We'll be doing more install videos on our shop mules here, showing how to set up the sag when customers come in. That way, if you're buying from our website or at our front counter, you'll have installation videos to ensure it's done right the first time, avoiding issues that could void the lifetime warranty, like improper installation."

"Let's also touch on something I always like to brag about when I have someone in here—made in the USA."

"Absolutely, yes. We're hand-built in Sturgis, South Dakota, with 13 to 15 people consistently hand-building everything we send out. We're exclusively through Drag Specialties. Come in anytime, and our team will set you up. They're trained to set the shocks correctly and know what's best for your bike. Any questions, come in and see them—they know their stuff when it comes to Legend Suspension."

"One thing I found impressive was your quick warranty turnaround, being next door to UPS. If a shock comes in for warranty, you're their first and last delivery, ensuring it's back out the same day—amazing customer service."

"Our turnaround is fast; it's typically two to three days via UPS, a couple more in the shop, given our less than 1% warranty claims due to incorrect installations using the stock shock's flat washer. That's why we emphasize proper installation. Installation is crucial—I was at a show last weekend in Arizona and spoke with a gentleman who put 204,000 miles on four bikes with our suspension before sending them in for the first rebuild."

"Wow, that's impressive longevity."

"Yeah, it was spread over different bikes, each taking our shocks with him. When he upgraded bikes, he transferred our shocks to the new one. That shows how durable our shocks are."

"That's really cool that you stand behind your product so well. It's a testament to their quality."

"Exactly, yes. We look forward to more of these discussions. Once these shocks are on a bike and out the door, they don't come back for problems, ensuring customers are satisfied for the long haul."

"Again, Nick, I appreciate you coming in, spending time with us, and working with my techs. We'll get installation videos up on YouTube and our website to keep you informed and satisfied with how many of these we'll be selling."

"Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you."

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