Will Remote Reservoir Shocks Fit with a Tour Pack? A Closer Look at the Road Glide Setup

Will Remote Reservoir Shocks Fit with a Tour Pack? A Closer Look at the Road Glide Setup 🏍️

For Harley touring enthusiasts, the quest for a smoother ride often leads to a common crossroad: how to add high-performance suspension without sacrificing luggage capacity. Specifically, many Road Glide and Street Glide owners worry that the brackets for remote reservoir shocks will interfere with their Tour Pack or saddlebag latches. 🧳

A recent installation featured on the Guilded Glide YouTube channel provides a definitive answer. The video documents the process of mounting a set of Mactions Gold Remote Reservoir Shocks on a Harley Road Glide, focusing specifically on how these components live together with full touring gear.

🧩 Solving the Compatibility Puzzle

The most significant concern for Bagger riders is "real estate" on the rear fender. When you add a Tour Pack—whether it’s a Chopped, Razor, or Full-size version—the mounting points become crowded.

In this setup, the Mactions reservoir brackets utilize the existing T40 and T45 fender bolt locations. The design includes specific stainless steel spacers that offset the reservoir just enough to clear the frame while keeping it tucked away from the luggage. As demonstrated in the video, even with a Tour Pack installed, there is ample room to reach the mounting hardware and operate the saddlebag latches without any obstruction. ✅

✨ Beyond Performance: The "Stinking Awesome" Aesthetic

While the primary goal of switching to a three-way adjustable suspension is to fix the often-criticized stock Harley ride quality, the visual impact cannot be ignored. The gold anodized finish of the reservoirs adds a high-end, mechanical look to the rear of the bike.

The reviewer noted that the bike looks "stinking awesome" even when the saddlebags are removed, exposing the machined aluminum brackets and the reservoir canisters. For riders who occasionally run a "stripped-down" look, these shocks serve as a centerpiece of the bike’s rear-end styling. 😎

🛠️ Precision Hardware for a Secure Fit

Installation success often comes down to the quality of the hardware. This specific kit from Mactions includes:

• 🔩 Billet Aluminum Brackets: Light but incredibly rigid.
• 📏 Stainless Steel Spacers: Different lengths (short for the front, long for the rear) to ensure perfect alignment.
• 🔧 Adjuster Tool: A dedicated tool for fine-tuning the top portion of the shock.

The installation is straightforward enough for a DIY project. By reusing the stock 19mm hardware for the shock body and applying blue threadlocker (Loctite) to the bracket bolts, riders can achieve a professional-grade setup in their own garage.

🏁 Final Verdict for Touring Riders

If you have been hesitant to switch to remote reservoir shocks due to Tour Pack compatibility, this Road Glide setup proves those fears are unnecessary. You get the benefit of a fully adjustable suspension—allowing you to tune for solo riding or a fully loaded tour—without giving up the utility of your Harley luggage system.