Fox vs RWD 2018+ Softail Monoshock What Shock Is better?
Posted by Bryan Montgomery on
Which shock is better for my 2018+ Softail Fox or RWD? I see this question everyday on facebook groups, and instagram. People tend to suggest whatever brand they purchased since anything is better than stock, they are happy with their purchase, and to somewhat justify their purchase. However, when it comes to suspension especially on motorcycles the right answer depends on you and what you use the motorcycle for. Are you a stunter, cruiser, canyon carver, track racer, how much you weigh, do you ride with a passenger, do you have bags and tons of gear to haul around, and how shitty are the roads you ride on.
The perfect solution is a shock custom sprung and valved for the rider and what they are doing with the bike. With covid and supply chain issues most manufacturers are having trouble getting shocks made, let alone custom valve for each customer. As a racer myself it is very frustrating to say the least, but we have to do our best with what we have right now.
This brings us to the point of this article, what shock is better the Fox or the RWD? Since we can't valve shocks to the rider right now, we can decide what standard valving is better for your riding and needs. We are fortunate to have 2 really good companies making a great shock, that we are able to keep in stock that will cover most riders needs.
The following descriptions are based on a 180lb rider, that is pretty much the standard rider weight a standard spring shock is setup for. Both brands are adjustable for preload and damping you can tailor to passengers and luggage or a heavier rider. I will explain what all that does in another post.
The Fox Monoshock is sprung and valved on the softer side of the spectrum, meaning it has a much cushier ride with the standard spring they offer. It is a great shock for cruising, and will work well in canyons for most riders. The fastest guys (everyone thinks they are fast) will notice it is a bit soft for their pace, but you can tune the damping on these to suit most. Some heavier guys will complain that it sags too much, but they need to adjust the preload to set correct sag. These come in 12.5", 13", and 13.5" to suit different height people and tastes. I always suggest getting the 13.5" for the ground clearance, if you are tall enough. One thing to also note is that the Fox damping adjustment controls the rebound, or how quickly the shock returns after compressing from a bump.
The RWD Monoshock in my opinion is noticeably more firm than the Fox shock. It has a remote reservoir with the compression damping adjustment that mounts to the swingarm. You can retain the belt guard if you make a little spacer, but most people take it off. This shock is a great shock for track day riders, canyon guys, or if you are on the heavier side. It is pretty easy to dial in this shock for a lot of situations with the compression damping adjustment, little stiffer for the canyons, or soften it up for a road trip. To be clear this shock is not stiffer than stock, stock has a progressive spring that gets stiffer as you move through the stroke, this has a linear rate spring, that is more compliant and will eat up bumps that hurt on a stock shock. The RWD currently is only available in the 13.5", due to covid they stopped doing custom length orders for now.
When directly comparing the Fox to the RWD shock, you will feel the smaller stuff on the RWD that the Fox's cushy valving eats up. If you ride fast you will want the firmer valving from the RWD. Both companies have great customer service and will stand by their product. Coming from a stock shock you will be blown away by the performance of either of these shocks, but hopefully this helped you make a decision on which one will better suit your needs. If you have questions or need clarification feel free to email or call us, and we are happy to help.
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- Tags: fox shock, harley shocks, monoshock, rwd, softail shock