SAS Air Ride Vs. Shotgun Shock

SAS air ride install and review Vs. Shotgun Shock

I ordered an SAS for a friend’s bike and am using the opportunity to install and review the unit for everyone here on the forums, as well as compare it to the Shotgun shock. My first thought is this is a very nice 1-piece unit. There are no external air lines at all as the compressor is mounted inside the shock body along with everything else. There are only 4 wires that come out of the unit that need to be attached to the switches and the bike to make this work.

In comparison to the Shotgun Shock, this unit does not have a switch to adjust the rebound independently of the ride height. Instead it has a breather valve that “automatically” adjusts the rebound so there is no adjustment necessary

The air chamber on the back side of the cylinders expands and contracts whenever you hit a bump. When you hit a bump it opens up that chamber. The free air can rush in and fill that chamber by two disc valves opening up. When it tries to expel that air, those valves close and the trapped air has to be expelled through two small holes. This gives it a dampening action similar to a hydraulic dampener.

On to the install. This is the perfect choice for those with softails with ABS as with the Shotgun Shock the compressor mounts where the ABS module is thus making it impossible to mount the compressor and the shock on an ABS bike unless you get extremely creative mounting the compressor.

A lot of people are concerned about the install of any air ride system and how complicated it is. The SAS and Shotgun Shock are both very simple installs with slight differences in varying areas each making one easier than the other in differing ways. While the SAS is a complete one piece unit, there are some connectors that need to be attached to the wiring and a little bit of wiring required to get it hooked up whereas the Shotgun Shock comes with plugs on the wiring so all that needs to be done is plug in the male to the female side, and put the supplied piece of heat shrink over the connector.

Yes, there is one air line on the Shotgun Shock that goes from the compressor to the shock body where the check valve is located to ensure the shock will never lose pressure while riding. But, I digress. Back to the install of the SAS.
http://www.customcyclecontrols.com/pdf/sas_instalation.pdf
1. Remove the stock shocks on your bike (this is usually the most difficult part of the install)
2. Remove the battery from the battery box
3. Remove the splash guard
4. Determine the length of the shock and attach the rear joints (using red loc tite). Bolt the rear of the shock to the bike also using red loc tite.
5. ATTACH THE BREAHTER TUBE AND ROUTE IT UP UNDER THE SEAT. DO IT NOW SO YOU DO NOT VAHE TO TAKE APART AGAIN LATER AS I DID.
6. Run the wiring sheath up through the back of the battery box.
7. Swing the shock into position and attach the front using the supplied bolts and some anti seize. They say red loc tite o the front bolts but I disagree.
8. Figure out where you want to mount your switch. There are two options for switches, I used the provided monetary up and down switch although I had the fancy push button ones as well due to the simplicity of the single switch. I used the mounting bracket from a Hi Lo air ride as this switch bolted right in. The wiring is very simple although one of my friends has a degree in Electronic Engineering and found the diagram to be wrong. Simply connect the green and white wires together and attach as the ground. I used the mounting point on the frame right in front of the battery. Connect the red and black and do the same. I had to get some connectors and crimped them on the end of the wires that comes out of the shock body for the purpose of attaching them. It would be nice if these were provided in the kit as they cost next to nothing.
9. Connect the wiring to the switch using the supplied screws and a wire stripper.
10. Flip the switch up and down a few times and make sure each function of the shock works properly.

My biggest surprise with this system is the speed at which it raises and lowers. It seems as if the lack of air lines allows it to raise and lower more quickly than other systems as the air does not have travel through air lines to get to the shock. You can set the pressure and ride height wherever you like. Be careful as if you set it too low there is a possibility of the tire rubbing the wires inside of the rear fender for the wiring harness. If these wires break your rear lighting will cease to work.

After double checking the tightness on all bolts and the connections of the wiring it was time for a ride. I set out in my buddy’s neighborhood and searched for bumps. The SAS soaked up the bumps well, but like every air ride system it really depends on how you have it set how well it soaks the bumps up. After about 5 minutes I found the sweet spot and I hit the freeway for some high speed testing.

I took the bike up to 85 as there was quite a bit of traffic and it handled superbly. The one-piece unit makes the ride stable as can be. My final consensus is this. If you are searching for an air ride and are torn between Shotgun Shock and the SAS, ask yourself what your priorities are. The Shotgun still wins hands down for the best ride and most adjustability, but the SAS is a great choice for those with ABS who have been asking me for nearly a year the best way to mount an air ride on their bike.

I have not given this system the longevity test yet as it has only been on the bike for a few days, but I will report back after a few months andhow it has been holding up. Price is about the same for both systems. If you need pricing please email me at palmsapts@gmail.com and I can assist you.


A bit about Shotgun Shock in comparison. Shotgun Shock has the additional compressor which is separate fromteh shock body but allows more o fan adjustment ragne for rebound and ride height than SAS. For example if youw ant to ride your bike nice and low with Shotgun Shock set the rebound height and set the firmness of the shock and there will be no need to worry about the rear wiring harness rubbing on the tire as long as it is set correctly. You can set it any height with whatever rebound you like giving much more flexibility with how and where you ride. The additional install of the compressor is not a big deal. Most people are concerned about tapping the holes in the bottom of the transmission to mount the compressor and bracket, however on 2007 and up models the holes are already tapped so there is no need. On 2000-2006 there is no need either as there are already bolts in the holes and a nut is put on the end to hold the bracket and compressor in place.

The install is similar but I will waltk through the steps for this system as well so you can understand this more clearly.
http://www.shotgunshock.com/instructions.html
1.Remove battery and splash guard
2.Remove shocks
3.Mount shock and run wiring. This is where the Shotgun really shines. The added connectors and heat shrink make this part easy as pie. No need for crimping or soldering anything.
4.Connect wiring to batter and mount switches The switches are also an added bonus with shotgun as they come with a pre fabbed bracket and there is no need to figure anything out about where to mount them, how to connect them, etc.
5.mount compressor and compressor bracket. Mount solenoid behind splash guard. Attach all wiring.
6.Double check everything is tight and test system with bike on lift. Red loc tite on rear shock bolts and anti seize on front shock bolts. You might want to change your tranny oil prior to mounting the shock while you have access to the plug without unbolting the front of the shock (which is simple by the way) before installing the shock. No big deal either way.
7.Ride your bike.