Arnott Air Ride Install and Review

The kit as it comes. It was very well packaged, 2 boxes, foam, paper, the works. You can see everything is individually bagged and there are instructions for everything. The compressor is tiny compared to what I was running haha. But it's not very powerful and has a 9% duty cycle which isn't great at all. But it will do the job for this air ride.



This is the manifold junction where everything comes together. Everything was pre installed except for the port used for the pressure sensor for the handlebar switch. They used ptfe tape on the threads which I don't like in higher pressure situations so I removed the 90 degree fitting and plug and used ptfe paste.

On the right hand side is the adjustable exhaust filter for when you drop the bike, it determines how fast it drops. I tried to remove it to do the same but I think they locktited the threads and it barely moved, so I didn't try to go more and just added a beat of "the right stuff" rtv at the exposed interface just to be triple sure. I hate leaks after the last 2 air rides I had.

The plug on the bottom doesn't need paste on the threads because it's an o-ringed fitting so I just left it alone.

Kbuskill said:

I'm curious, is this like a double or single bellows bag with a sleeve around it to protect it?

I would assume it would have to be in order to have the shock running through the center, but just wanted to verify my thinking.

Also, does the shock have any adjustments, like preload or anything?

Click to expand...

Here's their diagram:



For the Fury, there is no adjustments on this shock. They claim that it's valved properly internally for these bikes. So really the only adjustment there is for the rider or riders is the air pressure and the rest is accommodated by the internals. Yes, it's got a bladder around it as you can see. So based on rider weight it'll take a certain pressure to ride in the "sweet spot" and the rebound is all internally dependent on that rider weight and pressure.

If you choose to ride lower or higher than the sweet spot for the rider weight(s) then it'll be a softer or firmer ride, but it'll retain the correct rebound characteristics but obviously it would be like running more or less preload (sag)

Ok. Let's get this party rolling.

First off was to remove my beautifully CNC'd shock mount from the OEM and put it on the air can. Torqued it down to spec (32 ft-lb) and it actually rotated like it should! Thanks Fox for using a good bushing in your eyelet:



Their instructions are thorough...to a point. They tell you what to do for all the hardware and their electrical schematics are good. But we'll get to their pitfall(s).

Next thing was to install the line in the can. The have a unique fitting that I haven't seen for the air connections that are very secure. You basically screw the fitting into it's location first, then remove this white keeper that's in the fitting, install the hose till it "seats"...then remove to make sure the "boss" is on the end of the line. It can be flush or a bit of hose can reside below the boss...it doesn't matter. It will "float" in the fitting until it's pressurized:





Now, this can was a bit tough to get in there without taking the wheel or the battery box out. I wasn't about to do either. So after 30 minutes of trying to put a round peg in a square hole, I remove the screws that hold the ECM bracket to the frame. This gave me enough wiggle room to slide the shock up and in from the brake side:



Now, I can't confirm 100%if this will work for those that have stock bikes as I chopped a bit of my frame for the old air cans (Bimba):



Once it's in there, I was able to torque down my hard-to-find locknut (it came from a Polaris application) of M12x1.5. The OEM nut is M12x1.25, I'm just a bonehead and didn't measure right and told my buddy that pitch when he made the clevis. I can tell you this nut BARELY cleared the tank when it was all bolted together. Maybe .010" clearance:



Then you can torque the swingarm side and the can is good to go:



Next you gotta crawl under and find the rectifier. The tiny compressor bracket will mount to this with their included hardware:





This is basically how it looks with the hardware included before it's mounted:



....comtinued

This was a blind circus act fitting this bracket in behind the rectifier then feeding the bolts through and getting them to catch in the threads. First set of spicy language to exit my mouth on this build. I was a tad worried of having this thing flex and vibrate as I hit bumps and such so I used fuel line I had and sliced it down the center and put a piece right under the body of the compress as you can see. This was the perfect size:



The hardware is now it (except for the manifold) so the easy part is now over. Onto the crappy part. Running hoses and wiring. Now, they tell you "run the wiring and hose for the compressor up in front of the swingarm by the battery box. That's all they give you. But they neglect to tell you this actually has to be done a certain way. You can't run it BY the battery box, you have to come from UNDERNEATH and terminate at the bottom right corner of the box. This took me probably 1.5 hours of pulling wires and yanking lines to do over before I figured out how to properly do it. They also give you corrugated loom to protect the wires and hose. Whoever invented this stuff needs to be fired. I hate wiring loom with a passion. Anyway, after it was all tidy'd up at the compressor side:



Here's where I finally landed with it. You can see there ginormous relay they included. This is one of the kits pitfalls but they didn't give enough "hot" wire on the compressor so it ends somewhere by the battery box which you can't get to to make the connection. So you have to make it down by the compressor then try and put that wire into the corrugated tubing, as much as you can get in there. I couldn't get it all in so it's probably floating on top of the tubing by the battery box. Ignore that fuse it's for my trickle charger:



Now that you fought that mess lets move onto something easy shall we? Let's install the $350 "extra" piece you have to buy if you want the PSI readout on the bar. It's nice, but Arnott doesn't allow you to "upgrade" your kit. Bend over and pay full price and you have your original switch leftover, which is a waste.

Per Arnott's instruction, they want you to mount it to the LOWER screw of your clutch perch. With the "upgraded" psi gauge, you do NOT use the spacer they include (that's for the switch that comes with the kit). You mount it right to the perch. Ok...so I removed my hardware. They include 2x M6 x45 button head screws, black and chrome...but they are meant for the ORIGINAL switch. Not the upgraded one. SO they are TOO LONG to use if you're mounting your upgraded switch. The OEM hardware is too short. Ok, I'll modify one of the screws to the right length (black original length, stainless is the modified one:



At this point I mounted it to the lower perch. Yay, right? Neh. The knuckleheads at Arnott didn't do their research. We know in stock form there's hardly any room between the bars and the tank at full lock. This gauge would contact the tank in this location. We all love dented tanks.

Ok, onto some more head scratching. Ok, maybe I can mount this thing to the upper perch location. It won't be able to mount flush because it's not designed to be there. But maybe I can use their spacer and the black screw that came with the kit. I went to install, and The spacer was the right length for this...but the included bolt was too SHORT. It caught maybe 3 threads of the perch. Now, this would be a problem for the switch that came with the kit too because it uses these included screws. So the hardware they provided would not work.

Ok, off to see if I could find a M6x1.00-50mm. No local hardware store has button head stainless in that size but I found a galvanized hex I could use until my stainless screws from amazon came in. Check it out...it actually works in this location and actually puts the readout in a move visible and easy to access with your hand location:





Ok, that's sorted out I suppose. Clears the tank at full lock no problem. I like it here. You can run the wiring per their instructions (along the handlebar wires, make a turn under the tank on the shifter side and down the frame. It'll come out right by the upper left cover grommet for now). Make sure to leave yourself enough slack you can go lock to lock with the bars and the wires won't stress up by the neck of the frame.

Ok, lets move onto the nightmare. I had to actually do this in 2 days I got so frustrated with the entire wiring of this kit. I will explain more in the review after. For now, you have a mess of wiring you have to figure out what to do with, figure out a place for this massive relay, and figure out the configuration of your manifold. They tell you just to mount the manifold under the battery strap. This is so you can just turn your air tubing that terminated at the battery corner up and plug it right into the elbow fitting:



This is NOT the final configuration the manifold looked like. I went back and forth with this because of the pressure transducer for the handlebar gauge. You can mount it "remotely" away from the manifold, but then you have to run the plug to where you remotely mount it. This brings all of the switch wiring further away from your relay and other wiring. They need to be in close proximity. So because of the "lack of wiring" space and location, despite what Arnott told me, I could not mount the transducer remote. I was lucky though. The Earth X battery I have is a bit longer than OEM. With the transducer plugged into the manifold port then the wires plugged in, it just BARELY clears the battery cover. I also thought I was clever with the mounting of the relay with velcro to the battery and I was able to nicely route and loop the wiring around. Looks like I'm home free!





Just kidding. Couldn't be that easy and clever. By the way it took me a LONG time to get the wiring figured out to this point. So when I went to put the cover on and wrap this project up, the damn relay interfered with the battery cover fully seating.

Lets go back to square 1.
You also have a fuse that they include, also in a bulky waterproof case, that needs to be mounted somewhere. I already had velcro on the side of the battery, so I'll put it here for now:



At this point, there was too much wire, too many connections. So out came my waterproof connector kit. I consolidate and was able to get away with one 4 plug connector and one single plug connecter, and re-use one of their single connectors, You can see above. They also had something like 4 separate grounds which angered me. I consolidated those all into one connection than ran a piece of 10 ga ground for those.

I was able to ground behind the head of the bolt for the lower cover bracket (green arrow) and you can see my ground wire (yellow box)...image on next post:

I was able to cram all the wires down far enough to allow the cover to seat....just barely. The wiring the provide sucks. It's that old school, PVC sheath wire that doesn't flex at all. In 2023, companies should be providing quality, high strand flexible silicone sheathed wire, ESPECIALLY for applications where there isn't a lot of room to work. You can see where I stuffed the relay in the upper left corner...this was literally the last place this thing could go.

Covers on:



You can also see how close the locnut is to the tank...luckily there's no flex there so it'll be fine:




My amazon button head stainless hardware came in that was the correct length for the psi gauge:



Here's the bike fully dropped:



and FINALLY we can now go ride together...

That's it for the install, ride on. Let's review the kit and the ride next.

Lets talk about the kit first, the pro's.

Everything is packaged very nice, separated out into bags, organized. My OCD appreciates that. The instructions that are provided are well for just putting stuff together, but they fall EXTREMELY short in my opinion. I'll get to that later.

The hardware is hands down awesome. The Fox shock is really nice, well put together. It's a shock, not just a can filled with air. High quality stuff.

The manifold junction is also great. It's compact and comes with all of the fittings. There's really no question about how things go together on that and the instructions are ok for putting that together. I recommend though removing the connections and adding ptfe paste, or Gasoila instead of just plumbers tape that they use. Better seals from that stuff.

The switch that comes with the kit is just a momentary switch. The upgrade psi guage is ALMOST necessary though if you want to stay consistent, or monitor your system. Yes, you can make your own cheaper psi readout setup. I did that for my last air ride. But, it's more tubing and connections which means more chances to leak. This go around I wanted as LITTLE air line ran as possible. Which is why I bent over and purchased their gauge/switch combo. It's a nice, compact unit that plays nice with the system.

The compressor is a nice little unit. BUT. It's small. It's got a 9% duty cycle. That means (I'm going to use easy numbers just to give an idea) if the compressor were to run for 5 minutes, it needs to "sit" for 55 minutes. Luckily it only takes 15 seconds max to get to a good riding pressure so it's no that big of a deal. But they spec a nice small one which works well with the bike and the included mounting solution behind the rectifier was well thought out.

Ok...onto the cons.

No upgrade option for the switch. $350 extra, no if's, ands, or buts. The kit is $1200 ish. That brings the package total to $1550.

In my opinion, that's a premium price. Everything in the kit should be premium. It should be a no frustration install. That's where we get to the wiring. I'm going to hammer them hard on this one. The wiring provided NEEDS to be high strand, flexible silicone sheathed wires. NO EXCEPTIONS. We don't have lots of room on these bikes for things and they need to be stuffed into cracks and crevices. The pvc coated garbage you buy at the auto parts store has no place on a kit like this. Arnott, get it together with this.

The relay they provide is sealed. But it's huge. The compressor doesn't draw much current, nor does the valve switch. Provide a smaller relay, easy to tuck anywhere. This thing was the reason it took 2 days to figure out where to stuff it because the wires coming out of it are so stiff and they don't flex at all.

The connections on the wiring are pure trash. They're cheap auto parts store male and female spades. No waterproof connections. There are a TON of them too and if you use their kit as is, you gotta figure out where they are all going to go. In my case, I cut them all off and didn't even use them. I get angry when I see connectors like this.

So, their wiring they provide can go pound sand. It made this a miserable install. In my opinion, they need to have a kit option where they provide the hardware and wiring INSTRUCTIONS, and let those of us that know what the heck we're doing make our own harnesses using relays and wires better suited for these bikes.

But since they're providing this in a kit. They LEAST they could do in their instructions is SHOW where they put all the wires. They didn't do that at all. You can see in the pdf online that they show a couple images mid install but then don't tell you the best place to put everything. Because it's not easy on this bike.

First Impressions and the Ride

As I showed in one of my last images, the ride height with no air in it. This shock will not put the bike on the fender. It won't even put it on the bumpstop if you are not sitting on it. I'm a bit disappointed in that because when I go in some place, I love dropping the bike down on the bumpstop. It just looks badass. But since this is a shock and not an air can, there is still some "spring" even when there's no air in it under the bike's own weight. But if you sit on it while there's no air, it'll bottom out.

Airing up and down is awesome and can be done at any time, including during the ride. You can also adjust the little filter knob on the manifold to release the air at different rates when airing down. You can hear the little compressor doing work and feel the ride differences at different pressures. Now, I'm about 175. They told me 45-55 psi for 1 up riding. Now, I was sitting on the bike when airing it up. I didn't actually PHYSICALLY feel the bike ride height increase until about 60 ish psi. After that the ride height kept rising. So up to about 50 psi, you are just really pressurizing the can which will change the riding characteristics of the shock, but there was really no height change.

I opted not to run my "instant up" tank like I have for my last 2 air rides. Once again, keeping it simple was my goal. With this kit, I don't see any need for it. Cool factor, maybe. But this isn't a show bike.

The ride. The ride. Yes, I have some complaints about this kit and I think they're fair. The ride all but makes me almost forget about them. It's on another level. I've ran every type of rear suspension you can put on this bike. OEM spring, modified lowering spring, and 2 "traditional" air cylinder air-ride cans. This would be the Cadillac of them all. It's got great sensitivity on small bumps. Soaks up and washboard type roads. Can't even feel going over train tracks hardly. Square edged hits aren't sent up through you spine, the suspension takes those nicely. You kinda just feel like you're floating down the road. When you grab a handfull of throttle, it responds to the demand and firms up enough to put all that power to the rear wheel. We have one of the worst roads I've ridden in my life that goes to one of our favorite breweries. I mean it's terrible. It put me through the ringer every time on my cut OEM spring. I mean it was a tough road to ride down. Took the bike there yesterday and it definitely made it a LOT nicer. Not perfect, but when I tell you this road is NASTY, that's an understatement.

I won't ever ride this kit 2-up but I can imagine it would be a great ride. I still need to talk with Arnott and play with pressures because since this is a true shock, I still am not sure I'm in the sweet spot or what I'm supposed to be noticing (ie I mentioned before up to about 50 psi I didn't feel any ride height change...probably part of the reason it doesn't drop down to the bumpstop when the system is empty).

So...is this kit worth the $1550? I'd honestly say no. It's hard to justify that price with a crappy wiring kit and the fact that you can't just upgrade the switch, they just make you buy the other one outright. Is it worth the $1200 for the "standard" kit? It depends. You aren't going to find a standard air can that's going to ride like this shock. There's just no way around it. This will ride the best out of anything for our Fury's. But you pay a hefty price for it and Arnott knows that. But if you are spending the money because ride quality is your #1 priority, I'd say it's worth dropping the coin. If you like the fancy up and down with a better ride than OEM, you can build your own or purchase the other kits out there. So the Arnott comes in about $300 more expensive than the other kits on the market for the Fury. To me, ride quality alone is worth that extra money. But the premium price you pay for this kit, I expect EVERYTHING to be premium. Not just the hardware, but the wiring as well.

I can tell you though I'm going to enjoy this ride much more than in the past. I couldn't get the smile off my face yesterday. Just felt like a different bike when riding. To me, that holds more weight than being able to drop it on the fender, etc. Hopefully this provides some insight to future Fury riders that are thinking about this kit though! Ride on!

@krashDH : Thank you for another awesome writeup and repeated investment.

It sounds like the Arnott Fury Ride Kit surpasses the Bimba COL-0027011-A in ride comfort and simplicity.

Could a mechanical dial pressure gauge and hidden A-off-B toggle switch be used instead of the upgraded handlebar mount switch? ($150 for a switch and another $350 for a digital readout on the switch seems a bit imaginative)

Ya gotta try 2-up and see how the ride is, and if it'll still pump up under load. 😉 What is the PSI rating of the compressor? It seems prior air pistons needed over 100 PSI to work (partially because of the rebound pressure cancelling the main chamber pressure). This only needs 50 to 75 PSI, depending?

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Side note: I agree with the waterproof automotive connector suggestions vs. spade connectors and also your wire suggestion of silicone high-strand wire: this is a must for any setup you want to last more than two years. Poor aftermarket kit and D-I-Y wiring is the number one cause of problems I see in motorcycles.

Waterproof automotive connector kits and a professional crimp tool can be purchased on Amazon affordably. It makes wiring and servicing the bike SO MUCH EASIER! Silicone wire resists melting and abrasion so much better than inexpensive automotive wire, and is far easier to route around tight bends as in motorcycle applications.

The plastic loom is another issue; I try to avoid it in tight spaces like with the Fury and opt for flexible mesh loom. Flexible mesh isn't ideal for all situations, when it can be used it saves "a lot" of space (given there's little available space to work with).

WI_Hedgehog said:

Could a mechanical dial pressure gauge and hidden A-off-B toggle switch be used instead of the upgraded handlebar mount switch? ($150 for a switch and another $350 for a digital readout on the switch seems a bit imaginative)

Click to expand...

Absolutely. The kit comes with a nice toggle switch for the bar, just no gauge. You can mount any pressure gauge you want remotely (dial one). That's how I did it on my last 2 air rides. My motivation to not go this route was to avoid having any other pneumatic connections that could potentially leak.

WI_Hedgehog said:

Ya gotta try 2-up and see how the ride is, and if it'll still pump up under load. 😉 What is the PSI rating of the compressor? It seems prior air pistons needed over 100 PSI to work (partially because of the rebound pressure cancelling the main chamber pressure). This only needs 50 to 75 PSI, depending?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately I won't be riding 2 up. I have a single saddle now that doesn't have the option for a rear mount seat and I'm not going to swap back to the OEM seat. The gf has her own bike now so she wouldn't even want to ride on the back. But you are right, 2 up wouldn't be a problem and the way this shock is designed, 75 psi would be at the top end for a 2 up riding scenario. It's really designed to work between 10-80 ish psi for actual riding. The shock can HANDLE 200 psi and the compressor can handle 120. The gauge reads to 170. But, you would never be realistically riding anywhere close to 120 psi even for larger 2 up riders.

WI_Hedgehog said:

Side note: I agree with the waterproof automotive connector suggestions vs. spade connectors and also your wire suggestion of silicone high-strand wire: this is a must for any setup you want to last more than two years. Poor aftermarket kit and D-I-Y wiring is the number one cause of problems I see in motorcycles.

Waterproof automotive connector kits and a professional crimp tool can be purchased on Amazon affordably. It makes wiring and servicing the bike SO MUCH EASIER! Silicone wire resists melting and abrasion so much better than inexpensive automotive wire, and is far easier to route around tight bends as in motorcycle applications.

Click to expand...

As far as the wiring is concerned, there might be a time when I rip it all out and do it over completely, with high strand, flexible wires that we speak of. I'll leave the wiring as is for the handlebar switch since it's a pressure transducer plug on the end of it and that wiring just runs along the frame, swapping the relay out with a different one to use my own wiring and splicing in the high strand where I need more flex might be happening. We'll see how long it takes for me to get sick of how it's mounted in there or if I encounter any issues.

I emailed Arnott and also gave them my honest take on it, but I haven't linked this review yet.

krashDH said:

Absolutely. The kit comes with a nice toggle switch for the bar, just no gauge. You can mount any pressure gauge you want remotely (dial one). That's how I did it on my last 2 air rides.

Click to expand...

Exactly, it's from your previous projects that idea came to mind (I think it would look better too). Is it accurate to say a single-needle gauge is all that's needed, as there's not a second rebound chamber?

I have two 3-position toggle switches, one switch for compression +/- and one for damping +/-; that could in theory become 1 hidden toggle switch? Or maybe mount the Arnott buttons assembly to the frame under the tank on a custom bracket....

WI_Hedgehog said:

Exactly, it's from your previous projects that idea came to mind (I think it would look better too). Is it accurate to say a single-needle gauge is all that's needed, as there's not a second rebound chamber?

I have two 3-position toggle switches, one switch for compression +/- and one for damping +/-; that could in theory become 1 hidden toggle switch? Or maybe mount the Arnott buttons assembly to the frame under the tank on a custom bracket....

Click to expand...

I actually like the look of this where it's at rather than having the manual psi gauge dangling off the front of the frame where i had it before. Was almost impossible to see where riding. I also might 3D print a case for it that would mount more cleanly on the bars still utilizing the clutch perch hardware. It's really nice having the switch and gauge at your fingertips.

You are correct, you only need a 1 needle gauge, no second rebound chamber to monitor with this setup.

I had to go back and edit my post above for riding pressures. I sent another email to Arnott about the riding pressure and what I noticed (which I mentioned in my write up) around 45-50 psi for what I thought was a good riding pressure for 1 up and what they told me. They misunderstood and the 45-50 isn't for a monoshock design...it's for their DUAL shock designs for other bikes. So now they're saying for the monoshock, 1 up, it's between 110-150 psi. Now I have my concerns a bit because up at those pressures even that is pretty harsh and the ride height is high. PLUS, the compressor is only supposed to handle 120 psi. I'm kind of lost now because 110-150 just doesn't seem right for this design so I'm inclined to ignore their advice. It's becoming more apparent (I have been talking with them a lot) that they really don't know the specifics for this bike in particular.

I'm awaiting another email response to hopefully clear things up. I was riding right at 50 psi the other day and it felt ok. I want to measure the ride height as I increase pressure so I'll have to have the GF measure the fender to the floor to see what's what but it looks like I'm going to have to go by feel. But I don't want to risk any of the components. Once filled up though, the compressor isn't subject to any pressures since the system really isn't open all the time. It is open if you're sitting on it filling it, so If you had to air up to 170 psi the compressor is going to be subjected to that until the pressure switch closes. I guess I'm left with more q's then a's