Maintenence questions

I`ve always relied on my motorcycle mechanic to keep my bikes in tip top safe riding condition but I do end up with some naging questions that I hate bothering my mechanic about ...again or It`s stuff I think I should know by now .That said , Ive switched from riding a Valkyrie to an 1800 VTX .A couple of summers ago I had a strange experience , I was traveling overloaded and my front forks sank down to the knocks ,so for the first time I had to end my bike trip with my bike in the back of the pick-up .The mechanic inserted heavier springs and that seemed to do it but now when I`m sitting on the bike with no extra gear the forks sink to 3 inches from the knocks .Is this OK or is somthing going on with those forks again ? Question # 2  Its hard getting used to a V-twin ,I mean the way it sounds and sometimes I`m not sure how the best way to take care of my engine ie.when to shift , when to down shift .I`m used to letting my engine tell me when to shift by how the revs sound and my bikes have never let me down ,but the twin realy pops when you follow the manufacturers recomendations .Any thoughts on this ?  

1) Bother your mechanic. You ride, he fixes. If you don't tell him what you're doing, you're making his job harder
2) If your front end is sinking, it's likely the springs are failing. Progressive makes good springs for the front (great rear units too). I'd  also look, and weigh what you're carrying, people, and gear. I suspect the Valkyrie was set up to carry heavier loads, and the VTX is just rebelling about what you're putting on.  

Cruisers are designed to carry almost all added weight on the rear wheel. The front end is flimsy and flexy, compared to other designs. If you take the trouble to strip your VTX down to a naked bike and put a bathroom scale under the front tire, you'll probably find the front axle is only carrying about 225 pounds and with a 200 pound rider sitting on the seat it'll only increase by about 50 pounds. A passenger doesn't add to the front end weight at all.

The MSF teaches that the best place to add weight is on the tank, as close to the seat as you can get it. That comes from standard bike design, not a cruiser like the VTX.

Did you add a windshield to your VTX? If so, you can expect to much stronger springs to hold the front end up when the windstream pushes the windshield down on the front end, at highway speeds.

regards,
Joe
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So many people rush through life, like it's a race from the womb to the grave. Personally, I'm in no hurry to reach the finish line, so I'll just take my time and let the rest of you go ahead of me.