Motorcycle Repair: Front forks, air ride, flh

Question
I have a friend with a 85 FLH. He took off the front air ride stuff. Now the bike slams when he hits bumps, no pre-load anymore. The front end is really stiff, very hard to bounce when holding the front brake, do you know if you have to change the springs when eliminating the air-ride? He thought he had no fluid in it and wanted me to put in new seals and fluid. When I drained it, it had 8 oz in each side (correct amount) and no indication of leaking. All the parts looked new. I put it back together and told him to ask around about the ramifications of eliminating the air-ride. I couldn't figure it out. Got any suggestions?

Answer
The air in the forks help take care of the still ride. removing it has changed the ride. You have nothing there to keep it from slamming when you hit a bump. My best suggestion would be to put the air ride back in or you will never get it to ride right.