I prefere your Fat Bob, the color is very nice, If I had to choose another bike than the Heritage, it would be without hesitation a Fat Bob, I like its modern and strong bobber look, with a Road Warrior fairing for long trips, a luggage rack and a sissy bar to secure a bag as well as a big saddlebag on the left side like the one on my Heritage, I'm sure it must be a great bike, very easy to handle and pleasant to ride in the twisties...
Funny the 2020 Fat Bob is what drew me to Harley. I've never owned a Harley until 2yrs ago. Been on Adventure bikes for most of my adult life. Still have 2 KTMs in the garage as well as the Fat Bob and LRST. I saw I guy at the local motorcycle stop (Alice's for those in the SF Bay Area) and thought WOW that thing looks tough and bad ***. That got me to walk into my first Harley dealer ever. One test ride and I was sold. The Fat Bob needed mini floorboards (Joker Machine) and risers right away. Did those and still found the bars to be too wide and low. Swapped out the drag bars for Trask Moto bars and now the fit is perfect for me. While the Bob handles great, the wind protection even with a Road Warrior is sub-par on the highway. I have a 17" Memphis shade on it now and still get blown around at 70 mph. I have a 13" and 15" as well in the garage as I've tried them all.
The LRST has MUCH better wind protection while still offering the sporty ride like the Fat Bob. The larger skinner front tire turns ins much easier than the Fat Bob as well. Which leads me back to "There is not perfect bike out of the box from any Manufacturer". They all need tweeking as all of us are different sizes, weights, arm and leg lengths, and riding abilities.
I live near some fabulous twistie moorland roads that are a mecca for bikers. In the summer it's like the TT outside my house. I was riding one of the most popular sections last summer on my LRS when a gaggle of riders on Jap and Euro nakeds came up behind me. Thought I'd have some fun with them and wound it on. They couldn't get past me because there weren't enough straights and I was holding them off coming out of the bends. Maybe they weren't the fastest of riders, and a well-ridden sports bike would have had me beat, but when we all pulled into the same meet-up point and I could see them giving my bike a double take and talking amongst themselves. They were clearly saying, hell did we just get hustled by a Harley. Good fun. The LRS surprised me tbf as I hadn't had it long. Use the torque, ride smooth and stay off the brakes and it can really cut it. And I don't like the scorcher tyres. If I had tyres that suited me better (ie more feedback) I'd have been going a lot harder.
I've had similar things happen a few times on the way to popular meet-ups. I'm bimbling along and a bunch of riders come up behind me, see they've got a Harley in front and think they'll show me how it's done. They often get a surprise. And I haven't even started modding it yet.
Exactly. Torque will generally win every time in short segments. Surprised someone has not made sporty rear sets for the softail M8s. Wouldn’t that be fun!
Well, I have had my Low Rider ST for a while now and I love the bike. I was never really happy about the ergonomics though. I love mid controls on bikes, but I have a bit of hip pain with the mids on this bike. It's not the bike's fault, it's mine.
The upper ergonomics I solved with a set of 6" up, 2" back Bung King risers which are perfect for me. The lower end, not so much. I switched from the pegs to Crossthread mini-boards which I had on my Fat Bob and got along great with. Still the same hip pain problem. I tried a set of 1" lowered pegs from China. Very slightly better, but still the same problem.
So I have been looking at putting forwards on the bike. It's not what I really want to do, but I think it will get me super comfortable for long touring days and that is what I need. I looked at the HD offerings for forward controls and it appears there are two options that fit the FXLRST. The first set is black (50700060), but they get bad reviews as the brake lever is too close in to the frame. The second set is chrome and appear to be way more comfortable (50700061). Quite why HD don't just offer both sets in both colours is beyond me.
Anyway. If I ordered the black set, I would need to replace the brake lever with a Crossthread part (as much for looks as functionality), and then I would also need to swap out the gear lever to match. And I'd also need to add a new black gear linkage to replace the spindly steel item the HD kit ships with.
If I ordered the chrome set, I would need to get it powder coated black and probably still replace the levers and linkage for the same reasons.
But today I discovered Wunderkind's forward control set. They look beautifully made in Germany, have loads of adjustment of the foot control placement by about 3" back/forward, plus the positioning for the gear and brake pedals, so seem to also do the same duty as a Green Brothers brake linkage which I wanted anyway.
The downside of course, is they are expensive. But nonetheless I ordered a set from a UK distributor and paid quite a lot less than the price on the manufacturer's website. I figure the total cost will be about the same as either one of the HD kits by the time you take things like replacing levers and gear linkages into consideration. The benefit will be the adjustability. The Wunderkind kit also comes with a replacement master cylinder for the rear brake and a new brake line, so it seems they have thought it through properly rather than just going through the "what's the minimum to get it to work" approach.
So we will see how these work out. But I am quietly optimistic. I will be sad to lose the mid controls, but if I am going to be riding hard enough that the mids make a real difference, I will probably be riding my Pan America anyway. While I do ride the Low Rider ST pretty hard, if I want to truly go ***** to the wall, the Pan is just a better bike for it.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that most Harleys typically don't fit everyone perfectly right out of the box. But there are enough OEM and aftermarket options available that you can pretty much tailor and HD to fit anyone...and you can't take any money with you when you are gone.
adm, "So I have been looking at putting forwards on the bike. It's not what I really want to do, but I think it will get me super comfortable for long touring days and that is what I need. I looked at the HD offerings for forward controls and it appears there are two options that fit the FXLRST. The first set is black (50700060), but they get bad reviews as the brake lever is too close in to the frame. The second set is chrome and appear to be way more comfortable (50700061). Quite why HD don't just offer both sets in both colours is beyond me."
i have installed the HARLEY BLACK forward controls...i totally agree with the statement above...the only dislike is how close to the bike the brake lever is (this could be an issue with my exhaust system itself), along with it being very low. the height a has a very minor adjustment, but other than a replacement arm, i would be cautious to bend the arm due to the casting breaking.
But today I discovered Wunderkind's forward control set. They look beautifully made in Germany, have loads of adjustment of the foot control placement by about 3" back/forward, plus the positioning for the gear and brake pedals, so seem to also do the same duty as a Green Brothers brake linkage which I wanted anyway.
The downside of course, is they are expensive. But nonetheless I ordered a set from a UK distributor and paid quite a lot less than the price on the manufacturer's website. I figure the total cost will be about the same as either one of the HD kits by the time you take things like replacing levers and gear linkages into consideration. The benefit will be the adjustability. The Wunderkind kit also comes with a replacement master cylinder for the rear brake and a new brake line, so it seems they have thought it through properly rather than just going through the "what's the minimum to get it to work" approach.
So we will see how these work out. But I am quietly optimistic. I will be sad to lose the mid controls, but if I am going to be riding hard enough that the mids make a real difference, I will probably be riding my Pan America anyway. While I do ride the Low Rider ST pretty hard, if I want to truly go ***** to the wall, the Pan is just a better bike for it.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that most Harleys typically don't fit everyone perfectly right out of the box. But there are enough OEM and aftermarket options available that you can pretty much tailor and HD to fit anyone...and you can't take any money with you when you are gone.
WOW Those look like a piece of art! Keep us posted on how they work out. They look great and while they are pricey, one cannot put a price on riding without pain. (Ok maybe there is a price)
So I drove an hour and a half to the dealer to test ride a 2023 Low Rider ST. I was seriously considering buying it and driving it off the floor that day, which was yesterday. I had read tons of reviews, loved the power-to-weight ratio, the fairing, the hard bags and especially the sleek looks. I loved the idea that to me it's sort of a powerful baby bagger.
Then I rode it. I hated it. I felt awkward from the moment I sat on it. When we actually got out on the street, I got gale-force wind in my face, my knees were up around my ears, my arms were stretched out to the bars like a cartoon character and the pipes - despite a stage 2 - were quiet as a church mouse. I didn't check but they were most likely Screamin' Eagle.
The sales gal who rode with me was stunned when we got back and I told her, thanks but no thanks. I would need to change the seat, the bars, the windshield and the foot controls to get comfortable. I would need an exhaust I could hear. I would have to spend a small fortune on top of the asking price, which we never even got around to discussing.
They were cool about it. No problem, they wanted me to have a bike I enjoyed riding. I'm bummed because, like I say, it is really a great-looking, performance-driven motorcycle. Just shows to go ya, better test ride before you buy.
The upside is that it gives me further proof that my M8 Heritage is the best HD - for me - in the lineup.
The sales lady rode on the back!? Or her own bike?
03-27-2023, 11:23 AM
