Hey guys, wanted to introduce myself as the newest member to the squadron. Just picked up my '13 in denim black last saturday and while I've ridden many harleys, this is the first one I've owned and by far my favorite of all the ones I've ridden. What an amazing machine...so effortless in the curves for a 700lb hunk of steel. Been riding an old metric for many years, and there is no comparison.

I've got a long list of mods, starting with a Supertrapp supermeg 2-1, heavy breather and power vision, all on order. Bought the SE clutch spring from HD today and already have the burly lite clutch hardware...going to install both of those at the 1000mi oil change.

One thing I was wanting some advice on...the long reach to the handlebars and forward controls. I'm 6' tall, but have some lower back issues and noticed after an hour on the highway that the stance is a little hard on the lower back. I can't decide whether I need to bring the footpegs closer, handlebar higher and closer, or get a lower/closer seat...or all of the above. I want to raise the bars regardless, but have not found taller risers for a 1.25" bar. Any advice on dealing with the long reach? I love this bike's setup, but also want to be able to ride for several hours at a time.

 

The forward controls are whats hurting your back. I put mid pegs without the controls to rest my feet and take some weight off my bum. as an added bounus the mids help stunt a lot easier.
I also cut out my seat to fit my tail bone. Basically now Im sitting on my **** instead of my spine. I also took about two inches out to set me more rearward.
T-bars are greeat to get added reach. Ive got 10 inch drag bar and 1.5 extenders.
I'm 6-2 and very cumfy on long rides

 

Hey, I'm 6"1 and I had some problems with the fat bob aswell. I had problems between my shoulderblades and lower back due to the low and narrow dragbars on trips over 4h.
and the solution for me was change seat to a more comfortable one, and install higher and wider steering wheele. AKA Ape-hanger

Under now condition you should get mid controls imo. They move the problem to your hips and knees because you are to tall for em. Check out my pics btw (I also have a supertrapp 2-1 installed )

 

Glad to hear you like your new scoot.They do handle nicely.N-gin probably told you the easiest way without changing out the bars.Gotta love the bike though.

 

Funny, that's exactly what I was thinking about doing. Don't want mid controls, just mid pegs to put feet on during a long ride.

As far as the seat, the stock one allows me to go pretty far rearward, which I think is the problem. Need more lower back support and maybe to be pushed forward more.

 

Great lookin Bob! I prefer drag bars to apes, but I definitely want to raise mine so that my arms will basically be straight and parallel to the ground instead of reaching down.

What seat did you get? I want a 2-up seat but would like a more comfortable one.

 

New member of the Squadron, I picked up a 2010 Black Denim with only 1870 miles on it. And have had some fun on it. Learned some lessons as well.
Be wary when you get older. Damn it's easy to convince yourself that you can do something. Thought I'd ride home on a nice but chilly day. Nope. Was turning around to head back to the dealer to explore other options to head home. Made a classic mistake, grabbed the front brake while almost stopped in a turn. Got a little road rash, and a scuffed tank to remind me. I'm planning on taking a MSF course here in a couple of weeks, but I'm taking it slow don't want to do anymore damage to me or the bike.

I do have a couple of questions. The only issue with the bike when I got it was some grey "overspray" that makes it look like the bike was driven through a path of wet paint. Any thoughts on how to remove it safely?
Where is a good source for black turn signals, either HD or Dot Legal aftermarket. See lots of stuff labeled not Dot....

 

Not sure I can help on the "overspray" issue since it depends on what it actually is. If it's actually paint, not sure there's anything you can do except repaint it.

As far as the turn signals, I just installed the HD smoked turn signal lenses (P/N 69304-02) and they look so much better, especially on the black denim. The kit was around $40 and includes all 4 lenses and 4 yellow bulbs. 5 minutes to install.

 

Anybody know some good, taller risers for the 1.25" bar? Preferably black.

 

Thanks, I'll look into that when I go to have the fork lock replaced in a couple of weeks.