Hello all,

This is probably a newb question, but I will ask anyway. I am new to riding alltogether and I picked for my first bike a 06 Night Train. I just fell in love with the looks and style of it. Here is my question, I just went for my first extended ride (at least for me) about 2 hours straight. When I got home I was ready to get off that bike, I was getting real uncomfortable. My buddy (also new to riding) bought himself an 07 RK custom, and he said that he has no comfort issues. Will I just get used to riding for long periods over time, or should I look into getting a different type of bike?

Thanks for your time.

 

Sounds like you were just saddle sore. Should get better the more you get used to your bike. Comparing the Roadking to a Softail is like comparing apples to oranges. All together different type of ride. Give it a few miles before you switch bikes.

 

I went for a 4 hour run yesterday on my new Night Train.I was at a disadvantage by starting off with a sore butt from a bone biopsy, but the only problem I had was that there is not much room to move my legs around. I'm thinking about looking into whether foot boards can be added. I have been on rides several days long on hardtail bikes, and I can tell you that the human body gets used to some pretty uncomfortable things pretty quickly. I bet if you took the same ride again tomorrow, you would find the discomfort level noticably less. Do it a couple of more times and you will find that you are perfectly adjusted to your bike and wouldn't even think of wanting something different.

 

You could try getting some mid mout pegs so you can change your foot position, some wider pegs so that you have more room to move your feet around, possible a better seat (corbin, mustang, ect.) or look at some different style drag bars with some pull back so you can sit more upright instad of bent over with the strait bars that come stock. Just some sugestions.

Chris

 

Don't give up on the Nightrain, a softer better fitting seat,more pull back on the bars, and even floor boards from a Fatboywould all make a big difference in long range riding comfort. But before I spent any moneyIwould ride it a while till you figure out first if you really need something, then figure out whichpart or parts will get you the most mileage for your buck.
A Nightrain wouldn't be my first choice for a long distancebike, but its one of the sweetest lookers that Harley makes. So Iwouldn't be all that hopped up to go out after only one long ride to buy a different bike. Give it some time, there's a fair chance that it and you just need a little break in time together.

 

Thanks for all the great feedback. I have had the bike since March and have put about 1600 miles on it, just not very many trips yet. Mostly riding around town, stop and go stuff. I think my biggest discomfort is not being able to move my feet around. Hopefully I will adjust in time to sitting like that for longer periods of time. Either that or I will just have to pull over and walk around every hour or so.

Mike.

 

I do that all the time and by NT standards my Custom is a Lazy-Boy recliner. I ALWAYS break longer trips up into shorter hops. Its just not very smart to ride too long at a clip. You tend to loose your concentration and start thinking about your comfort instead of the cars and trucks around you, and that my friend is an invitation to disaster.

 

You might also look at the Kuryakin pegs with the stirrups on them. Had leg comfort issues on my old Wideglide and they did wonders. Also, I don't know how tall you are, but if you are above average height you may want to look at an extended forward control kit for some extra leg room.

 

I had all sorts of back pain from my factory seat. Once I got that off and into a Mustang seat with backrest, I can ride for hours without the nagging back pain that I'd feel after 30 minutes of riding on the factory seat. Adding a crashbar and highway pegs also helps to stretch out your legs and have more riding postions always helps with your lower extremity blood circulation.

I would suggest going to a shop that actually fits you to the bike. Not everyone can ride comfortably what comes off the factory floor. Much like buying a high end bicycle - the shop always fits the bike to you, rather than using some generic fit from someone at the factory.



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Just a couple suggestions. If you're 6' or taller, get some extensions for your controls. Moving them out 2 or 3 inches makes a world of difference. Second, consider changing the bars/risers. Get something that will come back more to you. If you fell in love with the look of the 'Train to begin with, look to a set of pullback drag bars. Thrid, get rid of that stock seat. It's terrible. If money allows, consider something with a gel insert in it. I have all three of these mods (and a few more!) on mine. It rides totally different than when it was stock. Much more comfortable. Good luck.
Joey