I am looking to get a bike sometime in the near future. I would love to get a HD, but one of the only ones that stand out to me is the Nightster. The problem is I am 6'-4" and I would be riding it daily 38 miles one way to work. My concern is that even with the forward controls that I will be too tall for it. The first and last bike I had was an '02 R6, my ex-wife got it in the divorce and totalled it with in 2.5 months. I loved riding as much as possible plus the gas milage is a HUGE plus right now, LOL! Any comments would be great!

Thanks

Trae

 

I'm 6'4 myself and I find the sportster very comfortable with the forward controls. If you plan on long trips you might want to think about highway bars but if you are just considering it for commuting you should be fine with the forward controls. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions.

 

I'm 6'5" and I sat on the Nightster when I was looking into buying a new bike, personally I think it was uncomfortable because my knees were way up even if it had fwd controls, the Nightster I sat on had hwy pegs and I tried them out and even with that it was obvious I was trying to squeeze onto the bike. The Nightster is off the 883L frame if I recall so it sits quite low and our long legs have to bunch up a lot.

After accepting that I wouldnt fit right on the Nightster I bought an 883R in Black which sits ~3" taller stock and I jacked it up to notch 5 on the suspension. Imo the 883R is more "raw" looking than the Nightster anyhow...

Here's a pic of my black R:


[IMG]local://upfiles/29782/00916203C0B6405B886521592E17B89D.jpg[/IMG]

I added a Brawler solo seat and black crash bars that aren't in the picture.

 

I am 5'9", the Roadster fits me perfect. At 6'4" I would recomend you look at a Softail. You can rent a bike to try, or check with your dealer. They will have a demo day and you can ride all the models for free then make your decision.

 

i am 6'4 and tried a neighbors sporty last year. knees were way to high and sat to low for my liking. I felt like a monkeyhumping a football on it!

I opt'd for the EG instead at that time

to each his own! but that bike was not my cup of tea

 

I am 6'2 and I have a 883custom with the forward controls and drag bars it was the most comfortable of the sportsters for me, the nightster was way cramped. The neighbor is my height and he just picked up a dyna wideglide, a much more roomy machine for someone taller.

 

I'm 5'10 and have an 05 1200 C. For me, the forwards could actually be a little further forward. For your height I would really suggest checking out the different Softail models.

 

I'm 6'2" (33/34 inch inseam), and the forward controls that were on my 2005 1200C weren't too bad, but I did have plans to fabricate some 2 to 3 inch extensions. I did feel a little cramped, and usually rode with my heels resting on top of the pegs.

The forward controls on the 'pre 2004' models were placed in a more forward position, but for some reason Harley moved the pegs closer to the rider on the newer models.

You might be able to get more of a comparison from the pictures below, showing the 1200C I owned and my 100th Anniversity Softail Fatboy.

As you can see, the forward controls on the 1200C are really positioned that far "forward", as don't even provide as much legroom as the floorboards on the Softail.

I would imagine that a person with an inseam of 32" or less would be perfectly comfortable with the Sportster forward controls, but if your inseam is longer you might want to consider some type of extensions, or highway cruise arms/bars.

 

I never noticed it before, but it looks likethe the mid control pegs on the sportsters and the forward control pegs are not that far apart on the different models( I thought the forward was more forward). By looking at OFGs picture I would guess the forward control is about 6 inchsmore forward then the mid controls on the other models.

 

I am 6-3 with a measurement of 34 inseam. I like the fit of my sportster. I have a 1200c