Is it possible to put an adjustable and lockable 2" offset to the pegs to either bring the mid pegs forward a little, or to bring the forward controls back a little, such as iscommon on highway mounts? Refabricating the shifter and brake linkages would be necessary, and there must not be any danger of the offsets pivoting or breakingfrom the full weight of the rider under stress. But I'm wondering if it can be done safely? Would thecrankcase or pipes be in in the way of this? Can someone tell me why this is a bad idea?

Teek

 

Apologies to those who find me harsh and unimaginative, but the mid controls are one reason why I like the Sportster xl. I also prefer the tall stance of the bike. To each his own.

 

If you are 5'3 1/2", have you riddenfor any distanceon a bike that had forward controls? Being stretched out for distances can be as bad as being cramped IMO. I got the frame mounted highway pegs to allow me to change positions. That, to me, was a much better option than having forward controls.

 

Thanks to all for your comments. Actually, this weekend I got to sit on (not ride, though) an 883 Custom that a new club chapter member has and it has the forward controls. I liked the feel, so I'm going to have them put on my XL883 Low. One problem I have, and I'm sure it's because Iam still relatively inexperienced,is thatwe ride in a lot of twisty turnies in the Green Mountains,and although I have the highway pegs, I am more comfortable having my feet right near my controls, and so I find I have my feet on the regular pegs,not the highway pegs, and I am getting serious cramps in my right leg. (I never used to on my old bike which I won't mention here because it was a JAP bike).

As for why I wouldn't know the Custom comes with Forward controls 1) they didn't have one at the dealer, and I didn't even know I was going to buy a new bike that day, 2) the seat is higher on the Custom and I need to be as low as possible, 3) the Custom is more expensive and I wasn't even sure I'd pass the credit check on the cheapest bike. If those aren't good enough reasons, well TS, I guess I'm just dumb.

 

Anything is possible but to try to make your own controls would be a real chore and you had better have access to a machine shop and know what your doing.
I recently swapped out my forward controls for mid controls and then switched them back again, I was trying to make the wife more comfortable when she rides it. There isn't much room to work around the stock pipes (2005 1200 Custom) but if you had aftermarket units you may have more options. Maybe you could find some adjustable highway pegs and figure out some way to adapt them to work, but like you said modifying the controls would be a necessity not to mentionthose are pretty spendy, especially if you have to hack on them and then they don't work...Good luck!

 

forward controls on customs that come stock are not as stretched out as mine. i added forward controls and i get alot more room to stretch, riding a custom makes me feel all cramped up even with the forward controls.

 

Looking to get my first Sportster (from small Jap training bike) and I was wondering how well do forward controls work in tight turning and city riding (lots of stop/start/feet down/shift). Seems like they would be a dream for cruising.

Has anyone taken a Roadster or Nightster and added highway pegs? Thoughts on this idea? Does this get me the best of both worlds or is this simply a bad idea?

Thanks

 

Twists and turns with forward controls is not an issue at all. I am 5'-6" for the record. Even at my height I sometimes wish the controls were just an inch or so longer. Had mine not come with the forward controls, it would have proably been my first change.

troutspinner

 

Perch - if you have a standard 883L, you have mids. A female friend of mine is 5'1" and she wanted a C rather than an L but couldn't reach the forwards comfortably, so she had the stealer move the controls to mid before taking delivery of the C. You're probably just tall enough for forwards, but it might still be a bit of a stretch for you. If your mids are comfortable for you, stick with them.

On the other hand, I'm 5'11" and I would like to move my forwards more forward. I road my bud's R this weekend and I felt really uncomfortable with the mids. Before I got my C I was slightly worried about the forwards and was concerned that I wouldn't be comfortable, but now I can't imagine owning another bike with mids. Where the forwards feel really natural and comfortable to me, the mids just feel completely unnatural and cramped now.

 

SS and TS - thanks. Your comments are helping me feel more comfortable about forward controls.

Rich