I love mine, but still have the thoughts of a Street Bob dwelling. I will more than likely end up keeping the Nightster to play with and get a Street Glide or Electra Glide Standard, best of both worlds. With my current set up, I am getting about 30-34mpg in the city and the one highway trip I ran got me 44mpg which is better than my 29 city and 34 highway before getting it custom MAP'd.

 

I have an 08' which i love because here in So Cal you have to agile to avoid all the crazy cagers. i ride it semi aggressively, and get about 40MPG. the bike is quick as hell (smoked by buddies V-star1300 easy) but if you want a comfortable bike, this isn't really it. IMO i think it is kind of radical, due to it's quickness and lack of suspension travel. not to mention you feel everything in the road, but that's what makes it so awesome- it's feels so raw! granted, you can get a new seat and shocks, but i can't see that changing the bike too much.

i use mine mainly for commuting which is perfect. Plus you get looks everywhere you go, which is also very gratifying.

 

Haha based on the points I underlined from your quote, it sounds exactly like what I want! You also have to look at it this way, I'm a sport bike rider, you cant get much more raw than a race replica bike. The suspension is very stiff, I can feel the paint marks on the ground as I ride over them. It seems like the Nightster gets similar gas mileage to my bike and will probably have a similar suspension feel, but since it's a cruiser I'm sure it will still be far more comfortabe than what I'm used to. Of course, handling will be completely different, and probably way better at low speeds but a little bit slower at cruising speeds, which I'm okay with.

Thanks for the input everyone, I'll probably try to go test ride one soon.

 

gpon, I can from a Honda CBR 600RR for the same reasons you did (to fast and to many close calls) and the seating position is a whole more comfortable than the Honda, but the one thing you might want to look into is atleast a new seat, the stocker is a killer!

 

What sort of/specific seat would you recommend rdss? What have you put on yours? What can be done about the suspension? Oil pressure, springs, whole new shocks?

I plan on using mine as my every single day commuter. And since my work affords me 4 day weekends once a month, I'd love to take it on a long road trip through the BC interior. What's going to make it a bit more comfortable for a long haul like that?

Thanks for the info so far (even though its not directed towards me).

 

I have an '08 Nightster - my first bike. I bought it late June and have about 3100 miles on it. What everyone is saying is correct. You do feel the road, but that's kind of nice. I probably need to try another seat - I don't find the stock very comfortable. My mileage appears to be much better than most - never less than 47 and upwards of 51+. I don't know why..........especially since I think I keep the revs up pretty high, or at least the bike likes to run pretty high rpms. 30 mph in 2nd, 30 to 45 in 3rd, 45 to 60 in 4th, and 60+ in 5th. I do find that the bike kind of washes out sometimes on hard turns - it almost feels almost like the bike is floating and not settling down. Not a very comfortable feeling. But, honestly, I think it might be the rider, not the bike. I think I don't keep a constant throttle when I'm in a hard turn. I've asked a couple of local independent shops about a fix, and they suggested a fork stabilizer. I'm going to give it a shot. But, I think if I improve my technique, that will help alot more.......just my thoughts.

 

I think the guys at the HD showroom would love to help convert you to a Harley rider. I bought mine in February and have ridden it almost every day since. I've made several mods by myself and still get an average of 46 mpg. The bike is very easy to work on. Easier than any of the import bikes I've owned. I haven't spent a whole lot on mods and the bike is pretty fast. It does have a tendency to drag the ground when you push it. Sometimes I have to remember that it's not a sport bike, because it does handle really well except for the ground clearance.