Well I’ve done it! After a false start with the dealer (I was meant to pick her up the weekend before last but they hadn’t finished fitting the extras), I finally rode away on my first brand new vehicle of any type! Took for a 400km ride around the edges of Sydney and apart from needing a couple of inches on my arm and legs absolutely love her! Just as importantly I took my partner Jen for a shorter ride on the Sunday and she was happy as well.

First impressions (bearing in mind I have upgraded from a Honda 750 Shadow);

1.Higher off the ground. I trialled the Reach seat which gave me a little more ground contact but still not flat both sides (I’m 5’ 7” with a 28” inseam). Ended up settling on the Sundowner seat and short shocks given that I really wanted the setup for long distance comfort, not city stop/start. Particularly wanted the most comfortable seat for Jen as this means I get to go further in a day. With Jen on the back I am “okay” with my foot plant. I expect that over time I will become more relaxed and comfortable with this. I’m also thinking I can have a bit of foam taken out of the front of the seat to bring my legs closer in?

2.The saddlebag Comfort bars are a must for short pillions. The original bars were very uncomfortable for Jen; the new ones don’t interfere at all.

3.Hot. Even though I knew it was so, I was still a little surprised how hot the primary drive casing gets. Made it even harder when I put my left foot down because I had to hold my calf off the cover. Jen reported she could feel the heat even when we were moving, although I can’t say I particularly did.

4.I felt like I was leaning forward to reach the bars. I am going to try rolling them up a little to see if it makes any difference, otherwise it’s back to the P&A book for reduced reach bars. On this point – does anyone know if the little cover above the steering lock comes off to expose at least two of the clamp bolts or do I have to take the entire headlight cowling off?

5.Note to self - be very careful backing into the kerb. I parked the bike outside a shop at a 45deg rear- in angle and rolled back until the tyre touched the kerb. Put her on the side stand and hopped off. As I was walking away I looked back to admire the beast and realised the left muffler was more or less touching the top of the kerb stone (don’t forget we ride on the left over here J ). Was pretty dirty on myself thinking I had scrapped my pipe on the first day out but the angels were with me - I must have missed by a hair.

6.Had a lot of trouble backing her up. This was partly because of the lack of ground contact due to short legs but more so because the pillion floorboards were stopping me from moving my feet back far enough. They also dug into my calves when I put my foot down at a stop. Does anyone else have this problem or again, is it just me and my short legs?

Overall, happy as a pig in sh*t!!

 

Welcome, the shorter legs may have a little to do with backing up the bike but it may be easier to have the lady jump off before you do and raise her boards up so they don't get in the way makes it easier to back up also, just a thought, Btw thats a good looking bike you have there and congrats!

 

........ my, that is a pretty Blue !
.... ride'r safe .

 

Beautiful bike! Yeh, the passenger footboards can get in the way when pushing the bike back. You'll get used to that. Your muscles will develop and soon you will hardly notice it. In fact, you may even end up using the passenger footboards for leverage as I sometimes need to.

When stopping, you will learn that you can't let your full weight on the legs until the bike has stopped completely, or let it roll on take off without lifting the foot off the pavement.

As for the seat, they can be modified as you said, but not sure how much can be taken off the side on that particular seat myself.

Also, there are heat shields which can help keep the heat away from the legs. You've been on the forums a while now, so you've no doubt seen the threads explaining the need for a fuel management system to help aleviate heat issues. Would be a good idea to start thinking about A/C and exhaust mods to go along with that.

Kinda sux havin to do all these mods to a new bike, but as you prolly know already, the bike, you, and your lady will appreciate the difference!

Bein from the US I can't relate to the leftside curb thing, but that should also change with use. Happy ridin!

 

You bought my bike! Enjoy your new ride ,you'll get used to it very quickly .

 

Yes, the trim piece above the steering lock pries off exposing the allen head bolts for handlebar adjustment. The Road King stock handlebars are notoriously uncomfortable. There are plenty of posts here about alternatives.

Congratulations on a beautiful ride.

 

from Memphis Shades. makes one heck of a difference on the highway too.
Enjoy your ride. I love the Flame Blue pearl.

 

Being almost your same stature, I recommend the Khromewerks +2 sweeper bars. I have tried the RK high bars, and rode with them for almost 2 years until I got the Khromewerks.They are a perfect fit and require no changes to your king.

Nice bike!

 

Short arms or short handlebars are inherited traits of Road King for some reason. We very seldom hear complaints about tall people with long arms have to get shorter handlebars. It's probably the single most common complaint with Kings.

 

Bugger! If this post show up 3 times, I'm sorry.

This will help with #3.
http://www.rjsoriginals.com/