time for lady to move up
- Thread starter ridemywg
- Start date
maine-e-axe
Junior Member
My wife learned on forward controls on the S/B and she loves them.:s
ridemywg
Member
to fit mids is not an problem you need to get the controls obviously but here comes the expense - inner and outer primary cases to allow the shifter to travel thru, and the associated gaskets and seals
Best way is to find some one looking to convert to forwards and swap, they have your cases and controls and you have theirs then they get a nicely sealled set instead of just pluging the holes and you get a holey set for mids
Thanks for reply , I guess I will have to think about this.
One thing about Harleys is the aftermarket is a pretty large stage with plenty of innovations to get exactly what you need. All it takes is money and time. Take it from a Sport-BIKE rider in days past, finding forward or rearsets for a given setup was much easier for the Metric crowd to have performance and strength for a wide variety of applications.
May have to do Internet and Motorcyle Shows to find vendors, but it is likely they may be had in a variety of styles...with articulating linkage (to retain the conventional upshift downshift pattern and ergos while matching peg or floorboard mounting style...HD riders are pretty picky so finding your exact style...alloy or steel, chrome, black etc. is where the hunting gets tricky...:newsmile093: but personalization is just part of HD ownership most of us enjoy.
You know, I wasn't going to post here since a lot of people have said what I was thinking about looking at the softails or the dyna lowrider. However, I will say that the best advice I received when I was looking came from some friends and they told me, 'We know you, don't get a sporty. You will be done with it in less than 3 months, and that is probably a month and a half longer than reality'.
So, with that being said, if your wife is pretty comfortable on 2 wheels, I agree that looking at the bigger bikes will be the best route so that you aren't looking again in a few months.
These bikes have a lower center of gravity in many cases, and the lowrider was at around 25" high or so. I know I was really surprised at the ride on my brother's superglide. I don't know why, I guess because I really liked my bike.
Best of luck!
So, with that being said, if your wife is pretty comfortable on 2 wheels, I agree that looking at the bigger bikes will be the best route so that you aren't looking again in a few months.
These bikes have a lower center of gravity in many cases, and the lowrider was at around 25" high or so. I know I was really surprised at the ride on my brother's superglide. I don't know why, I guess because I really liked my bike.
Best of luck!
whatyardwork
Banned
My wife has been riding for 7 years now.She started on a Honda Shadow Ace 750.Ive gone through multiple seasons of seeking the perfect Harley for a 5 7" female.
I would recomend the softail Deluxe.After watching her graduate to my Springer softail and now she has her own streetglide.We have come to the conclusion the softail is hands down the best choice of the big bikes for her.
The Dynas ride high like her Shadow, but at nearly 200lbs. heavier you realy feel it.The tourers you add another 130 or so to that.The softails sit lower.The weight is much more managable.Ive watched her try to manuever both the streetglide and softail around the garage.Basicaly I need to move the streetglide yet she wips the softail around like its a toy.
She recently asked me when HD is coming out with a Road Queen.I told her they already have, they just call it the "Deluxe".
I would recomend the softail Deluxe.After watching her graduate to my Springer softail and now she has her own streetglide.We have come to the conclusion the softail is hands down the best choice of the big bikes for her.
The Dynas ride high like her Shadow, but at nearly 200lbs. heavier you realy feel it.The tourers you add another 130 or so to that.The softails sit lower.The weight is much more managable.Ive watched her try to manuever both the streetglide and softail around the garage.Basicaly I need to move the streetglide yet she wips the softail around like its a toy.
She recently asked me when HD is coming out with a Road Queen.I told her they already have, they just call it the "Deluxe".
ridemywg
Member
I think what concerns me most with her riding is her loosing it in a stanind corner you know like if she goes to start off and stalls on a lean and it starts going over. The way I taught her was to never put only one foot down at stops and when starting keep both feet down until she's rolling, in the course she went to the guy taught her to always start with one foot up on the shifter although I could never figure out why if your already in first from the stop
Riding basics and unfortunately some bad habits can be picked up and hard to dismiss. Typically your foot should be covering the footbrake when you stop and your right foot pressing the pedal and when stopped the left foot holds the bike up...such is the way of a supposed routine stop regarding the feet. Don't know what the right foot being down on the ground or "duck landings" with both feet down and bike is still moving...NOT a good thing. What? forward controls an excuse for improper stops? Don't think so...!
Bike control placement has not changed much in the past 20 years...yeah the racers may "flip" the shift pattern but that is by design...and certainly has caught new racers unaware, but on a Harley not a problem! Heel and toe shifting, same thing, controls may change, but the rider bad habits are generally developed over time, not a function of your choice of bike. While mid position controls are easier to use (being closer to the center of gravity) over rough roads, as the rider is able to weight or stand on the pegs with knees together and leaning forward for better control...but forward controls are a comfort and looks thing...hard to deny it. I have many foot positions mids, forward controls and highway pegs all for control, comfort and long term superslab comfort.
Bike control placement has not changed much in the past 20 years...yeah the racers may "flip" the shift pattern but that is by design...and certainly has caught new racers unaware, but on a Harley not a problem! Heel and toe shifting, same thing, controls may change, but the rider bad habits are generally developed over time, not a function of your choice of bike. While mid position controls are easier to use (being closer to the center of gravity) over rough roads, as the rider is able to weight or stand on the pegs with knees together and leaning forward for better control...but forward controls are a comfort and looks thing...hard to deny it. I have many foot positions mids, forward controls and highway pegs all for control, comfort and long term superslab comfort.
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I am 5'7" and am quite comfortable on my deuce and my husband's egc. My arms are long enough that most women's long sleeve shirts don't fit right. :s I really haven't had any problems with fit. I was pretty cautious with the bike, getting more comfortable, but nowhere near as comfortable as my husband judging from his lean angles.