I love my bike. I love riding it, the feel of freedom, the air, the temp changes in the valleys.

I hate how this this critter beats up my back!

The Bike- -1988 883 Sportster Hugger. The rider- -6' tall, 34" inseam, 230 pounds, 49 years old. This is my first bike in 30 years, used to ride dirt as a kid.

I felt cramped with the mid controls, so I installed Forward foot controls. Also hated the buckhorn bars, so I installed 10" rise ape hangers- -similar rise, but wider hand angle. The buckhorns hurt my wrists.

I've tried a couple seats, haven't seen much of any difference, but I've been buying used seats to save $ if they don't work...which so far they haven't.

The forward controls have moved my riding position back, to where i'm most comfortable at a place where my tailbone is over top of the where the solo seat screw hole is. Well, seats have a hump there, so my butt goes numb.

My thigh is parallel to the ground, my hip is 90 degrees. Moving forward in the seat brings my knee up above my hip, so that don't work. It a naturally slouching position, I have to think about sitting straight up.

My lumbar is also in pain. My thinking is that sitting so far back, plus the posture, resulting in the stiff springs shoving all the force at my tailbone.

The other issue is my mid-back- -pain/soreness between the shoulder blades.

I'm going to revisit the standard controls, and see if getting my feet back under me and my body forward helps.

I've looked around youtube and the web, and really haven't found much info on ergonomics for motorcycles.

My shocks measure 12" on my hugger, and are on the stiffest setting - can I go with a longer shock with a softer setting?

Suggestions?

 

I thought the hugger was for shorter riders. Sounds like you need more room over all.

 

Yeah, I bought it right...after installing a new ignition, (after installing a late model carb which didn't fix the miss-firing problem), its running great. If I can get a bit more comfortable on it I'll be happy. I have to admit I bought it on a whim, without doing a lot of research on models, so this is what I got.

Just got a elastic back brace from Amazon, adjusted the bars front a couple inches, and took a ride - the brace definitely helps with me not slouching. Only rode for 15-20 minutes though, and I don't feel "bad" at the moment, which is good. I'll keep adjusting.

My impression is that Sporty frames are all the same, the Hugger just had shorter shocks and forks than a Standard Sportster?

 

Sounds like you need to keep checking out different seats and buy a set of air shocks, I bought mine off craigslist for $50 new.

 

I'm 5'6" with a 32" inseam , and found the bike a bit cramped.
I have a really short spine and long arms and legs for a short guy.
My first purchase was the rider backrest , I can't ride more than 20 miles without it.
The forward controls made matters worse , so I went to mids.
Then the pegs were too close to the seat , so I got a Badlander seat , it's about 1" taller than stock.
Replaced the handlebars with Roadster bars to get my hands apart and closer to me.
Most all these things were to find a comfy position because of Spinal Stenosis.
Longer forks 2" longer , and 13" shocks helped a bunch too.
Pain between the shoulders is usually a bad arm/shoulder/upper back position.
It's all trial and error , but it's worth it when you get it right.
Mick

 

My hugger started out pretty cramped as well, I'm 6'4''. 6 inch risers and 14" apes work well. My forwards I built myself, they're about 6'' over stock, and any longer and my boots would rub the tire. I tend to slouch too, but when I go on long rides, I have an air cushion for the seat, and I strap a duffel bag full of clothes against the sissy bar and use it to recline against. I also moved the bars back towards me to force me to sit straight while I ride. Taken quite a few overnight trips and a couple week long rides. It's still a sportster though, mostly meant for bar hopping, poker runs, but you can make it work to tour occasionally

 

I have a 00 hugger and I am 6' 1" and 175lbs... the fix for me was as easy as
buying a used set of hd touring air shocks... no more back pain.. and you can get them for cheap on ebay...I use zero air in them, but you may find you need to add a little air as you are heavier than I am... if you decide to get them you will need to use a few washers to space them away from the fender, but other wise they just go on fine... they come in different lengths and you might want to get some off of a roadking classic as they are a little shorter (/I think 13") ... you may find you need to replace the jiffy stand if you get the longer ones...

 

Trade it for a big twin is the easiest thing to do. My wife had a hugger and I put forward controls on it, a windshield and bags. While she was in the hospital 63 miles away I rode it back and forth a few times. It wasn't bad but, too small for a guy 6'2. She has a sporty now with mini-apes, a batwing, touring seat, forward controls, hard bags, etc.. Much more agreeable to ride. With that said I can spend all day on my electraglide without any suffering. I've had three sporties and they were not designed to be touring bikes for big guys. I love a sporty for what it's intended to do, be sporty.