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At least not as I expected. I'm 5'8", 31 inseam, 175lbs. I took my first long trip on my new (to me) RK, 160 mi with a break in the middle. Missus on the back, she's 5'4" about 180lbs. My right hand went numb multiple times, my feet/boots kept sliding forward on the peg platforms and every time I'd slow down my wife would end up half way into my seat. Also, her head is about 2 inches above mine and that is just horrible lol
The previous owner lowered the bike, rear and front. I see he put Legend shocks in the rear (I believe Legend REVO-A Adjustable Shocks 13") but I have no idea what's in the front. He seemed about 5'7". So yeah I need a different seat -narrower and higher for me, and slightly wider and maybe lower for her too. I mean who would've thought that I need higher seat on a RK.
My first thought is how long have you been riding? You have to adapt to things. Both you and your passenger. What boots or shoes are wearing? Maybe try something with a more aggressive tread so your feet don't slide. Also when slowing or stopping your wife needs to bear down with her feet to keep her back against the backrest. And you probably need to ease into those stops a little slower just for her if possible.
As for your hand going numb, do you have a deathgrip going on? Do your gloves fit properly? Look into the paddle type "throttle rockers". They allow you to relax your grip and just roll throttle using your palm.
Now for the seating height problem. That's the way it is in most cases. Since the passenger basically sits higher over the rear fender and needs a pillow seat she'll be higher. If you take away her cushion she's not going to be happy. But there are lots of aftermarket seats out there. We like Mustang ourselves. But you can look around. Lots will tell you to visit the used bikes at the dealerships to see if there's something you like to copy before buying. Hope I covered it for you.
Many dealers have a seat loaner program. Give them a credit card to cover the seat if you damage it, and off you go. Try as many as they have.
Second, Sit on the cycle and with your eyes closed reach up to where you feel natural with the bars. It may be as simple as loosening the bar clamps and rolling the bars a bit forward or back.
Third, do you slouch while riding? When I do that, my neck hurts and once in awhile my fingers tingle. That's a spine/posture issue. Just something to think on.
Are you sure the seat hasn't been treated with something? First good ride with a new seat or after I've treated the leather in my, my wife slides around a bit. Once things break in a bit she's fine.
Hand numbness can be a lot of different things but don't discount "new bike jitters". Everything is a bit more tense the first few rides. It's even a bit different after getting the bike out of storage in the spring.
Give yourselves some time to get used to the quirks of the bike before you start making changes
Bringing the handlebars closer is what I'm thinking. I know it's different but with my Sportster I can lean forward or sit back and have a way of finding comfort. I've done 2 hours trips on it and while at 70mph the handlebars shake like crazy, I never ever had my hand going numb.
On the RK - I believe you're supposed to look through the clear shield so I probably slouch and when I do that yeah I can see problems. That's the other issues I'm struggling with - the windshield. When riding locally I remove it but for the highway it's useful. To me it destorts the light, making objects look smaller and farther than they are. So do you look through it or above it?
It comes down to the seat - my butt's small and the seat is just too wide. I don't hear any objections on getting higher seat?
That's the other issues I'm struggling with - the windshield. When riding locally I remove it but for the highway it's useful. To me it destorts the light, making objects look smaller and farther than they are. So do you look through it or above it?
Generally speaking, the top of the windshield should be 2" below the tip of your nose. I have no problem looking through my shield.
You can trim the stock shield lower. You can also go to the dealer and try demo shields. Same as seats.
The front foot boards front mounting hole is shaped like a figure 8. If the front mounting bolts are now NOT in the upper hole, you might try changing the angle of the foot boards by raising the front mount. What was your previous bike? I see you are in Illinois. Parts of the state will have big bugs, Think carefully before cutting down the top of your windshield. I prefer the bug protection of a windshield that I look through, not over. The bigger the bug, the less it will be deflected by the air flow over the windshield. Not much can be done about how high your wife sits, she is pretty much on top of the rear wheel and you are between the wheels and sit much lower.
Generally speaking, the top of the windshield should be 2" below the tip of your nose.
Yeah that's not the case. If anything, the windshield is right at the level of my nose if not an inch higher. Everything points to needing a higher seat for me and probably the handlebars tilted my way a bit
You either look all the way through the windshield or just over. Me it depends what time of year for me. You might want to get a shield like a recurve that is just low enough to look over to start . It helps with wind buffering. This is the cleanest line of view,
Look at getting 360 degrees highway pegs so you can stretch your legs. The seat is a common problem. I would take care of the seat and bars first before investing in a windshield. Your hand position is key to comfort. Maybe think of a mild ape hanger.
Last edited by Notgrownup; Oct 15, 2024 at 06:43 AM.
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