has anyone used the Kuryakyn short forward controls with the harley engine guard? i have an 07 fxd. my engine guards say the will work with harley forwards but i called Kuryakyn and they say theirs will not. i cannot see why. i think the Kuryakyn guymight have beenjust blowing me off. any comments would be appreciated..

thanks
scott

 

Why would it be in his or his company's best interest to blow you off? I just usally ask myself that.

With that said, I don't see any reason why one would work and the other won't but I have seen statements from Kuryakyn that say they don't fit with engine guards. To be honest, if you have a standard type engine guard, I don't see how either one would fit.

 

i have never been happy with their customer service. one of two things have to be true: either they arent framiliar with HD products (i hardly belive that), or they are not interested in going out of their way to answer my questions. this has happened before on other items of theirs, when i ask a comparason with a harley product the seem miffed. in this day and age good customer service requires some knowledge of the competition. the engine guard that i have will work with harley forward controls. since Kuryakyn does not put a complete picture on their literature i cannot tell if something might be different on the brake side that would conflict with my engine guard. if they arent framiliar with HD products they probably should run down and take a look at some, since they make a good portion of their living selling to harley owners. i hate to spend the money if i'm going to have a problem. i actually would like to buy Kuryakyn controls as i think they look a little better. i guess my research continues....thanks for the reply.

scott

 

I have the standard length Kuryakyn forwards on my dyna. If there is something I can measure for you or take a picture of, let me know.

I'm sure it all depends on who you talk to anymore but my experience with Kuryakyn's tech staff has been quite the opposite of what you describe and I've heard others describe. When I bought my bike, not a lot of stuff was released yet as far as 07 accessories. I called Kuryakyn to find out if the 06 forwards would fit my bike. The guy wasn't sure so he went down to where they keep all their demo bikes and made sure everything was the same and called me back. I bought them (not from them directly) and had to call back to ask some questions about the install and they were just as knowledgable and friendly to me as they were the first time. This fall, I visited their vendor booth at the Fall Myrtle Beach rally looking for some new mirrors and fork clamps for relocating my turn signals. The guy I talked to there was very knowledgable about their products with regard to fitment on various Harleys. But then, he's probably out in the field, on the road all the time and has gained a lot of that knowledge that way.

By the way, if you haven't found out already, you can generally save about $100 buying the forward controls on ebay and installing them yourself. I paid $299 shipped for mine from Eastern Performance. I had one bolt that was the wrong thread type for the application and had a little issue getting the stock pinch bolt to fit through the shifter on the new splines but both issues were easily fixed with some improvisation and a quick visit to the hardware store.

This picture is about as close as I can get you to theright side controls. Maybe you can zoom it and see what you need to know. If not, let me know and I'll get you closer. I agree with you that I think the Kury kit is a little more beefy and blingy looking if that is what you are going for. Let me know...



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Thanks 2007FXD...all the reports i have heard about Kuryakyn is along the lines of what you have said...must be my luck. i probablyhave caught people on a bad day. i tried to explainthat i thought they would work but that ineeded some help to be sure, he didnt seem too interested in talking to me. he just kept repeating that their literature said that it wont work with forward controls. i had allready read that but i think that was written before the 07 engine guard came out for the HDd forwards. anyway, i do think their products are of the highest quality..thats why i'd like to get their forward controls, the HD ones seem a bit plain. your photo helps quite a bit. it doesnt appear to be any higher that he HD..that's the only thing i think would cause problems. i really like the engine guard and will not be without it, so if there were a problem i would stick with the mids. i assume that you were very pleased with the Kuryakyn controls once you had them on. did your legs get tired? i had forwards on my sporty and i found that my legs got a bit fatigued but the comfort was worth it. after looking at your photo i think i will order a set. BTW, i notice on the WG that the back lever on the trans is about an inch taller than that of the fxd...did your shift bar come quite close to the engine case? if you could do a pick of the shift side i't would really help. thanks a bunch for your efforts..

scott

 

I think I have something from that side as well. See below.

I'm not sure what you are referring to about the shifter but use the pix for whatever you need and, like I said, if you want me to measure something for clearance, let me know as well.

I wouldn't trade my forward controls for anything. I'm 6'4" with a 34" inseam which is the minimum measurement, or close to it, that Kuryakyn recommends extended forward controls. But I bought the standard length anway and think I made the right choice. My legs are not so extended that I'm actually depending on the footpegs to hold them up. Therefore, my legs never get fatigued. I have a nice bend in my knee instead of stretching my legs all the way out and trying to fight the wind at highway speeds. My butt might get sore now and then but my legs are never an issue. I've seen here that some people leave their mid pegs on to give them an option for moving their legs now and then. I still have my mid controls in a box but don't feel the need to put them back on for any reason. For me, the mids were way too uncomfortable and highway pegs were nice but there was too much back and forth with the feet in order to shift - especially with a 6 speed tranny. And I never was really comfortable with heel shifting or braking.



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2nd FXDC's comments. 5-9, 31" inseam with Kury's standard fwds and love me. I am one of those however that left his mids in place. I wanted to retain the option of using them. They work fine for me

 

Yep, that helped...i am going for the forward controls like you did. i notice however, that you have the heel supports. another fellow from this board said he really liked the heel supports.are you glad you bought them? are they a separate purchase or do you buy new pegs that have them on? i am 5'11' and about 300 lbs. i noticed on my sporty that my back took a bit of a beating. i have 12500 miles on my fxd and my back has not been an issue, BUT, with my petite size i somtimes have a little trouble getting my feet on the pegs. i do have highway pegs and i use them very little. my reason for the forward pegs now are that i am having some trouble with my right leg and i just fight getting it on the peg. if i do start having back problems i will be able to change back and sell the forwards on ebay. if i would have torn the primary covers off i wouldnt have that opportunity. i think however i will like them and the one problem of feet moving on the pegs might be solved by your heel rests. thanks a whole bunch for the info and pics. you cleared up my questions.

scott

 

Okay, first let me state that I seem to never have an absolute current pix because lately I've been changing things like the wind changes directions. I just removed the heel rest pegs this week and replaced them with what you see below. I didn't dislike the heel rests, I just never used them. I usually keep my feet on the pegs with the heel of my boots tucked agains the inside edge of the pegs.

As for back pain, I'm the epitomy of a chronic case. I have 3 herniated discs in my lower back and 3 in the upper-mid part of my back. Fortunately they never seem to "go out" on me at the same time and the lower back ones bother me more than the upper back. I still prefer the forward controls but I think it has a lot to do with the length of your legs. Like I said, I have a nice bend in my knee even with the forwards and it allows me to keep some weight on the legs while riding which makes me more comfortable in tight and/or high speed turns as far as control of the bike and it helps to support my back without all my weight just being supported on my rump and the seat and my legs just hanging there on the footpegs.



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nice pegs...bet they weren't cheap...i found a set of controls on ebay for 289.00/free shipping...think i'll go with that..i am also going to look into some nice pegs like yours....i do think i'd like to try the heel rests...like i said, i have 12500 miles on my fxd and really love it. try to take at least one trip a year..wish i would have gone with the good bags but now i know. just before i put it up for the season i had an oil leak on my inner primary bearing seal..got fixed under warrenty. i think the problem may have been caused by getting the belt a bit too tight. took it in to the dealer and he tightend the belt to 3/8" deflection. felt like a banjo string. after that it leaked. when he fixed it i put it back to about 1/2" and i think it will be fine. too bad about your back. i know that can be a problem. the fact that you are doing ok shows that the forwards fit you pretty well. just another thought, i bought a harbor freight lift and my god does that make life easier. best money i ever spent. i paid 249.00 and just last week got a coupon for $199.00..your back made me think of it. stooping to work on and clean the bike just about killed my back..the lift makes all the difference in the world. if you dont have one you ought to look into it..well, i've rambled enough...thanks a bunch for all the info....

scott