when i get my dyna i want forward controls but will atleast have pegs. on my sporty i have mids and highway pegs but i never put my mid pegs down. i do all my shifting/breaking with my heals. I have done it that way for 2 years.

 

I'm the opposite of the guys who bought superglides/lowriders specifically for mid-controls. I bought a wide glide not only for the raked out stretched look of the bike...but I also can't imagine riding with mids. They just make me feel very cramped. I'm not especially tall....six feet approx. My first two motorcycles has mid-controls...on my second, I upgraded to forward controls and never looked back. As stupid as this sounds, I actually ruled out a lot of bikes when I was buying my harley, specifically because they had the mids. You'll read a million different opinions on what people like better...but the bottom line is, you have to get what feels more comfortable to you. Everyone is different.


Todd

 

Don't, it sucks!

I was one that was apprehensive about forward controls at first, not from experience but just looking at the riding position. I thought I'd have to have mid-controls to feel "in control". Especially knowing I would be riding aggressively. That was until I rode my first Harley, a Deuce with forward controls. I was instantly sold. It was extremely comfortable both cruising and pitching it in the curves. When I bought my Bob, forward controls were ordered immediately but because they wanted to install all my goodies at once, I had to wait because the pipes were backordered. In the 1600mi I had them, the mids drove me insane. Always snaggin' my pants leg putting my feet down. Caught my feet on them picking them up. Felt cramped up. Sucks.

For me, the forward controls have no effect on my ability to run the **** out of this thing, straights or curves. It ain't a sportbike.

 

My 06 Dyna has te mid-controls and I have a set of hghway pegs. This allows me greater movement and gives me more control in tight traffic conditions. With forward controls, you only have one location to plant your feet.

 

I'm not trying to start a fight. Really.

Harley bikes (and most cruisers) are a battle of form and function. What looks cool versus what provides the best options for a rider. Your two basic mid-line cruiser Harleys are Softails and Dynas. Softails lean towards form over function, while the Dynas tend to lean function over form. Yes, clearly their are exceptions in both lines.

Mid-mount pegs keep your legs under you. From that you get better balance and better control. I've had two Dynas thus far and I love the mid-controls. I feel like I can respond much better to road conditions with my feet under me. Lots of Dyna riders seem to agree. It's the line you go with when you want things like forward controls and a full suspension.

I've also found that with the exception of the Wide Glide where forward controls come stock, the mid-mount controls on Dyna models look "right" whereas adding forward controls looks a bit odd.

 

Whoops. What I meant was "mid-controls and a full suspension." Didn't mean to contradict myself in my own post. Sorry.

 

I agree with you Craig...I can ride my WG just as hard with forward controls as I could any other bike with mids. And the truth is...as aggressive as you're riding you're harley...the guy on the crotch rocket right next to you will pull away and not even think he's racing. If I really want to ride hard, I'll write a check for a couple grand and buy a bike with clip-ons, plastic all over it, and REAR set pegs. As it is, I'm on a cruiser...cruiser being the key word....and even if it's a generic term, it doesn't come from nowhere. I understand that there are those that like some performance out of their harleys...thats totally understandable because quick is always better than sluggish....but the truth is, even the fastest harleys aren't a match for a stock Hyabusa...of course there are exceptions...but we all know what it costs to make a harley that quick.
I also understand that the argument of dyna = function over form vs. softail = form over function will always be something that people consider when they're thinking about buying a harley...In the end, they're all harleys...they're all big, heavy, and none of them are lightning....
And the truth is, I'm perfectly happy with that...that's what I bought it for...sitting back on the open road with my feet forward and my fists in the wind. And if I can't take a corner as fast as the guy on the GSX-R, so be it.
So when I read the magazine reviews, and I hear people talking about mid-controls giving more stability in corners, handling etc....that's all fine and good...but if you really want to ride like you're at the track, I'm not sure why a harley would be anyone's first choice to begin with. And even if you're part of the anti rice crowd...you could still get that style of motorcycle right there in the same HD dealership....they're called Buells and they're a hell of a lot of fun!

Once again...I'm not looking to put anyone down for their opinion...this is just mine...bottom line is, you buy whatever harley you want...you buy the one that makes you drool the most when you look at it...you buy the one that makes you feel like you're one with it when you sit on it. And you buy it knowing that you're not going to be the fastest biker on the road....but certainly part of a family of bikers who know what it's like to ride the greatest motorcycle ever made.

Todd

 

Simple reason, Mids fit my stubby legs.

 

One of the reasons I bought a Dyna is because of the mid controls. Much better riding position, and more in control, plus easier to ride the twisties. That's why I bought a Dyna to begin with. To each his own though, I have heard lots of people say the opposite. I just can't get used to forward controls. I had a 14 over rigid chopper which of course had forward controls. Just felt like I was always fighting to keep my feet on the pegs. The mids feel "right" to me.

 

[/quote]Once again...I'm not looking to put anyone down for their opinion...this is just mine...bottom line is, you buy whatever harley you want...you buy the one that makes you drool the most when you look at it...you buy the one that makes you feel like you're one with it when you sit on it. And you buy it knowing that you're not going to be the fastest biker on the road....but certainly part of a family of bikers who know what it's like to ride the greatest motorcycle ever made.

Todd
[/quote]


Amen to that Todd.