I recently did a 400 mile day two up, followed by a pair of 350 mile days solo on my 95 Road King. I have a windshield and I used a pair of HD soft lowers as it was a little cool and they help with wind blast. I took a full face helmet but barely wore it. I'm a lot more comfortable with just a knit hat and a pair of sunglasses.

After the first ride I bought an Airhawk inflatable seat cushion and it made a huge difference. My seat is a Mustang wide touring seat with a back rest of unknown age and it puts my weight on my tailbone with my knees slightly elevated and it tends to squish the boys too. The Airhawk raised me up and took pressure off my tailbone and the 'nads. I would still like to have the seat padding remade. Anyone have this done?

My friend Jeff donated a RAM cup holder when I got back, that will be nice for the next ride.

I would like to change my bars to the Klockwerks "ergo back" bars, but they are a little spendy at around $260. Anyone know of an alternative? They have a rise of 13.5 inches, a width of 35 inches, and a pullback of 3 inches.

An extended foot brake lever would help too so I could move my right foot around a little. Drag Specialties lists one for about $80. I do have highway pegs on the crash bars.

Bike has 54k on it now and runs great (stock). Could use a little more roll on from 70 mph when I want to pass. If the funds are available this winter I may do a cam and a 2/1 pipe.

Anyone care to add the little tricks they like to use for making longerish rides a little more comfortable?

 

I put some 4" rizers on mine (2 up and 2 back) which helped out a lot.

A drivers back rest really helps too.

 

We do not speak of such things on this forum......

 

Too true Blue!

As for comfort, let's think this through! Raising your bars is likely to increase the risk of you sitting on your tailbone, not reduce it. Might look and feel fine on short trips, but if you want to be comfortable on longer ones, take a look at dirty bikes, not the clean ones.

I struggled with my old Glide, when I first bought it, but eventually made a series of small adjustments with the stock bars, until Bingo - darned things finally worked! What I have since realised is that every Harley I have sat on seems to have the bars adjusted too high - at least for me. The simple act of rolling them in their clamps can substantially improve the riding experience, at least in my experience.

To make a sweeping generalisation, there are essentially two strands of personalising a Harley: customising for looks; improving for function. We seem to have reached a point in time when those two have become blurred. There is a very good reason why all stock touring bikes come with low bars, not apes!

 

Some of it depends on how often you can ride those 3/400 mile runs. Your body will be better conditioned the more/ longer runs you take. I know the equipment changes can help a lot but if this is the first couple times you had a run of that length you may want to give it some time.

Ride on!

 

There was a time I fully believed I could balance an XL Dunkin' Donuts coffee between my legs and successfully operate the scoot.

It's true: DD has really hot coffee...

I have basically the same bike as yours, and have done numerous 400-800 mile days. Here are a few of my comfort tips:

1)Comfortable shoes/boots.

2)Underwear that supports your junk, but doesn't bunch up or pinch. Look into the same stuff that bicyclists wear.

3)Jeans/slacks that have ample room in the seat/thighs/crotch. Leave the tight ones in the drawer.

4)Long sleeve tee shirt or pullover that fits and doesn't windslap.

5)Jacket that is appropriate to the weather. Leave the heavy one home if it's 90+ degrees.

6)Rain gear that actually keeps you dry. (I've lot's of suggestions for this)

7)Ride at a comfortable pace. My 'comfort' pace is 70-75 mph on the I-states, with an occasional blast above that to get clear of traffic. My 93 FLHS requires a whole lot more 'attention' when I get above 80 mph.

8)Lightweight helmet (if you are required to, or choose to). I don't wear a full face helmet for a number of my own reasons. I have a couple 1/2 helmets (HJC), one with zip on/off ear flaps for cooler temps.

9)Don't carry a lot of 'stuff' in your pockets. Keep the 'stuff' in your billfold down to a minimum. Sitting on that for 7-12 hours is not my idea of comfort. I normally keep mine either in the high side bag, or the windshield bag.

10)I probably spend more time on the floorboards, than on the highway pegs, but it's nice to have them to stretch out on. I have a set of Iso-pegs mounted.

Most of my high mileage runs, are just a matter of 'getting there'. As an example, I do Canton, MI to Orlando, FL in two days. I try to get just south of Atlanta the first night. Which is 'around' 750 miles. The remaining 400 miles get's done the next day. Rides like this are pure 'liquid in - liquid out' runs. (fuel stop / pee stop / drink/eat stop combined). At 70-75 mph, I stop every 160-175 miles or 2.25 - 2.5 hours. Get off, fuel the bike, stretch, get a quick drink, visit the latrine, and get back at it. Usually takes under 20 minutes from exit ramp to entry ramp. A little longer if the wife is along (we stop for a full lunch).

Sun, wind, high/low temps, traffic, construction, bad roads, improperly loaded bike, and rain can also add to fatigue during a long ride. And I won't even get into the whole 'riding buddy' good/bad debate.

Bottom line: Some days just aren't conducive to long rides. Trust me, I've ridden seven hours in the remnants of a hurricane. I was beat by the time I got into my motel room outside of McDonough, GA.

I find the stock seat on my 93 FLHS to be comfortable. It wasn't that way when the bike was new, but I've broken it in to my butt. I also find the stock handlebars comfortable when adjusted correctly. I have Kuryakyn Iso-grips, and find them very comfortable. Electronic cruise control is also great on long stretches of highway, I added one to mine in 2005, and wouldn't have a touring bike without one. I have the windshield adjusted a bit higher than most, but I find it a bit more comfortable looking through it, rather than over it. Personal thing. I don't have a radio, but if I ever get another touring bike, it will have one.

Everyone will have an opinion on the 'best' initial mods for your bike. Here is what has worked, and worked well for me on my 80" EVO:
Screaming Eagle air cleaner
Andrews EV27 cam
Dyna 2000 ignition
Pingel petcock
SuperTrapp slip-on mufflers (with 18 disks installed)
Dyno Tuned CV carb

Do something similar, and you'll have a whole new EVO experience.

 

Hey, good tips, thanks.

As far as the RAM mounted cupholder, maybe I could just use the mount for my smartphone instead so it will be easier to text. I'm kidding of course, point taken.

How do you adjust your windshield higher?

 

Very good advice here.

Further to this, you can also create more than one configuration for your bike. For example, I have two seats, one for local runs, and one for long distance. It takes two minutes to swap seats. As mentioned above, the one is functional, and the other has more aesthetic value.

Cheers

KC

 

I use "High Western" handlebars these days and some people don't get the look because they are fixated on apehangers but damn they are comfy....so comfy I never think about them!

As for undies....Jockey "Performance" are the best long distance undies I have found so far.

 

FWIW I have been told the best hand position is level with your shoulders.

It is why I added the small risers and has worked well for me.