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i just got done doing a 1200 mile ride from vegas to seattle. (2 days - 9 hours each day) a more comfortable seat would have been great. my *** was killing me by the second day. i'm running drag bars and the first day was no problem, but the second day i was starting to feel it in the shoulders.
i also had my highway pegs, mid controls, and passenger pegs on. it made it really great to switch riding positions.
i found that having my feet farther back on the passenger pegs and pretty much laying on my tank was really comfortable....and was great for the times when i had 30 mph winds
I'll tell you, I'm over 60 and sold my FLHS and only ride my 06 1200R now. Got 35000 miles on her and with the small peanut tank need to stop for gas often anyway. I do have to take a little longer breaks now that I put the "Badlander" seat on. The stock seat had way more foam and was pretty nice. But with the flatter "Badlander" seat I can move around easier. I don't think long rides are a problem at all on the new rubber mounted Sportster's. I also have the flyscreen and that really works good for it's small size. Best bike I've every owned in my 45 years of riding, for me anyway.
Ok so it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it CAN be done. I just wouldn't suggest most people get a Sporty if they want to ride long distance regularly.
i put 1k a week on my bike just going around town to work and back. and nearly every other weekend I will pull an overnight 500+ mile trip upstate, doesnt hurt me or the bike.
when i have to do the same length trip and take a passenger, i borrow a friends kawasaki vulcan, only becuase it is bigger and has more room for the passenger, but its not as comfortable as the sporty in my opinion, gas tank spreads your legs too far and the seat is god awful! completely numb after 50 miles....
I've noticed after your muscles have been conditioned throughout the season, that it is better over time for all of us. Unless your speaking of city miles which would be pretty brutal then. My XLN is ridden and intended for short jaunts.
As long as you don't try and make that long ride on the Stock seat, it's perfectly comfortable. I've done as many as 700 miles in a day on my Sporty. Perfectly comfortable.
I regularly ride over to the Smokey Mountains, from Nashville. That's over 200 miles, then I spend the rest of the day riding the twistys until well into the night. I spend a day or two over there, and on my last day, I will ride all day, until dark and then make the return trip back to Nashville. Wow, that sounds like a good plan for this Labor Day weekend!!!!
I had a RoadKing for 10 days, it was a little more comfortable on the interstate, but that was mostly due to the cruise control.
I have fwd controls and a mustang wide solo. The seat is comfortable but puts me in a clam type riding position. If I had pull back mini apes I think it would be ready for 300+ mile trips.
With the stock seat the riding position is perfect with stock bars and the fwd controls...but then I can't last on that seat more than 125-150 miles straight. Thinkin of trying out one of those slim line seat pads.
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