Heck, if you're not happy sell that thing! You get different kinds if people with different temperaments. Some guys here ride on struts with a bare pan seat my back would NEVER recover. I've been in 2 wrecks so I have to be careful. There's a lot you can change to make the scoot fit you and be more comfortable. Just remember HD pushes out the Sporties as an entry level so you're not going to get the best shocks on the market, the best seat etc. personally I love that lots of people are buying them.

 

Gotta say i have a lot of sympathy with the OP.
I admit back in 2004 i bought a Harley because of the name.
I straight swapped my FXSTC at the dealers this year for a Nightster because i just could not justify a bike that big on the crap roads in the Uk.
The nightster is better for where i live but i sometimes catch my-self looking at those Ducatis or KTMs out there now.
THe thing i dont get and i am just as guilty as everyone else is that we buy the bike then rip all the stock stuff off before we even get it home ! Why did we buy it in the 1st place if we did not like it stock?
SAying all that i am really enjoying the Nightster but i do wonder for how long? time will tell.

 

As I already told elsewhere, the most surprizing thing I did on my 1200C was to put the rear shocks on stand #4, it's harder and still more comfortable than letting the shocks on stand #1. Try it!

I discovered this whan I forgot to put it back on #1 after a duo ride.

 

Sorry to hear what you are going through. HD is my first bike so I have no opinion on other brands out there. I do enjoy my ride,but then I have a very comfortable mustang seat too. Let us know how you make out. Good luck

 

Hey man same here lol. As for the OP. It sucks your bike has done this to you. Trust me when say, Your sooo right on the pain thing. I need to (1) Put my shocks up, they are on lowest setting, (2) Get a 12 inch ape kit, (3) Got my drivers backrest so im good there, (4) Get a seat that is atleast 100 times more comfy than the stocker i even put in 3 inches of memory foam in the saddle part(not the socalled backrest part). (5) and probably most importsnt as far as my satisfaction goes, i need the x14iED's to make the bike run as it should.

Victory and Trumpet make great bikes! Try em out.

With all that aside,you really do have to make the bike (Fit) you, its the same with Yami, Honda, Ect. The best thing you might find is that the metrics,(i had one up till april 4th) come as Full frame cruisers, yes, even the Yami 650Vstar the 900 or its a 950 Efi Vstar. Suz Boulavards, The only hondas that pass muster are the Custom chopper and the Shadow. Those are ALL bikes you will like size wise in frame(youll see how cramped a sporty is when you sit on one of the mentioned bikes). For a Harley(youll get the most on trade for sure, Id go up to ANY model that isnt a sporty, Again, you have to make all the bikes i mentioned (Fit) you by buying extra parts or do it yourself mods as i did with my Yami Vstar 650 custom(was my Getting back into bikeing starter bike for 2 years, put 16,800 miles on it).Thats saying something for a guy that has had 8 back surgeries that have all failed.

A kidney belt is a must, even on a Jap bike if you have back issues and side pain. Examples of what it took for the Yami to fit me,5'8 175lbs and a gimp. Most were mods from forums. I raised the front end by putting in 3-4 inch longer spacers on top of the springs. Lowered the rear of the bike 3 1/2 inches by moving the mono shock upper frame bolt forward 1/4 inch away from the outside edge of the original hole. Redid the seat with 6 inches of compressed memory foam, Put foreward controls(either 4inch or 6 cant remember) 4 inch risers, Clutch mod, and drag pipes and rejetted and Air box mod. The bike fit like a glove,(I sat Into the bike, layed back, Not on top of the bike if you feel me on that) most mods were free or next to free because of people who figured out how to do that crap by experamenting. Thats why, with my back one step from putting me in a chair i did all that to it, It FIT Me, noone else just me.

My sporty, like i said i need more mods, id like to put the simple lowering kit on it(allowing me to put the shock setting on anything but 1) And already mentioned the rest. I hope you find what suits you, I put 16k on my yami in 2 years because i was so comfy on it it made car rides something that gave me more pain. Look around, find a good starter fit, and go from there. Most all seats will need replaceing or modding thats almost a given unless you find a used bike with a stang or a corbin Ect Ect. Hope it works out and again get a bike that fits you best first off, then your going to have to make it fit you if you truely want to ride it any distance. I have put only 200 miles on the sporty because of comfort issues and being broke. I just cant ride it or dont want to until i can be atleast half comfy and have it run right.

BTW in down the way from you in Central Square lol Sup?

Heres a pic of the old bike

 

I always wanted to love the Nightster. I do not see how HD gets away selling them with slammed suspension. Its one thing if the owner does it but slammed suspension is a safety hazzard when you hit a pothole.

Upgrade your seat and suspension first, looks be dammed. It doesn't matter how fast or loud you make it if you can't ride it.

I love riding in the mountains on backroads. Most streetbikes and sportbikes just don't have the suspension to handle rough, buckled, potholed roads that are off the beaten track that I like to ride the most. I have a Street Bob with Ohlins shocks but my other three bikes are a BMW GS Adventure, BMW 650 GS Sertao, and a Suzuki DR650. These bikes eat bad (good for me) roads for lunch. Pavement is optional.

As far as rust goes it may be your area. In the winter you folks get that cold white stuff on the road and the Highway Dept. salts the road. You may find all brands will rust on you.

I have a rule of thumb. If a part breaks or falls off and it does not make the bike run, it goes in the trash.

 

THe thig i dont get and i am just as guilty as everyone else is that we buy the bike then rip all the stock stuff off before we even get it home ! Why did we buy it in the 1st place if we did not like it stock?

The aftermarket support and customizability was a huge part of why I got a Harley. I like to change it up to make it fit me and the way I ride. That's not easy on a Triumph or any model that only has a 5-6 yr production run. The XL been out there for, what 50-60 yrs?

 

First, I'm curious about the "rust" because the OP took great care w/his ride so my question is...have you had your water tested for minerals? I wont shower, or wash anything at my mom's farm because there are high levels of iron in her water & this turns "everything" into a rust colored mess.

Second, yes HD's need to be dialed in & adding pipes + engine mods won't help comfort. Did you change the seat, shocks, controls...? Seems to me you bought a 10-speed to a mountain bike trail. My suggestion is to get that seat modded (Mean City cycles), or swapped + change rear shocks & front springs to something a little less stiff & w/more travel.

Finally, have to add some bashing, learn to capitalize & punctuate...reading your post was eye-straining for this old guy's vision...

Good luck & hope you work things out.

 

You should go buy one of these..

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Pro...?scid=6&id=572

Put some aggressive rubber on it and you can ride on dirt.

It is almost all plastic so it will not rust and will run without a hitch as long as you change the oil.

Run along now.

 

Thanks for the input guys....
As far as the rust goes, my step father has an 03 king that doesn't have a spec on it and takes less care than I do so I think I got a factory dud.
I looked into the king shocks but it still didn't seem like that well make a difference unless I'm 2 up. I got a 2 up seat and it's less comfy than the stock, but I can sit on the passengers if I'm alone to stretch out. I got forwards for it after riding it to Virginia in stock form....DON'T DO THAT!
my problem is I see a lot of talk of seats but what are really my options...And shocks the same? Obviously I bought the nighty because I love the look and I don't really want to take away from that.
Anyhow today I think I'm going to take a trip to victory and Honda to see a few, unfortunately I got to work on the truck too