Well hoping to gain some help from some folks that have some time riding the bigger bikes.
I have been riding street style bikes for about 5 years now. My bike now is a yamaha V-Star. So I'm looking to upgrade to a full bagger now but ran into to some problems I could use some help with.
I rented a 14 ultra for 3 days and me and the wife headed out. Well not all I thought it would be. I found the bike very hard for me to control at lower speeds and making corners from a stop. Now the bike is heavier but I never had this problem with my smaller bike. Are there tricks to riding the bigger bikes at slower speeds?? Also the floor boards for the wife are always slapping me in the back of the legs which I think is part of my problems as I'm use to walking the bike a little when I stop and start. When I get hit in the back of the leg makes it hard to keep my balance. So I'm trying to change a style I have been doing this for a long time and that might be taking me off my game. Maybe just not enough time on the bike? Not sure how long it should take to get the hang of it. We are looking at buying a bike in the near future, but I hate to buy something and than not be able to handle it safely.
I'm a big guy so strength shouldn't be the problem. Wondering if the back floor boards can be modified to stop hitting the back of the leg. Maybe try a low model. Not sure what the advantage or dis-advantage of that model would be. I know this is very vague but looking for any help someone might be able to give me or point me in a direction to try and figure it out. Thanks for any advice anyone can throw my way. Later
Ozzy

 

First thing you'll want to do is get your feet on the boards. Right away. Better balance, better control. Then some saddle time one up to get used to the different bike.

Have NEVER understood why anyone would take off with their legs hanging down? But, I've only been riding for over 40 years, what do I know.

 

I actually do not walk the bike, from a stop I put my feet up, and on the boards the first 3" or so that the bike moves.
Get, and watch one of the Ride Like A Pro videos, learn clutch throttle and brake use.
I have over 300k miles on big bikes, and they are very easy to ride to me, but I still watch the video every now, and then to keep it fresh.
Watch MOTO cop drills on youtube, see what the bikes are capable of.

 

Horseshit. I ride with my legs down at low speed all the time. The key is to look where you want to go...always, no matter how slow you're moving. The moment the OP looks down and concentrates on where he is rather than where he wants to go, it's at that moment that he loses sight of where he needs to, and should be headed. And confidence goes right out the window with that loss of concentration. I too have been riding for exactly 40 years, and there's plenty of ways to ride effectively at low speed as long as the primary focus is to look where you WANT to go. After that, it's rider preference and comfort level; at low speeds, of course. Cop course riding is another matter altogether.

OP - If I am not mistaken, the ultra has a tour pack on the back. That too will throw your center of gravity off if you're not used to that much weight on the back and sitting up as high as they do. I have a Road Glide Ultra, and don't even use the tour pack myself as a result. I know....what a waste (?!). There are lots of other angles to look at that will give you just as much storage space, if not more, while keeping your center of gravity low, on something like a Street Glide, or a Road Glide. If you don't have to have a fairing, a Road King is darn tough to beat for being able to have the best of ALL worlds too, for that matter, and they "feel" lower than the rest. If an Ultra is something that you just have to own, then you can buy a four point docking system that will enable you to remove the tour pack when riding solo, which is what I did on my RGU. Never could get used to the tour pack and how it threw my center of gravity off (I am not a big guy), but to be able to take it off helped me figure out the feel of my bike very quickly.

Lots of things you can do to help that problem in the Harley line-up if you just have to own one. Then, the rest is all about getting used to whatever you've chosen. Won't take you long at all, rest assured. And you'll quickly learn how much space you have to work with between your foot rests and the passenger foot rests. It's not as big a deal as it might seem.

 

Might try a streetglide or Roadglide without a tour-Pak and with pegs in the back instead of full boards to get started. Some time solo to learn the balance of the bike would probably help as well. From starts you might try slipping the clutch and using more throttle. When two up I use that method to help stabilize the bike at low speeds.

 

Riding a big bike that, is very intimidating. Learning to relax, and trust that your bike will do what you tell it, is one of the hardest things to get over. Harley's have a low center of gravity, and, are very balanced. You really have to keep your feet on the floorboards while in motion. Even if you fall over, the crash bars will completely absorb the weight. Trying to catch yourself and a 900lb. beast, can and will cripple you. I've worked with several guys, who have a permanent limp because they did just that. Once in motion, and riding slow, there are 3 techniques to use in conjunction with one another. "Head and Eye". Always turn your head and eyes to where you intend to turn. Looking at something else, might cause you to steer towards it. Second, practice trying to hold and maintain STEADILY, approximately 1800-2200 RPM's. More is better than too little. But, be aware, you may be prematurely burning your clutch up, if way too much. Try very hard, not to rock your throttle. And 3rd, learn to feather you BACK brake ONLY. If you need more speed for balance, use less brake. Need to turn sharp, lean and increase back brake pressure.
The only time you should be feeling your wife's floorboards, is when you are backing up. When she's not on the bike, fold them up, and out of the way. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU LEARN TO NOT CARRY THE WEIGHT OF YOUR BIKE WITH YOUR LEGS! They will break! If you are falling over, tuck. I don't like sounding like a know-it-all, and I hope I don't, but, I do this for a living. And, have been doing it professionally, for 18 years. Big twins for over 14. Harley offers a riders edge class that might be very beneficial to you. Also, most colleges offer classes. A lot of the these instructors, are ex-motorcops. Good luck Ozzy!

 

1. Use the fly wheel effect to your advantage. I can pretty much keep my SG up at stand still just by blipping the throttle a little. I won't even put my feet down if I know the light is going to turn soon.

2. Big touring Harleys are extremely maneuverable at low speed. You just need practice.

3. Clutch out feet up. No walking when the passenger pegs/boards are down.

 

As you can tell from the responses you'll develop a style that works for you. The Ultra is a big bulky bike that can intimidate the best at slow speeds. Bill03E mentioned the Ride Like a Pro DVD and they are helpful. Best advice is find a empty parking lot and practice. A little throttle, slip the clutch a bit and a little pressure on the rear brake and you'll be doing tight U turns.
Good Luck

 

I came from a VStar. Just a little practice will do it.

 

1.) Ozzy, good on you for admitting that you can use some help.

as above watch ride like a pro- dvd or there are some clips online...this concentrates on low speed manouvers- will also show how to right a dropped bike.

look into an advanced riders course- even if you took one re-up


and think about some parking lot practice- I do.
counter steering swerves, panic stops ( easy with abs), U turns and just feeling the weight and how to control it.

the HD touring chassis is remarkable for it's low speed abilities, the forks are "backwards" to make that possible

feet up ! if the bike goes down, your foot won;t stop it...and the right foot on the brake controls low speed handling- holding the bike up when power is applied

some of use replace the pass floorboards with pegs ( off a streetglide)...saves the calves from getting whacked

low model: less suspension travel, so a harsher ride, thinner seat padding...

Mike