| Painful Legs
I don't know if anyone can assist with advice …
I drive a 2003 XL1200S Sportster sidecar outfit. As some of you know, I've finally sorted the handling and now the plot drives much easier. But …. I'm really uncomfortable in my posture on the bike. I can't explain why, but my legs are killing me after half an hour in the saddle. It's the tops of my thighs that really get painful. Something isn't right with the seat and ergonomics.
Now, driving a sidecar outfit isn't like riding a bike … it's very different. On a bike there's virtually no handlebar input except a bit of counter-steering on bends. On a sidecar the thing is steered like a powered lawnmower and you need some effort to turn the bars. So … the effort is not so much push and pull, but also like twisting your torso, especially if you are badly located on the seat. And this is how I am on the standard Sport seat. It's not flat enough and does nothing to support my hips in any way. And it's far too long, the raised section is miles too far back for someone like me with a short 28.5” inside leg. I slide about too much on corners and my legs begin to ache.
Another problem is the ridiculous too soft “anti vibration” standard foot pegs. They squash down on the outside causing my ankles and legs to be forced outwards John Wayne style!! Bad Idea!! I need harder slightly higher pegs that, if anything, make my legs angle slightly inwards. I've tried tightening and then angling the pegs upwards and the makes quite an improvement. Basically the peg angle should be at the same angle as the natural angle of your legs. So … any advice on harder pegs would be good. I can then lock them up at the correct angle to suit my posture.
I know Sportster pegs are in a daft place ergonomically but I will have to put up with that. Forward pegs footplates are utterly useless on a sidecar outfit, you need the pegs in the standard position to help with the steering effort and body balance.
I have 4” wider handlebars fitted and these seem fine. The location of the bars is about right.
I need to be able to sit about 2” further forward and have a decent angular position for my feet.
The dual seat needs to be flat and wide and reasonably soft to give support at each lower hip area. I've sat on a 2007 XL1200C Custom seat and that felt good but I've not ridden one.
I suppose I could try my local Harley Dealer (50 miles) away and hope that they “might” allow me to try umpteen seats but they are a bit expensive. There's loads of seats on eBay. So any help is welcome. I'm 5'8” short with 28” inside legs and weigh 12 stone.
Help!!!
 |