Footboards or Forwards?

[SHOEI]

I have boards fitted at the moment, but have an itch to give forwards a go as I think they look better & less cluttered than boards. Thing is I haven't ridden with forwards before so was wondering what the difference would be in say ease of use & comfort ect compared to boards. Also If I decided to go with forwards which in your opinion would be a good aftermarket set of forwards (preferably polished billet) I should be looking at. Any Info would be appreciated, thanks.

SHOEI

[45Brit]

footboards are the way that God and the MoCo ( not necessarily in that order ) meant H-Ds to be. They fit your feet and are where they are supposed to be.

try some Highway pegs for a while, you'll soon get fed up with having your feet stretched out like a gynecologists' chair, and the loss of control, backache and numb bum after half an hour resulting from wrong riding position

HP's are fine as an occasional extra but that's about all. If you want a lighter look, go for mid-controls and get better handling, assuming you can live with the resulting 'squashed frog' riding position - mind you Ducatis are like that, and it does them no harm, although Ducatis don't tend to have low, rear-mounted seats like H-Ds usually do.

[devon.john]

brit 45 is right but that depends on if you are arider or a poser??

if you do only short trips forward are not that bad, if you do the miles

iagree with Brit 45 your back will suffer, its a personal thing

i ride with mid mounted pegs it suits my riding stile i sometimes do big mileage

700-800 in a day i fit highway pegs so i can stretch my legs on along ride

do as 45 suggests try highway pegs first

this is only my opinion so good luck

john

[45Brit]

mid mounted pegs are good for long distances, as long as you get the position and seat right so you have enough leg room. Those 'frisco' style ones which leave your knees above the tank are a different matter...

[SHOEI]

Thanks for the info, looks like I will stick with the boards, as shelling out on forwards could be a costly experiment, without much benefit. Thanks again for your help.

SHOEI

[Scotty]

Forwards, 6'3", no back ache and not a poser....Go figure!

[Veggie]

Originally Posted by Scotty

Forwards, 6'3", no back ache and not a poser....Go figure!

And there you have it....at 6'3'' I would think you'd be more than comfy with forwards fitted.

At 5'6'' I think they would kill me on a long run, but thats just an assumption on my part.
I did read in American Rider a review of the then new version of the Wideglide, and it said that if you were lessthan 5'10' the standard forwards cause fatigue on a longish run, as your feet want to travel south as you're
blatting along.
Not very good methought

I'll stick to me boards

[Gray]

Tried a wideglide with forwards on it once. After a few miles of town traffic my legs started to tire of hauling my feet off the deck and on to the pegs. Maybe I'm just getting past it but it got a bit like hard work. My bikes have Boards or mid pegs and it seems much more comfy to me. I've got highway pegs on my glide and, as 45 suggests, that would be good way to try the posture before you spend serious cash.

[Phil]

Mids all the way. I do have some highway pegs for a change of position on long trips. Don`t like forward controls.

[Maggar]

Originally Posted by Gray

Tried a wideglide with forwards on it once. After a few miles of town traffic my legs started to tire of hauling my feet off the deck and on to the pegs. Maybe I'm just getting past it but it got a bit like hard work. My bikes have Boards or mid pegs and it seems much more comfy to me. I've got highway pegs on my glide and, as 45 suggests, that would be good way to try the posture before you spend serious cash.

I did 30,000 miles in four and a half years on my Wide Glide with forwards which I extended even further forward (by 2 inches) with a Kuryakyn kit. I never suffered from a bad back and found the position to be totally comfortable and very easy on the legs. I am not exceptionally tall by any means at 6ft nothing!

I'm now switching to a Street Glide and highway pegs will be a must so I can assume the position as often as is possible!