Bought a bike

[Cnille]

I went to PA this morning to make a deal on a 2010 NT700 with ABS. The ride home (145 miles) has already taught me that a Sport Tourer riding position is completely different than the Cruiser I had. I can already see that I will need risers and a Cramp Buster to sit up straighter. I also haven't figured out how to position my feet on the pegs. My Cruiser had floorboards. Do I keep the balls of my feet on the pegs and then move my feet to use the shift lever and brake, or do I put the peg under the arch of my foot and have the shifter and brake closer? I told my wife I will have to do a lot of riding until I figure out how to do it safely. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[RedLdr1]

Congratulations...

 

[Bear]

Congratulations on your purchase. You will get used to the bike quite quickly. The NT is also pretty easy to adjust to your ergos. Motorcycle Larry is a great source for that kind of stuff. Enjoy the ride.

 

[charlie b]

Welcome.

I move my feet around quite a bit. Most of the time arch is on the peg, but, I will also move them back until the ball of the foot is on the peg. On longer trips I will even put my toes on the pegs and heels on the passenger pegs.

When in traffic I prefer to have the arches on the pegs so I can get to the brake faster.

And you might look at your riding position and see if you can adjust to the slight lean forward. Keep back straight and use your legs more. IMHO it is more comfortable that the straight up sitting.

 

[vzshadow]

I came to the NT from a cruiser. My back was always sore when I rode the cruiser. Not so with the NT. The stock seat is big enough that you can nudge forward or backward just a little and alter your position just enough to keep it fresh. I can go 250+ on a fill up under the right circumstances. I find the bike comfortable enough to ride that long if need be. I'll be your adjustment period is short, but tell your wife I concur that you need a lot of riding time!!!!

 

[elizilla]

If you find the reach to the bars is too long, you may find that moving your feet back so the ball of your foot rests on the pegs, helps your back. It will shift your weight to your feet and set your pelvis at an angle that makes the bar reach seem more natural.

Though I am coming to the NT from a series of bikes that didn't include any cruisers; I've ridden mostly taller standards. I expect to have my feet under me, not stretched out in front or pushed up and back. I've posted about this before. I think a big reason people think the NT's bars are too far forward, is because the footpegs are too far forward, which affects how people distribute their weight, and makes them feel like they're fighting to reach the bars.

Of course, modding the bike to move the driver footpegs back, or positioning your feet farther back on the stock pegs, interferes with the passenger's feet if you have a passenger, because the passenger pegs are so very close to the rider pegs. So you have to balance with that and ride with your arches on the pegs if you have a passenger. Just one more of the many reasons that carrying a passenger is more tiring.

 

[Cnille]

I don't have to worry about a passenger. My wife says she doesn't like riding with me on four wheels so she damn sure isn't going to do it on two. Bob - Where are you located in Virginia?

 

[Motopilot]

My bike is much more comfortable now than when I first rode it. I added the ROX risers which helped me the most, and adjusted the brake pedal down quite a bit from where it was so that I didn't have to "hold my toes up" to keep from dragging the rear brake. The brake pedal adjustment isn't too difficult, but you have to remember to adjust the brake light switch too so it doesn't stay on or come on with hardly any pressure.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I had floorboards on my '83 Silverwing, and then a similar position to the NT on both my Concours(es). I like the slight forward lean of the NT, but did mount Motorcycle Larry's bar risers. That let me rotate the bar down a bit and get a more comfortable feeling bend for my wrists. I've had five knee replacement and also got his peg lowerers so the knees aren't bent quite as much as stock. I added a Russell DayLong saddle and can ride all day and most of the night without getting tired or uncomfortable. When I ride 2-500 miles in a day in a car, my knees hurt, but I can do 6-900 a day on the bike and be fine when I get off.

Give yourself some time to adjust, but I would agree that a crampbuster will make a big difference. I've got a Throttlemeister throttle lock now and it makes things even better. I wish the NT's throttle return spring wasn't quite as strong as it is.

 

[banjoboy]

I'm with Phil also. The Throttlemeister is a great, relatively cheap add on. On the road, I have the TM 'on' and touch the grips with just the fingertips, which pulls me back to more upright and I like that.

Terry

 

[charlie b]

Katherine,

Did you move the pegs back when you had your NT? I am considering that for mine.

 

[Chuck 500]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the NT.

Lots of good info in the thread so far, more than my humble inexperience can compete with. I did put on the MCL bar risers because I have short arms and a weak back. I just can't tolerate leaning forward for very long. With the risers it is just about right. The trade off is more pressure on the lower part of your pelvis.

Give the bike a few hundred to a thousand miles before making any changes. Evaluate and study your riding position. Since it is very different from your cruiser, you have a lot get used to.

NT is a great traveler. for me 200 - 300 mile day rides are the norm. Record is close to 600 and SS1000 is in the cards. Several heare have done that and more.

Oh, and remember, keep the shiny side up,

Chuck

 

[Lorien]

I had a Honda Ace Shadow Cruiser for about 3 months. In my particuliar case it was a unfortunate experience. The riding position caused me a great deal of back discomfort which I had never experienced in 40 years of riding. I was never able to fix the problem and eventually traded the bike in for a Concours 1000. The pain was gone instantly with the sport riding position and has never been a problem again when I followed that bike with a ST1100 and then ST13 and now of course the NT.
The NT is not a cruiser and I would suggest that any attempt to get into the relaxed somewhat couch like or cruiser position will not succeed without an inordinate amount of effort. The ergos simply are not there without some mods that really defeat the purpose of the bike. Yes you could probably put highway pegs on it only to find the seat not particuliarly comfortable and the handlebars completely out of position. So then there is a new seat and risers and to get the bars far enough back new control lines, and then ... well you get the idea. And this assumes that it all works for you just like you want. My suggestion is try the bike for a while and if you really don't like what you have cross it off to experience and get something you prefer. Much less trouble and time spent.

 

[elizilla]

Did you move the pegs back when you had your NT? I am considering that for mine.

I considered it but never got around to it. I just rode almost all the time with the ball of my foot on the pegs. And I still have my NT, though I have almost completely defarkled it.

 

[charlie b]

Thanks katherine