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[Soot]

I am pissed at the fact that I am having to make mods to the bike that kind of defeat the whole point of buying a CVO (the bike that was supposed to be the ultimate). I am a bit disillusioned right now and regretting my decision to go with a CUSE8. I have taken 3 mid length rides (200+ miles) and paid the same price - sore lower back and numbing in both feet.

I have read many posts that talk about the bars (I have WO575's on order), and some ppl have had problems with the Hammock seat. Personally, the Hammock seat is a joke! You sit high and back and the support is lacking. I am considering going with a stock Ultra seat or even an 08 CVO heated seat. Point being that I am having to shell out more $$$ to make this bike rideable for me. Maybe the answer is to sell and accept that the fact that this bike is not a good fit for me. Wah wah wah. Sorry for bitching like a little girl but if anyone wants to chime in with some suggestions.......i'm all ears!

Soot

I never encountered these type of issues with my 2010 FLHTK...

[donald p]

 I agree as for the bars they suck.

[CowboyBagger]

I'm not sure what size person MOCO engineers these bikes for, but it's definitely not my size (5'11", 34" sleeve and inseam).  Every Harley I've had, the bars are too far forward and too low.  All the stock seats suck, the best was the stock seat on my FLHTK and the worst was on my FLHX.  I guess that's why the aftermarket companies do pretty well.  I'm currently running a Corbin seat and Yaffee bars on my FLHXSE3.  My wife is getting ready to change the bars and seat on her Breakout, but the aftermarket offerings are limited with this bike.

Cowboy

[Steve_G]

I am pissed at the fact that I am having to make mods to the bike that kind of defeat the whole point of buying a CVO (the bike that was supposed to be the ultimate). I am a bit disillusioned right now and regretting my decision to go with a CUSE8. I have taken 3 mid length rides (200+ miles) and paid the same price - sore lower back and numbing in both feet.

I have read many posts that talk about the bars (I have WO575's on order), and some ppl have had problems with the Hammock seat. Personally, the Hammock seat is a joke! You sit high and back and the support is lacking. I am considering going with a stock Ultra seat or even an 08 CVO heated seat. Point being that I am having to shell out more $$$ to make this bike rideable for me. Maybe the answer is to sell and accept that the fact that this bike is not a good fit for me. Wah wah wah. Sorry for bitching like a little girl but if anyone wants to chime in with some suggestions.......i'm all ears!


Soot

I never encountered these type of issues with my 2010 FLHTK...

Do you think it is a vibration issue? If not, the lack of support may be causing the lower back pain that can cause sciatica problems such as numbing in your legs and/or feet.
Seats are a personal fitment issue, so try before you buy.
Just my 2 cents.

[dooinit2u]

I would personally look at the 578 Wild 1 bars. A diifernt hand position than the 575's. Something to look at...

[Soot]

I'm not sure what size person MOCO engineers these bikes for, but it's definitely not my size (5'11", 34" sleeve and inseam).  Every Harley I've had, the bars are too far forward and too low.  All the stock seats suck, the best was the stock seat on my FLHTK and the worst was on my FLHX.  I guess that's why the aftermarket companies do pretty well.  I'm currently running a Corbin seat and Yaffee bars on my FLHXSE3.  My wife is getting ready to change the bars and seat on her Breakout, but the aftermarket offerings are limited with this bike.

Cowboy

++1 on the seat assessment Cowboy. The FLHTK does have an excellent seat while the FLHX is like getting a spinal tap with every pothole! MOCO must have a deal with the after market suppliers.....

[Twolanerider]

Some things like engine upgrades or (more importantly) the correction of the drivetrain's sometimes significant deficiencies you can't know after just kicking tires, sitting in the saddle and taking a significant test ride (you did that before shelling out $35k+ right?).  At least you can't know those things unless homework was done above and beyond the due diligence done at the dealership itself.  Homework like reading the histories shared here or other places.

Your issues (at least for now) are different.  They're also historic.  Saddle and bar feel you could get some feel for on a good test drive before purchase.  Those ergonomics are also things that anyone should count on perhaps having to do something with if they're going to ride much.  For as long as there have been riders the first thing that was often considered was loosening the clamps and adjusting the bars to a bike's new rider.  And that was when we were young and flexible and felt admitted no pain.  The first troika of things that often should be addressed is bar or bar position, saddle and windshield.

Personally I always start with the saddle.  Without that I can't know where the rest of me is going to be or at what height.  Once the body's location is determined any final adjustment or replacement to the bars can be done and a windshield height can be established.  Just expecting some generic "fit" from the assembly line to actually fit everyone is optimistic though.  Granted, Harley builds some cheap flimsy seats.  But that there is not one universal ergonomic fit isn't one of the things I can blame them for.

[VaEagle]

Sorry to read that you are having problems.
As mentioned above most things like bikes and cars etc. are built for a certain size and build person. If you fall outside the "norm" that they decide to design for then there is problems. As we have discovered in the past, H-D with Willie G has the mentality that a bike is a blank slate that you customize to make it your own. They fail to bring up that that means more money for them and less for us as well as garage space used up to store the factory parts. How many other bike or car companies come out with a 500 page parts catalog?
If you were an optimist you could say that H-D is trying to respond to customer complaints and make the bikes ride better with improved seats etc. If a pessimist you could say we are the test dummies for products that may make it to standard production bikes in the future.
I guess part of the reason we are the test dummies is the sales system, CVOs are so expensive and rare that we don't see many on the showroom floor and we definitely don't get a chance to get an extended test ride on a CVO. That makes us vulnerable to company PR and magazine write-ups to get our first impressions of these bikes.
Just my .02 but maybe the reason some of us are happy and others not so much depends on preconceived expectations.......If you think that a CVO is the ultimate motorcycle and nothing needs to be changed or improved on it then you may be disappointed. If on the other hand you look at a CVO as a next level bike compared to stock and it still may need changes to make it right for you then you accept things and just consider it as part of ownership.
Then you have the discussion of form over function. Harley owners seem hampered a little by trying to keep the look, feel and sound of a 1930s bike versus the latest in design and technology. Things like a comfortable seat can be affected by looks such as using a road zeppelin or a Russel's day long seat may be the most comfortable but most riders won't use one because of the looks factor.
I would guess that in order to get the best fit, you could accept the ideas from similar size riders that ride in a position similar to you. It may not help if the person suggesting parts has longer legs, arms or is heaver/lighter than you. Then is the person suggesting parts a bar hopper, long distance rider, performance handling rider or a poser who is concerned with looking cool?
Good luck with your search for a good ride!

[grc]

It is rather sad that after more than a hundred years we can still get a motorcycle any way we want it, as long as it's the way the factory decided to build it.  I can get power operated eight way adjustable seats, tilt and telescope steering wheels, power adjustable pedals, etc. on a car that costs less than not only a CVO, but less than a regular Harley.  But Harley sticks with one set of bars with hardly any adjustability, one seat, one set of pegs/floorboards, etc.  This is great for their bottom line, since most customers buy their modifications from the dealers who in turn buy the parts from Harley, but it is further proof IMHO that we as consumers are being severely screwed by these clowns.

I'm pretty sure Harley could come up with either a limited number of regular production options for things like bars and seats and windshields that could be ordered prior to the bike being assembled, or at least design bars with built in adjustability for height, angle, pullback, etc.  And while the older Touring bikes at least had a small amount of adjustability for the footboards, they did away with that in 2009.  If the height or angle of the footboard doesn't suit your feet and legs, I guess that's just tough doo doo.  See a surgeon and maybe he can alter your feet and legs to fit the Harley, because Harley sure isn't going to change how they do things to suit you.

It is probably a very good idea for anyone considering a new Harley these days to automatically add about $4k to the budget before signing on the dotted line.  First you need to pay the Harley tax (that's where you change the pipes and pay for a tuning device and tune), then you need to change the bars and the windshield.  Odds are pretty good you will eventually need to replace the seat as well, either because it doesn't fit you or it's uncomfortable, or in some cases because the quality is so poor the seams keep ripping out.  And this is all before you start doing the various and sundry appearance mods Harley riders are famous for, or adding of accessories above and beyond what comes standard.  Maybe I should add another grand or two to my earlier estimate of $4k.

Don't feel like the lone stranger Soot.  I think there are a whole lot of us who felt and feel the same way you do. 

Jerry

[Soot]

Thank you guys for putting something into perspective that I suspected all along but hoped it wouldn't be the case ( naive on my part) that there would be a need to modify to the individual. Unfortunately I got caught up in the hype of owning a CVO and didn't give due diligence where I should have. So as clear as I can see it i have two options:
1. Suck it up and make the necessary adjustments (ie. new bars; new seat and extend the floor boards) or
2. Take a hoof in the pills and sell the bike before shelling out more coin.

Has anyone else had problems with the hammock seat. I find the support just isn't there and I feel like I am positioned way up on the bike as opposed to being in the seat. Too be continued.........

[GregKhougaz]

Soot,   
You can sell your CVO take off parts.  Its not as bad as you seem to think. 

GK

[Twolanerider]

Thank you guys for putting something into perspective that I suspected all along but hoped it wouldn't be the case ( naive on my part) that there would be a need to modify to the individual. Unfortunately I got caught up in the hype of owning a CVO and didn't give due diligence where I should have. So as clear as I can see it i have two options:
1. Suck it up and make the necessary adjustments (ie. new bars; new seat and extend the floor boards) or
2. Take a hoof in the pills and sell the bike before shelling out more coin.

Has anyone else had problems with the hammock seat. I find the support just isn't there and I feel like I am positioned way up on the bike as opposed to being in the seat. Too be continued.........

Harley generally offers such light and flimsy seats that I never expect them to be satisfactory.  Until 20 years or so ago there wasn't a large nationally available aftermarket that could be easily accessed for comparison so we dealt with local upholstery guys or "seat gurus."  But, if we wanted it to feel better, we did something.  Now it's easier.  Just know you're likely calling Corbin or Mustang or someone....

The adjustments you're talking about are part of the dialing in the bike to the rider.  They shouldn't be unexpected.  It's not a car with an adjustable column, tilt wheel and multi-positioned seat with lumbar and other adjustments.  It's a fixed seat and bars.  We may fit.  But most of us probably won't fit well.

Consider the basics.  Are you a distance rider or a local rider?  If not out for 500 mile days but instead bopping around town or occasionally doing a few hours on a weekend maybe you can avoid the expense and just live with it.  Though god help  you in that case if you ever do head out on a bike trip.

Do you really like the bike otherwise and is the extra cash ok to spend?  The latter really is a consideration because really good saddles can be expensive.  Bars are cheap to buy but if you're not doing the install yourself it's a multi-hour labor job for the dealership.  Hundreds of dollars for the installation.  If you really like the bike and the cost can be absorbed then dial the bike in to you and like it even more.  If, however, there's always going to be a sense of nagging frustration now (no matter how well the bike fits) then to hell with it.  No reason for something that should be a toy and a source of enjoyment to, instead, be something that will continually be under your skin.

[muddypaws]

The bike is not a one size fits all. I ride just shy of 30,000 mike a year on my 2012 and have no problem. Might be that I'm a poster biy for the size of person they design the bike for. I just so happy it's not falling apart like my 2009 that I don't notice the ride....

[dayne66]

Jus' so you know......the price of the bike is just the down payment...........

[110tHunDer]

 
I used to ride a $7,000 Kawasaki Concours.  Had to put bar risers and a different seat on it to be comfortable for me for the long haul (no floorboards! ).  Why should a $36,000 Harley be any different, other than the price of those mods increasing, accordingly?